Kidder County Wolves – Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Steele, ND is home to the Wolves of Kidder County and they are our topic of discussion in this article. North Dakota has three classes this season and it seems a little strange to say that Kidder County is in Region 1 and District 2. However, there are still plenty of familiar teams in District 2. It seems like the Wolves might be in a bit of a rebuild at the moment but they have some nice players and some up-n-coming youngsters that will be the real deal in the near future. Keep reading for more info on the Wolves. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Fun Facts: </strong>Steele is nicknamed the "Four Season City" and it is home to the World's Largest Sandhill Crane (Sandy)!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Team: </strong>Kidder County</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mascot: </strong>Wolves</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Head Coach:</strong> <em>Austin Schmidt</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class:</strong> B</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>District:</strong> 2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Region:</strong> 1</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>See below for a Q&amp;A session with player comments and the Wolves schedule. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1634111,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/TeamPreview.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/TeamPreview.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-1634111" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"large"} --> <p class="has-large-font-size"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Q&amp;A with coach <em>coach Larson</em></span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>PHD: Could you write a couple sentences&nbsp;summing up last season?</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“<em>The Wolves finished a disappointing season last year with only 2 wins. With a very young core group, the Wolves will look to continue rebuilding as the future looks promising. The Wolves will look to rebuild with numbers as the participation levels continue to grow each year moving forward. The Wolves will return 4 seniors and only 1 junior this year with a core group of freshmen and sophomores. Young Austin Schmidt will lead the team in his second year at the helm.</em>”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>PHD: How did the offseason go for your team/program?</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“<em>The Wolves had a much-improved off-season this past summer. The team spent more time in the gym and attended some camps. This will assist the young team in preparing for physicality, court sense, and experience as they grow older.</em>”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>PHD: Who are a few of your top players to look out for and why?</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“<em>Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2259796' first='Collin' last='Zimmerman']</strong> (6'2") will be returning pending a shoulder injury from football season. Zimmerman serves as the team's leader in helping the growth of the program. Other seniors <strong>Isaiah Oster</strong> (5'10"), <strong>Tom Moch</strong> (6'4"), and <strong>Wyatt Binder</strong> (6'0") will have to improve their valuability to the team in order to hold their positions.</em>”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>PHD: Who are a couple of up-and-comers to look out for in the near future?</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“<em>Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2254500' first='Bryce' last='Larson']</strong> (6'2") will look to improve his game and keep his starting role he gained from his freshmen year. Bryce's athleticism is his strong point but he will need to improve his shot and ball-handling skills over the next 3 years.</em>”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“<em>Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2254501' first='Blake' last='Binder']</strong> (5'4") shows great ball-handling and court management skills. He will need to improve his scoring ability and defense to earn a starting spot as a sophomore.</em>”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“<em>Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2254502' first='Preston' last='Fischer']</strong> (5'7") his strength is his motor and ability to defend the ball-handler. He will need to improve his shot to become a well-rounded player.</em>”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“<em>Freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2254493' first='Grady' last='Larson']</strong> (5'4") is a pure shooter and quality ball-handler. He will need to improve his physicality and strength to assist the team in the future.</em>”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“<em>Freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2259797' first='Joe' last='Moch']</strong>, his strength is his height standing at 6'5" and growing. His physicality around the rim will improve with time to assist the team in defense and rebounding.</em>”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“<em>Sophomores <strong>Jake Kartes</strong> (6'2") and <strong>Lincoln Harter</strong> (6'2") may also assist the team throughout the season with their length and ability to rebound.</em>”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>PHD: What style of basketball will your team play?</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“<em>The team will look to limit teams on defense and find ways to score. As the team continues to grow, their length and speed will assist in building a very strong defense. In addition, the team will look to gain separation for quality shots in addition to limiting turnovers as a young squad.</em>”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>PHD: What are a couple of your team goals this year?</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“<em>The team will look to limit offenses from high-scoring games and slowing the pace of play to stay in games. Battling every game and making it hard on other teams to come out with a win will be a strong focus on improving future success. The team looks to double or triple their wins each year moving forward.</em>”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><u>PHD: Who are some of the top teams in your Region?</u></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“<em>Linton-HMB, Medina-PB, South Border, LaMoure-LM, Ellendale, and Edgeley-KM will all be contending teams in the new district. The Region will be up for grabs and very balanced with multiple teams having the chance to earn a birth at the state tournament in March.”</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:table --> <figure class="wp-block-table"><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="5"><strong><em>*<span style="text-decoration: underline">2023-2024 Kidder County Wolves Varsity Boys Basketball Schedule</span>*</em></strong></td></tr><tr><td><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Day</span></strong></td><td><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Date</span></strong></td><td><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Time</span></strong></td><td><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Opponent</span></strong></td><td><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Location</span></strong></td></tr><tr><td>M</td><td>11/27</td><td>3:30 PM</td><td>Scrimmage vs. Maple River</td><td>Steele, ND</td></tr><tr><td>S</td><td>12/2</td><td>10:00 AM</td><td>Srimmage vs. Maple River</td><td>Steele, ND</td></tr><tr><td>Tu</td><td>12/12</td><td>7:30 PM</td><td>vs. Wilton-Wing</td><td>Steele, ND</td></tr><tr><td>F</td><td>12/15</td><td>7:30 PM</td><td>at Edgeley-KM</td><td>Edgeley, ND</td></tr><tr><td>M</td><td>12/18</td><td>7:30 PM</td><td>vs. Washburn</td><td>Steele, ND</td></tr><tr><td>Th</td><td>12/28</td><td>12:30 PM</td><td>at Capital City Shootout vs. Richardton-Taylor</td><td>Bismarck, ND</td></tr><tr><td>F</td><td>1/5</td><td>3:00 PM</td><td>at Stutsman County Shootout vs. Oakes</td><td>Jamestown, ND</td></tr><tr><td>S</td><td>1/6</td><td>1:30 PM</td><td>at Stutsman County Shootout vs. Glen Ullin/Hebron</td><td>Jamestown, ND</td></tr><tr><td>Tu</td><td>1/9</td><td>7:30 PM</td><td>vs. Strasburg-Zeeland</td><td>Steele, ND</td></tr><tr><td>F</td><td>1/12</td><td>7:30 PM</td><td>at Ellendale</td><td>Ellendale, ND</td></tr><tr><td>M</td><td>1/15</td><td>7:30 PM</td><td>vs. Griggs County-Midkota</td><td>Steele, ND</td></tr><tr><td>Tu</td><td>1/16</td><td>7:30 PM</td><td>at Barnes County North</td><td>Wimbeldon, ND</td></tr><tr><td>Th</td><td>1/18</td><td>7:30 PM</td><td>at Medina-PB</td><td>Medina, ND</td></tr><tr><td>M</td><td>1/22</td><td>7:30 PM</td><td>vs. Napoleon-GS</td><td>Steele, ND</td></tr><tr><td>Th</td><td>1/25</td><td>7:00 PM</td><td>at Center-Stanton</td><td>Center, ND</td></tr><tr><td>S</td><td>1/27</td><td>TBD</td><td>at Harvey-Wells County</td><td>TBD</td></tr><tr><td>Tu</td><td>1/30</td><td>7:30 PM</td><td>vs. Central McLean</td><td>Steele, ND</td></tr><tr><td>F</td><td>2/2</td><td>7:30 PM</td><td>vs. Linton-HMB</td><td>Steele, ND</td></tr><tr><td>M</td><td>2/5</td><td>7:30 PM</td><td>at LaMoure-LM</td><td>LaMoure, ND</td></tr><tr><td>Th</td><td>2/8</td><td>7:30 PM</td><td>vs. South Border</td><td>Steele, ND</td></tr></tbody></table></figure> <!-- /wp:table --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1606306,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/NorthDakota.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/09/NorthDakota.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-1606306" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->