Season Recap: Fargo South and Oak Grove
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We have two Season Reviews/Q&A sessions in this article! PHD chatted with Mike Hendrickson from Fargo South & Kyle Card from Oak Grove. We shot them a series of questions and they responded with stimulating basketball information! See below for…
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Continue ReadingWe have two Season Reviews/Q&A sessions in this article!
PHD chatted with Mike Hendrickson from Fargo South & Kyle Card from Oak Grove.
We shot them a series of questions and they responded with stimulating basketball information!
See below for information on the Bruins & Grovers!
Team: Fargo South
Mascot: Bruin
Head Coach: Mike Hendrickson
Class: AA
Region/Conference: Eastern Dakota Conference (EDC)
Record: 13-11
Q&A with Mike Henridckson
PHD: How would you sum up the season for your squad?
“I thought we had a real nice year – midpoint we were ranked 4th in the State – beat every team in the EDC at least once throughout the year. We went through a sickness at that time and then for 3 weeks we never had a complete team and that affected us a bit. We never quit playing hard and defended quite well throughout the season. Our offense went down as we had trouble scoring – but the team kept getting after it and had a positive attitude.“
PHD: Do you have any fun memories you want to share with us from the season?
“1st road trip of the year getting stranded out west – traveling at 25 mph from Minot to Williston!“
PHD: How did your team overcome adversity?
“Fairly decent team attitude this year – had quite a bit with the sickness and injuries that came at us.“
PHD: What are a few things your team improved on throughout the season?
“Defensively – We continued to improve throughout the season – Teamwork also was something that we improved on.“
PHD: Who are some role players that stood out to you?
“We played 10-12 kids almost every game – we coached effort this year and tried to get them to go as hard as they could for 3 minutes and then we would get them a break to do it all over again. Josh Barjolo Josh Barjolo 6'0" | CG Fargo South | 2026 State ND – he going to be a real good point guard (quick and a good leader). Michael Hamilton Michael Hamilton 6'0" | SG Fargo South | 2026 State ND – Shot the ball from 3 for us pretty well. Abakar Miganoudji Abakar Miganoudji 6'5" | PF Fargo South | 2026 State ND – Is long and athletic, averaged double figures for us. Ali Shahid Ali Shahid 6'2" | CG Fargo South | 2025 State ND – He is a really athletic shooting guard.“
PHD: Can you talk about your seniors and what will be missed?
“ Abu Trawally Abu Trawally 5'8" | PG Fargo South | 2024 State ND – point guard that brought toughness to our team – competed 100% of the time.“
“ Justin Zulu Justin Zulu 5'11" | CG Fargo South | 2024 State ND – a great shooter (3 pt) who was shooting almost 50% from the line before he got sick during the season – still ended up All-EDC.“
“ Duwayne Mitchell Duwayne Mitchell 5'11" | PG South Fargo | 2024 ND – fast athletic guard that usually defended the other team’s best player.“
“ Austin Zulu Austin Zulu 5'10" | CG Fargo South | 2024 ND – another very quick player who fit into his role real well as a shooter and defender.“
“ James Hamilton James Hamilton 6'4" | SF Fargo South | 2024 State ND – Our silent leader – 2nd team All-State / Mr. Basketball finalist – He really improved his all-around game his senior year.“
“ Reis Kessel Reis Kessel 6'6" | PF Fargo South | 2024 ND – He was injured to start the year – when he came back he was really steady in his position.“
“ Cole Kegbeh Cole Kegbeh 6'4" | SF Fargo South | 2024 ND – feel bad for Cole, he was injured also to start the season – and came back for 2 games and was hurt again! No one really got to see how determined he was to be successful.“
“ Casey Follingstad Casey Follingstad 6'9" | PF Fargo South | 2024 ND – Probably fit into his role the best among our team. He worked extremely hard to be successful.“
“All these guys will be missed as they all had great characteristics of team players – they made sacrifices and it showed how they acted on and off the court.“
PHD: Who are some up-and-comers to look out for in the future?
“Listed above (here are a few more)“
“So – Josh Barjolo Josh Barjolo 6'0" | CG Fargo South | 2026 State ND , Jr Mark Dahlman Mark Dahlman 6'3" | SG Fargo South | 2025 ND – real nice shooter that loves basketball, So – Michael Hamilton Michael Hamilton 6'0" | SG Fargo South | 2026 State ND , Jr – Lucas Erickson – hard worker that improved throughout the season, So – Abakar Miganoudji Abakar Miganoudji 6'5" | PF Fargo South | 2026 State ND , So – Amari Taylor Amari Taylor 6'5" | SF Fargo South | 2026 State ND – very athletic and very long who jumps out of the gym, Jr – Ali Shahid Ali Shahid 6'2" | CG Fargo South | 2025 State ND , Jr – Sutton Bruggeman – hard working point guard that probably was our most improved player from beginning to end, Jr – Yusuf Aly Ahmed – good shooter, So – Corbyn Fallingstad Corbyn Fallingstad 6'6" | PF Fargo South | 2026 State ND – athletic player that can shoot it from 3 and also get to the basket and finish.“
PHD: Who was your best defensive player?
“ Abu Trawally Abu Trawally 5'8" | PG Fargo South | 2024 State ND – never backed down (got him in trouble sometimes – but he thought he could guard anyone) – he led the team in steals and really had a knack for being around the ball.“
PHD: Any last comments/thoughts on the season?
“I Really enjoyed coaching this team. We didn’t get to our goal of getting to State, but like I said above – they never quite playing hard. They came to practice every day with the idea to improve as a team and as an individual.“
Best of luck to the Bruins this offseason!
Team: Oak Grove
Mascot: Grover
Head Coach: Kyle Card
Class: A
Region: 1
Record: 3-18
Q&A with Kyle Card
PHD: How would you sum up the season for your squad?
“We lost all 5 starters from last year’s team, so we had a lot of inexperience at the varsity level. We played a lot of younger players throughout the year, so along with that comes some inconsistencies that hopefully we can improve on this year. We also played a super tough schedule, so hopefully all of the experiences will transfer over to next year.“
PHD: Do you have any fun memories you want to share with us from the season?
“A couple players (John Dejong and Noah Meidinger Noah Meidinger 6'0" | SF Oak Grove | 2026 State ND ) getting double doubles with scoring and rebounding. 2 of our freshman ( Kai Zabel Kai Zabel 6'0" | CG Oak Grove | 2027 State ND & Aidan Saunders Aidan Saunders 5'9" | PG Fargo Oak Grove | 2027 State ND ) combine for 54 points v. Fosston, MN.“
PHD: Who are some role players that stood out?
“ Kai Zabel Kai Zabel 6'0" | CG Oak Grove | 2027 State ND at point guard as a freshman. Someone we can count on in the future in a number of ways. Aidan Saunders Aidan Saunders 5'9" | PG Fargo Oak Grove | 2027 State ND , Will Olson, & Carter Wendelbo became great players coming off the bench and giving us a spark on offense and defense.“
PHD: Can you talk about your seniors and what will be missed?
“We are going to definitely miss the leadership our seniors brought to the team, both on and off the court. They were all great role models. We will also miss their size, that helped us significantly in the rebounding category.“
PHD: Who are some up-and-comers to look out for in the future?
“We played a lot of young kids, but a couple that stand out are Juniors: Noah Meidinger Noah Meidinger 6'0" | SF Oak Grove | 2026 State ND , Will Olson, Karter Koenig Karter Koenig 6'0" | SG Oak Grove Lutheran | 2026 State ND , Zacah Winter. Sophomores: Kai Zabel Kai Zabel 6'0" | CG Oak Grove | 2027 State ND , Aidan Saunders Aidan Saunders 5'9" | PG Fargo Oak Grove | 2027 State ND .”
PHD: Who was your best defensive player?
“ Noah Meidinger Noah Meidinger 6'0" | SF Oak Grove | 2026 State ND was asked to guard the other team’s best player a majority of the time. He is strong, athletic, and loves a challenge, so he wasn’t afraid to step up to the challenge.“
PHD: Any last comments/thoughts on the season?
“The season did not go as planned once we lost our only returning starter to an ACL tear ( Luke Johnson Luke Johnson 6'5" | PF Oak Grove | 2024 ND ), but a lot of guys stepped up and were willing to give whatever was needed to succeed. Our younger kids gave us a great lift when asked, so getting to see what they can do next year and beyond is going to be fun to watch. They just need to get bigger, faster, stronger.“
“We have a full schedule of team camps (30 games total) this summer to get everyone playing together and on the same page. We are excited to see what these guys can do.“
Best of luck to the Grovers this offseason!