Park River-Fordville-Lankin

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Aggies from Park River-Fordville Lankin get their season started tomorrow at Dakota Prairie. PRFL is a Class B team from Region 2. In this preview article, we are going Q&amp;A style with coach <em>Jordan Hollingsworth</em>. It is time to talk Aggie basketball!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1384734,"width":295,"height":193,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/06/Preview-crop-753x494-1644615514.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/06/Preview-crop-753x494-1644615514.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1384734" width="295" height="193"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"large"} --> <p class="has-large-font-size"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Q&amp;A with coach <em>Jordan Hollingsworth</em></strong></span></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">PHD: What can you tell us about last season</span>?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach Hollingsworth</span>:</strong> "<em>The Aggies finished 9 and 14 last season and were the 6 seed in the regional tournament. We lost in the opening round in Hillsboro-Central Valley. Overall we were much improved and were able to put a more competitive product on the floor. We lost a good group of seniors who worked hard, competed every day, and demonstrated positive leadership. We will need to replace their minutes and leadership this season.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">PHD: Could you talk about your offseason?</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach Hollingsworth</span>:</strong> "<em>We had a successful offseason program and had a lot of buy-in, specifically in the weight room. We were able to compete in multiple team camps, had weekly open gyms, and ran an in-house 3-on-3 league in tandem with our girls' program. The emphasis was on physical strength and growing basketball skill. We<br>are hopeful all of this will lead to another step forward on the court this season for the Aggies.</em>" </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">PHD: Can you tell us about a few of your top players</span>?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach Hollingsworth</span>:</strong> "<em>We will be led by returning senior all-region guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1321076' first='Avery' last='Rosinski']</strong>. Last season he average 11.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1.8 assists per game and added in 15 blocks for the season. Avery is a good all-around player. He is a tenacious defender and is able to use his length and athleticism to guard multiple positions. He is a good shooter and a dangerous driver. <strong>Mitch Shirek</strong> was our top big man last season and returns for his senior season. Mitch averaged 9.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 1 assist per game and also blocked 18 shots for the season. Mitch is a high motor athletic big man. He rebounds extremely well and is physical. He does a lot of gritty things for us that often go unnoticed. He is a capable scorer especially driving to the basket and has a couple of nice post moves.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">PHD: Who are some up-and-comers for the Aggies</span></em>?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach Hollingsworth</span>:</strong> "<em>A couple of kids we look forward to having big roles as this season progresses and in future years are sophomore big man <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1558205' first='Nevin' last='Daley']</strong> and freshman guard [player_tooltip player_id='1557703' first='Brennan' last='Schramm']. Nevin is a huge body that is strong and physical. He has an outstanding touch for a big guy and is a good jump shooter. Brenan is a lightning-quick guard and a tenacious defender. He is well-rounded and capable of contributing in multiple ways every game both offensively and defensively. Sophomore post <strong>Tanner Schramm</strong> (as a fundamental post) and junior guard <strong>Emmitt Miller</strong> (as a scorer) are two others to keep an eye on.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">PHD: What style of basketball will your team play</span>?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach Hollingsworth</span>:</strong> "<em>The last 3 years we have been a predominantly zone defensive team who wanted to slow it down and suck the air out of the gym on offense. This was in large part based on personnel and what we needed to do to compete and overcome a lack of team speed. Low scoring was best for us and we prided ourselves on rebounding and defense. That element won't change but we hope to be able to play with more pace, be higher scoring, and look to make some significant schematic changes this season.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">PHD: Who are some of the top players in Region 2</span>?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach Hollingsworth</span>:</strong> "<em>Top players to watch in Region 2 include: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1144488' first='Jacob' last='Brandt']</strong> (HCV),<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1145544' first='Jake' last='Starcevic']</strong> (Thompson), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165392' first='Karter' last='Peterson']</strong> (Thompson), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1611284' first='Everett' last='Fedje'] </strong>(DVE), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1320989' first='Landon' last='Koenig']</strong> (MayPort-C-G), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1126978' first='Ayden' last='Stainbrook']</strong> (North Border), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1050261' first='TJ' last='Cosley'] </strong>(North Border), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1168246' first='Braylon' last='Baldwin']</strong> (Grafton), and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1146175' first='Riley' last='Robinson']</strong> (Midway-Minto). <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1144488' first='Jacob' last='Brandt'] </strong>is a long athletic big man who is a good outside shooter. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1145544' first='Jake' last='Starcevic']</strong> is strong and athletic – one of the more well-rounded players in the region. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165392' first='Karter' last='Peterson']</strong> is a skilled big man capable of putting up points. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1611284' first='Everett' last='Fedje']</strong> is a skilled offensive player who flew under the radar last season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1320989' first='Landon' last='Koenig']</strong> is a very good scoring big who is athletic and has great touch. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1126978' first='Ayden' last='Stainbrook']</strong> is one of the best shooters in the region and is very long and athletic. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1050261' first='TJ' last='Cosley']</strong> is lightning fast, can score quickly, and will push to lead the region in steals. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1168246' first='Braylon' last='Baldwin']</strong> is a well-rounded offensive guard who is extremely crafty and can score in multiple ways. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1146175' first='Riley' last='Robinson']</strong> is a lights-out shooter and a great rebounder for his size – he does so many things for his team and is a fun player to watch.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">PHD: Who are the top teams in Region 2</span>?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach Hollingsworth</span>:</strong> "<em>Thompson, Grafton, North Border, and MayPort should be the top teams in the region. MayPort returns almost all of its core and should be a very solid team with great chemistry. They play hard and have a lot of guys capable of stepping up on any given night. Thompson returns a great core and has bench players who had good seasons last year and should be primed for a big role. They are still young but are extremely athletic. They are disciplined and play as a solid unit. Grafton is coming off a Region Championship and returns most of the players from that team. They will be fast, can shoot from outside, and always play great defense. North Border has the top one-two punch in the region and has played in and won a lot of games with this senior class. They will be athletic, able to shoot, and have a core of three guys that can help them compete with anyone. It should be a very interesting region down the stretch and an exciting Region Tournament.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PHD: How have practices been going and how does your team look heading into the season opener tomorrow?</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Coach Hollingsworth</span>:</strong> "<em>Practices have been going well. The boys are working really hard and have grown and improved each day. There has been more competitiveness, energy, and focus to our practices this year and I am hopeful you will see that on the court come game time. I think we are at the point of the season where we are ready to play someone outside of our team and have the opportunity to compete in a meaningful setting. We are still figuring out our roles especially offensively and transitioning to a new system and philosophy so there will be some growing pains early in the season. Our schedule is nice because we will start the season with 6 out of 7 non-region games before hitting the region schedule in the middle of January. I'm hopeful by the time we hit that point we will have found ourselves and be adjusted to new personnel, new roles, and a new scheme. Overall I'm excited and hopeful about what this season has to offer.</em>"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"75px","fontStyle":"italic","fontWeight":"800"}}} --> <p style="font-size:75px;font-style:italic;font-weight:800"><strong>Good Luck Aggies!</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1126976,"sizeSlug":"full","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/NorthDakota.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/NorthDakota.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1126976"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->