Edgeley/Kulm/Montpelier – Rebels
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PHD has another Season Preview article for you to check out. Edgeley/Kulm/Montpelier (EKM) has a tough team and they could certainly be a squad that is in contention to win the Region 1 Tournamnet in March. They have all the…
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Continue ReadingPHD has another Season Preview article for you to check out. Edgeley/Kulm/Montpelier (EKM) has a tough team and they could certainly be a squad that is in contention to win the Region 1 Tournamnet in March. They have all the pieces! The Rebels have size, athletes, shooters, and depth. EKM is a Class B team in Region 1, District 2. Kevin Strobel is the Rebels head coach.
See below for team stats from last season, a Q&A session with assistant coach Alan Olsen, and the Rebels game schedule.
2022-2023 Team Stats
FG%: 41 2FG%: 48.4 3FG%: 27.1 FT%: 62.4
PPG: 52 RPG: 30.3 APG: 11.4 SPG: 9.8 Charges Taken: 23
Q&A with coach Allen Olsen
PHD: What can you tell us about last season?
“Last season we finished 13-11 taking fourth in the Regional Tournament. It was definitely an up-and-down season for us, we never got into a consistent groove on both ends of the floor for more than a couple of games in a row. We definitely have to be a much better rebounding team this year and also a much tougher team defensively! Scoring should be a strength of ours but to get to where we want to go rebounding and toughness are key improvements that must be made.“
PHD: How did the offseason go for you team?
“We went to a ton of camps this summer at Black Hills State (BHSU Camp we brought just a freshman team so many of the younger kids got a lot of time and saw different styles and defenses which hopefully will help them this year). Camps at UJ, Concordia, Flasher, Frederick, and then also had several open gyms with a high attendance. With missing kids for baseball this summer we were also able to work in some younger kids in the varsity camps which was nice and much needed!“
PHD: Who are some of your top players to watch?
“ Jacob Nitschke Jacob Nitschke 6'5" | PF Edgeley/Kulm/Montpelier | 2024 State ND (Senior) 6’5 is one of the top returning players in Class B this year. He can shoot it from deep, post you up, take you off the dribble, or get the rebound and start the fast break! 17 ppg, 9 rpg, was second on the team in steals. Extremely tough matchup for opposing teams.“
“ Joseph Kramlich Joseph Kramlich 6'1" | CG Edgeley/Kulm/Montpelier | 2025 State ND (Junior) 6’0 is really quick and athletic guard with good size (ambidextrous), he should take a big step this year, look out for his scoring, 10.5 ppg, 57 steals, 4.05 rpg, 34.2% from three.“
“ Braeden Kinzler Braeden Kinzler 6'0" | CG EKM | 2025 State ND (Junior) 6’0 another athletic guard who is just a gym rat and will also just outwork you! Kinzler can do a bit of everything and has also improved his ball handling this season. 80% FT Shooter, 7.29 ppg, 3.54 rpg“
“ Zeke Barnick Zeke Barnick 6'5" | PF EKM | 2024 State ND (Senior) 6’5 long super athletic kid had several dunks last year, definitively a kid who can lead our team in points-rebounds-steals or blocks on any given night! 7.26 ppg, 6 rpg, second on team in blocks.“
“ Austin Strobel Austin Strobel 6'3" | SF EKM | 2024 State ND (Senior) 6’3 Austin does a bit of everything for us and led our team in charges taken and FG% at 48.5, averaged 5.04 ppg, 4.65 rpg, seems to always be in the right spot at the right time knows the game well.“
PHD: Can you tell us about a few newcomers?
“ Drew Nitschke Drew Nitschke 6'3" | SF EKM | 2026 State ND – Drew (6’2 Sophmore) saw spot duty on varsity last year as a freshman but was a key contributor to the JV squad last year and rarely ever sat. His varsity minutes will greatly increase this season as they did over the summer and will be looked at to not just play but to contribute also. Has a lot of skills at his size and is a tough kid and rebounder that just needs to look to score a bit more with his opportunities.“
“ Kade Nitschke Kade Nitschke 5'10" | CG EKM | 2026 State ND – (5’10 Sophmore) was a key player and contributor for JV last year until he got hurt. When healthy Kade has the purest shot on the team and it’s not close, good athlete and defender and knows how to get open to get his shot off and is an excellent teammate his basketball IQ is high.“
“ Brogan Young Brogan Young 6'1" | SG Edgeley-Kulm-Montpelier | 2027 State ND – (5’10 Freshman) Brogan is a strong physical athlete who just does whatever you need to win, takes charges, rebounds, and will defend the other team’s best guard. Needs to be a bit more aggressive on the offensive end at times but loves to get his teammates involved first. Played for ECI team this summer.“
PHD: What style of hoops will you play?
“We have a really athletic team and should play at a pace that allows us to utilize our athletes on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. We will have plenty of depth this season which should also factor into that.“
PHD What are some of you Team Goals for the season?
“Our goals are always high and this season with all the returners and depth we have coming back will be no different. We want to go to State this year but first, we want to win our District and then win our Region!“
PHD: Who are some of the top teams in your Region?
(Definitely more familiar with teams from District 2 than District 1)
“There might not be a better Region top to bottom in the state than ours and I stress “might”, but I don’t know who that would be (possibly Region 4) so our District and Region is going to be extremely tough and competitive.“
“I would definitely say 1. Medina the reigning Region Champs will be very good, 2. Ellendale 3. South Border (having Trevor Schmidt Trevor Schmidt 6'5" | SF South Border | 2024 ND is always a good thing) 4. EKM 5. Sargent Co 6. LaMoure (anytime you have a player like Max Musland Max Musland 6'4" | SG LaMoure-Litchville/Marion | 2024 State ND you are a threat) 7. Oakes“
EKM Schedule
Nov 27 – First Practice
Dec 2 – Scrimmage @ Carrington
Dec 12 – Barnes County North @ Edgeley
Dec 15 – Kidder County @ Edgeley
Dec 18 – U of Jamestown Shootout vs. TBA
Dec 22 – Maple River @ Kulm
Dec 28 – Strasburg-Zeeland @ Strasburg
Dec 30 – Hankinson @ Edgeley
Jan 5 – Wilton-Wing @ Jamestown Civic
Jan 6 – Williston Trinity Christian @ Jamestown Civic
Jan 13 – Sargent County @ Edgeley
Jan 16 – @ Oakes
Jan 18 – Linton/HMB @ Kulm
Jan 20 – @ Washburn
Jan 23 – LLM @ Edgeley
Jan 26 – South Border @ Wishek
Jan 30 – @ Ellendale
Feb 6 – MPB @ Medina
Feb 8 – Napoleon/G-S @ Napoleon
Feb 13 – W/L @ Wyndmere
Feb 17 – District Play-In Game
Feb 23/26/27 – District Tournament @ Jamestown Civic
March 4/5/7 – Regional Tournament @ Jamestown Civic
March 9 – Regional Challenge Game @ NDSU SHAC
March 14/15/16 – State Tournament @ Minot
Best of luck to the Rebels this season!