Hettinger-Scranton: Season Intro

PHD has the Night Hawk Preview ready to fly! It is a new era for Hettinger-Scranton and PHD is excited to follow along and see how it all shakes out. It will be an exhilarating season!   The 2023-2024 Night Hawk team will have a much different look than the past few seasons. They should be a fun squad to watch as they will get up and down the floor offensively and put pressure on teams defensively. They are coming off a disappointing season last year where they finished with a 5-17 record. The Night Hawks had many close games down the stretch and hope to find ways to win those games this coming season. PHD is looking forward to watching Hettinger-Scranton this winter!   Team: Hettinger-Scranton   Mascot: Nighthawk   Head Coach: Kelly Pierce   Class: B   Region: 3   District: 5   *Check out the Night Hawk logo, you will not find a better one in North Dakota!   <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>   2022-23 Team Stats   PPG: 50.2 RPG: 30.3 ORPG: 11.5 APG: 12.6 SPG: 7.5 BPG: 1.2 CPG: .6   FG%: 382FG%: 42.6 3FG%: 28.9 3FGMPG: 4.8 FT%: 57.5 FTMPG: 7.2   Night Hawk Deep Dive   The off-season brought a change to the Night Hawk program. Their head coach and assistant coaches from the past 2 seasons resigned during the summer months. The new head coach will be the longtime Night Hawks girls' basketball coach Kelly Pierce. He will look to bring a fresh look to the program, set expectations high, and bring the program back to being a regional contender. I have had the pleasure of communicating with coach Pierce a handful of times, it was easy to see that he loves the game of basketball and is a class act!   The Night Hawks bring back 4 of 5 starters and 9 of its top 10 rotational players. There is a high amount of experience returning and they are eager to prove that they have the talent to compete in the new 3 Class System.   The following players all bring back experience at the varsity level   [player_tooltip player_id='1163446' first='Maddox' last='Pierce'] - 5'11” Senior (12 points and 5 rebounds per game) - [player_tooltip player_id='1163446' first='Maddox' last='Pierce'] is a returning 3-year starter and All-Region 7 player from a year ago. He is a difference-maker on the defensive end of the floor. Pierce has the quickness and toughness to stay in front of players on the perimeter and is not afraid to mix it up with players much taller and longer in the post. He has a football build and mentality to his game. Maddox uses his strength to get to the basket and finish around the rim. He has nice range on his perimeter jump shot and can play the point guard position when needed. Pierce will be a leader for the Hettinger-Scranton Night Hawks this season and a top player in the Region!   [player_tooltip player_id='2276348' first='Blake' last='Larson'] - 6'5” Junior (13 points and 6 rebounds per game) - [player_tooltip player_id='2276348' first='Blake' last='Larson'] is a returning 2-year starter and a force in the post for the Night Hawks. His footwork in the paint is exceptionally good and he can finish with both hands around the rim. Larson has a nice perimeter shot which makes him particularly effective in pick-and-roll situations as he can read the defense and roll or pop in that action. Defensively, Blake will use his length to disrupt other teams in the paint. The Night Hawks are looking forward to Blake having a breakout season this year. Expect Larson to be one of the more dominant post-players in the Region.   [player_tooltip player_id='2276349' first='Malachi' last='Dilse'] - 6'1” Senior (6 points and 6 rebounds per game) - Malachi is a returning starter who brings energy to the game. He can defend on the perimeter and in the post. Dilse has a nice mid-range jump shot and he hits the offensive boards with tenacity. He will be that Swiss Army knife for the Night Hawks as he will play many different roles at an extremely high level.   Caden Anderson - 5'9” Junior (3 points per game and 2 assists per game) - Caden is a returning starter and a steady floor general for the Night Hawks. He will run the point and be the quarterback of the offense. Caden has not been asked to score much in the past, but he is a quick guard who can get by defenders and create problems for opposing teams. Anderson will be asked to score more this year, he certainly has the skill set to do so.   Joey Perkins - 5'11” Senior (4 points and 4 rebounds per game) - Joey has a great deal of experience and excels at attacking the basket on the offensive end. He has a nice pull-up jump shot and can extend the court by knocking down the 3-point shot. Perkins is a tireless worker on the defensive end of the floor and will be a key component to the success of the Night Hawks.   [player_tooltip player_id='1921182' first='Gavin' last='Parnow'] - 6'0” Sophomore - Gavin is a youngster in the program who spent his time this summer traveling the AAU circuit with [program_tooltip program_id='2075723' first='ND' last='Attack']. He brings a strong perimeter jump shot and will be asked to use this skill in catch-and-shoot situations. He has the size to step into the post and create match-up problems for smaller defenders. Gavin will be looked at to provide a spark for the Night Hawks and will be pivotal in their success.   Forrest Forthun - 6'3” Senior (3 points and 2 rebounds per game) - Forrest will provide depth in the post for the Night Hawks. He has a knack for scoring the basketball with both a strong back-to-the-basket game and a nice touch from the perimeter. It will be important that he can continue to develop defensively as his size and athleticism can be a huge asset for the team.   Fred Forthun - 6'3” Senior - Fred is another player that can have an impact for the night Hawks. He is a quick-post player who can score the basketball. He is super-versatile in that he is big enough to defend in the post and stay in front of perimeter players. Fred has the ability to be a difference-maker for his squad.   Tyler Wilson - 6'2” Senior - Tyler is a post player who can stretch the floor with a smooth perimeter jump shot. He has the body to bang in the post and will provide depth in that area.   [player_tooltip player_id='2276344' first='Aidyn' last='Fisher'] - 6'2” Sophomore - Aidyn is a true gym rat. He spends hours every day developing his basketball skills. He has a feathery touch on his shot and can score in the midrange and from the deep perimeter. Aidyn is a wildcard for the Night Hawks. No one has spent more time in the gym this summer, and the Night Hawks will look for him to bring a spark to the court off the bench.   Chason Schumacher - 5'11” Junior - Chason will provide more depth at the guard position. He has worked hard in the weight room this off-season and will be vital in game preparation.   As you can see, the Night Hawks are a veteran team with many seniors and juniors on the roster. Their expectations are high, the Night Hawks believe their team record the last few years has not matched their talent level. Hettinger-Scranton's players are eager to go out and prove that they will be one of the teams vying for a top finish in the District and Region.   Q&A with coach Pierce   PHD: Who are the top teams in Region 3?   "Our Region will have some very strong teams in it and our goal is to be one of the teams competing to move on come tournament time. We will put the work in every day to prepare for the tough opponents throughout the season. The favorite in our Region will no doubt be Bowman County. They return most of their team that has been at or near the top for the past few seasons. Another team I see as being a top contender entering the season is Flasher. They have a dynamic scorer and return some key pieces from a formidable team last season. Some other teams that have strong rosters returning are Garrison, Washburn, and New Salem-Almont."   PHD: Can you give us some general thoughts on the upcoming season?   "The Night Hawks must improve in a few areas if they are to meet their goals. We need to become less systematic and use our athleticism to our advantage. The team needs to improve the tempo for which it plays and that starts with being a strong rebounding team. It will take time to adjust to a faster pace, but the players will find that it is a much more enjoyable playing experience. Defensively, there will be an adjustment in that instead of primarily playing zone defense, the team will rely on man-to-man principles to hold teams down. We will drill and drill this mentality until we have our team principles down. This team should be fun to watch for Night Hawk Nation. They have put time into their games and are ready to compete at a high level."   Best of luck to the Nighthawks this season!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/IMG_6513.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/IMG_6513.jpeg?w=610" alt="" class="wp-image-2276207" /></a></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image"><img alt="" /></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/IMG_6511-1.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/11/IMG_6511-1.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2276208" /></a></figure>

PHD has the Night Hawk Preview ready to fly! It is a new era for Hettinger-Scranton and PHD is excited to follow along and see how it all shakes out. It will be an exhilarating season!