Northern Elites: Team Profile

PHD loves hearing about new teams/programs. Today we take a deep dive into the Northern Elites. The core group of their players comes from mainly Northeast North Dakota (one player from West Fargo). Elites have 5 or 6 "core" players and from there they pick up players on a tournament-by-tournament basis to help fill out the roster. Just because you may not have heard of Northern Elites, that does not mean you should dismiss them, they have some talent and multiple All-Region high school players. They are also known to land some STUD pickup players, so they can be a scary team. Josh Worley is the head coach for Northern Elites. Take some time to hear more about the program and its players.   See below for player comments, the tournament schedule, and a Q&A session with coach Worley.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Northerneliteslogo.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Northerneliteslogo.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1969714" /></a></figure>   Player Comments   [player_tooltip player_id='1857757' first='Rayce' last='Worley'] (2024) |6'4 SF| Langdon Area   He is a wing player that can take you inside and exploit a mismatch, hit triples, or slash across your face to attack the basket. Rayce is an athletic kid that can score from anywhere in bunches. He is aggressive to the rim and he rebounds well. He looks to push the ball and make things happen. Worley was an All-Region 4 player last season and he put up some impressive numbers. He is an underrated player and will likely be a stock riser. A player to keep eyes on for sure.   [player_tooltip player_id='1843197' first='Talan' last='Devine'] (2024) |6'2 SF| Cavalier   He is a sneaky scoring guard. Devine is a great shooter when left alone. This spring he is really picking up his defense. Devine is proving to see the floor well and he finds the open man in a timely manner. Talan was an All-Region 2 player this high school season. He was a consistent shooter from 3-point land for the Tornadoes.   [player_tooltip player_id='1969919' first='Zack' last='Anderson'] (2024) |5'11 G| Cavalier   He is an athletic guard that actually broke his collarbone in the 2nd tourney of the year. He was just starting to pick up his game and things were going well. When healthy, Anderson has a knack for scoring and he gets after loose balls.   [player_tooltip player_id='1918762' first='Beau' last='Brodina'] (2024) |6'2 SF| Devils Lake   He is a hardworking guard that comes from a basketball family. Brodina is an awesome on-ball defender. He shoots the three-ball well but likes to drive whenever possible. Beau creates fastbreak opportunities because he is aggressive, extra speedy, and an opportunistic player.   [player_tooltip player_id='1164764' first='Keyton' last='McGregor'] (2024) |6'1 G| West Fargo   He is a quick and athletic guard. Keyton goes to the basket hard and aggressively. McGregor is a top-notch defender that plays tight on-ball defense. His reaction time helps create problems and TO's. Keyton can knock down shots but would rather create. McGregor will likely be one of the best perimeter defenders in the EDC next season.   [player_tooltip player_id='1144616' first='Ross' last='Thompson'] (2024) |6'4 SF| Lakota   He is the only true post-player on this team. Thompson is a bigger kid that has multiple quality moves around the basket. Ross has a soft shooting touch for a big guy. Thompson is TOUGH! He was All-State in football and All-Region in basketball this past season.   SCHEDULE   <figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td>DATES</td><td>EVENT</td><td>LOCATION</td></tr><tr><td>April 22-23</td><td>Spring Jam</td><td>Sioux Falls, SD</td></tr><tr><td>May 5-7</td><td>Gopher Spring Classic</td><td>Twin Cities, MN</td></tr><tr><td>May 20-21</td><td>ECI Spring Showcase</td><td>Fargo, ND</td></tr><tr><td>June 9-11</td><td>Arrowhead Invite</td><td>Duluth, MN</td></tr><tr><td>June 23-25</td><td>MYAB</td><td>Omaha, NE</td></tr><tr><td>July 15-16</td><td>Falls Brawl</td><td>Sioux Falls, SD</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>   Q&A with coach Worley   PHD: How has your team played this spring & what has gone well?   Coach Worley: "We have slowly gotten better, especially on the defensive end of the floor. I have a nice mixed bag of talent on the team, athletic wings that can get to the rim, and shooters to open things up. Our team is comprised of standout players on their respective high school teams. They are learning their roles on the team and what they can to do help us be successful. We had a rough first tourney down at the Pentagon due to several players being gone for track and baseball. We did win the Gopher Spring Classic down in the Cities and took 3rd in ECI Tourney last weekend."    PHD: What style of basketball does your team play?   Coach Worley: "We like to push the ball and get after it on D. The first few tourneys we were a bit short handed so it made that part of the game harder but they sure got minutes! I like to create ball players, not robots, so we basically run a 5 out looking for mismatches to exploit both going inside and using the pic-n-roll. "If you're standing still, you're doing it wrong" is our motto."   PHD: Who has been your best defender and what makes them stand out?   Coach Worley: "[player_tooltip player_id='1164764' first='Keyton' last='McGregor'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1918762' first='Beau' last='Brodina'] stand out here. They both bring the tenacious Class A ball pressure and can play full court. [player_tooltip player_id='1843197' first='Talan' last='Devine'] has really improved his defensive pressure which is nice to see."    PHD: Who are your top shooters and where do they score from?   Coach Worley: "[player_tooltip player_id='1857757' first='Rayce' last='Worley'] has really shined for the team. He causes a lot of mismatches based on his versatility. He can shoot the 3 in your face, or take it to the rack hard with a quick first step and nice separation moves. Loves the wing position."    "[player_tooltip player_id='1918762' first='Beau' last='Brodina'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1843197' first='Talan' last='Devine'] can consistently hit shots when left open."   PHD: Who is your hardest worker and what makes them stand out?   Coach Worley: "It's hard to single out any one player here. All my players are top players on their respective high school teams so they all work hard and want to improve."   PHD: What are you hoping to improve on for the rest of the AAU season?   Coach Worley: "More ball pressure for sure and of course rebounding. Handling adversity is another big area we can improve on and being strong on the mental end of the game."   PHD: Why did you create/form Northern Elites?   Coach Worley: "I actually started the Elites when my oldest boy was a 4th grader! His buddies wanted to go play so we started a "travel ball" team going to local tourneys. It grew from there, picking up better players from the area so we needed to get them to bigger tourneys and that is when it started. I wanted to give kids from the area opportunities to play some top-notch basketball. To play on an AAU team in the NE part of the state is a bit limited, due to most practice sites and such are a long drive for most. I have been doing skill development workouts and open gyms around the area for years and love to give back to the sport. I was varsity boys coach down in Milnor for years and coached girls for Adams-Edmore before losing my voice. So this is a way to "scratch that itch" for coaching. I'm not doing it for the money (actually don't charge anything other than entry fees) just love the game."   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NEpic2-crop-890x585-1685100030.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NEpic2-crop-890x585-1685100030.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1969716" /></a></figure>

PHD loves hearing about new teams/programs. Today we take a deep dive into the Northern Elites. The core group of their players comes from mainly Northeast North Dakota (one player from West Fargo). Elites have 5 or 6 "core" players and from there they pick up players on a tournament-by-tournament basis to help fill out the roster. Just because you may not have heard of Northern Elites, that does not mean you should dismiss them, they have some talent and multiple All-Region high school players. They are also known to land some STUD pickup players, so they can be a scary team. Josh Worley is the head coach for Northern Elites. Take some time to hear more about the program and its players.