Horace Hawks – EDC Darlings

The Hawks from Horace will be making their varsity debut in 4 days! Horace opens up the season on December 6th vs. Wahpeton at home. It is going to be fun keeping track of the new squad. They look to have all the pieces that are needed to compete. Derek Hutchinson “Hutch” is the leader of the Hawks. Expect Hutch to have the Hawks flying high on Tuesday!

The three pillars of the Horace basketball program are Attitude, Effort, and Love. The Hawk coaching staff wants their players to keep a positive Attitude, give maximum Effort in all areas of life, and Love people.

“I started with these kids when they were freshmen, and we have all climbed up the competition ladder together. Throughout that, it has been really rewarding to see their continued growth and experience them hitting so many milestones in their development as a player and a person. There have been a lot of moving parts and obstacles throughout this transition and we have been together through it all. As a result, I think you will see a really cohesive unit that will sell out for each other and feed off each other.” –Derek Hutchinson

See below for a Q&A session with coach Hutch

Q&A with coach Derek Hutchinson

PHD: How has practice gone so far and have any players stood out?

Coach Hutch: “Practices have been great. Very intense and competitive. We are reaching new heights every single day and our team is really becoming cohesive. Freshman Carter Evanson Carter Evanson 5'11" | PG Horace | 2026 State ND has been one of the better players day in and day out. He is a gamer and has shown out from day 1.  Mike Siffoi Mike Siffoi 5'9" | PG Horace | 2024 State ND is having a great start. His leadership has really impressed me and he is making everyone a lot better.“

PHD: What can you tell us about your offseason?

Coach Hutch: “We put in a ton of work this summer. We hosted a development program at our school and spent the better part of June and July working with our guys to develop skill and chemistry. Every player made huge gains and it was great to see them come together to achieve personal and team goals. The younger players really made an impression on me this summer.  Carter Evanson Carter Evanson 5'11" | PG Horace | 2026 State ND is a Freshman that is going to turn some heads. He has an incredible feel for the game and the skillset to back it up. Another surprise would be the performance of 8^th grader Aiden Green Aiden Green 5'9" | PG Horace | 2027 ND . He played with us in a couple of tournaments and really showed out. He is incredibly skilled and as smooth as they come with the ball in his hand. Another freshman, Kaiden Peterson Kaiden Peterson 6'2" | SG Horace | 2026 State ND , had a great summer for us as well. He is a great shooter and really worked hard this summer to develop his dribble drive game.” 

“We’ve had some really good open gym sessions this fall where I saw guys challenging each other and competing hard. One thing that has really impressed me is a group of our players that have chosen to meet up at the wellness almost daily, sometimes at 5am, to work on their craft together. I think any coach would tell you that this is something that will help them through the season as we navigate a really tough EDC and Non-Conference Schedule.” 

PHD: Who are some guys that we should look out for this season?

Coach Hutch: “ Isaiah Williams Isaiah Williams 5'11" | PG Horace | 2024 State ND and Carvin Fish Carvin Fish 6'6" | SF West Fargo Horace | 2024 State ND are poised to have really big seasons for the Hawks. Williams was virtually unstoppable at camp this summer. He has an elite skill set and his athleticism is through the roof. He is a smooth ball handler with a great jumper. He is also a lockdown defender that will wreak havoc on opposing guards. Fish is the big man on our roster at 6’5”, but don’t let that fool you. He has great footwork and the ability to do damage from outside of the paint or off the dribble drive as well. Carvin is coming off a huge JV season where he averaged 23 pts and 13 rebounds as a sophomore.” 

“ Mike Siffoi Mike Siffoi 5'9" | PG Horace | 2024 State ND is another guy that should have a great year. He is strong, athletic, and lightning-quick. At any given time he is most likely the quickest player on the floor for both sides. Mike can shoot the ball with the best of them and led us in 3 pt % last year. He has developed into a great leader on this team and usually the ringleader of the aforementioned 5AM workouts.  Brady Westphal Brady Westphal 6'0" | SG West Fargo Horace | 2025 State ND is a grinder. He does many of the little things that please a coach. He makes a ton of hustle plays and is a smart basketball player with great IQ of the game. He can also torch the nets from deep and before you know it he has hit 4 or 5 deep balls in a row. These guys get better and better every time they step on the floor together. I’m excited to see them continue to get a feel for each other’s game and use the exploit other teams.” 

“Another compliment to our roster is Moustapha (Moose) Diomande. He is long and athletic. He has great ball skills and is slippery when attacking the rim. We lack size and his length and ability to crash the glass and pull down boards this year will be vital.  Zach Velure Zach Velure 6'0" | SF Horace | 2024 ND is another compliment. Zach has a beautiful shot and is really torching the nets this summer and fall. Zach plays with a high motor and will contribute on the glass and defensive end as well.” 

PHD: Who do you think will be your biggest rival?

Coach Hutch: “I feel that our biggest rival is going to be Sheyenne. Many of my players grew up Mustangs and have transitioned to Hawks with it being a new school. I used to coach at Sheyenne under Kirchoffner and coached alongside Tim Brandt. It will be fun to watch that rivalry grow as our school continues to grow and develop.“

PHD: Who do you think will be the top teams in Class?

Coach Hutch: “There are so many tough teams in the EDC. Fargo North and Davies have a lot of big-time players returning and will be extremely tough to match up against.  Jeremiah Sem Jeremiah Sem 6'3" | SG Fargo North | 2024 State #212 Nation ND at North and Mason Klabo Mason Klabo 6'1" | PG Fargo Davies | 2025 State ND at Davies are the premier players in the conference this year and they will be fun to watch. Both teams have great complementary weapons and depth which should have them both finishing atop the EDC. Out west it will be tough for anyone to contest Minot. They have size, athleticism, and grit.  Darik Dissette Darik Dissette 6'4" | SG Minot | 2023 State #300 Nation ND and company should make a heck of a run this year and I believe the WDA will go through them.” 

Good Luck Hawks!