Two ECI 15U Previews
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Prep Hoops Dakotas (PHD) is bringing you two ECI 15U Preview Articles. We are looking at ECI 15U Selects Gold Mattern & ECI 15U Selects White Froslie. The season is well underway for these teams and we will see them…
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Continue ReadingPrep Hoops Dakotas (PHD) is bringing you two ECI 15U Preview Articles.
The season is well underway for these teams and we will see them down in the Twin Cities this weekend at Prep Hoops Battle At The Lakes.
Best of luck this weekend on the Circuit!
We have players from Minnesota, Montana, and North Dakota included in this article!
See below for the tournament schedule, team rosters, player comments from coach Mattern & Froslie, we also have Q&A sessions with the coaches.
Tournament Schedule
15U Selects Gold Mattern ROSTER
15U Selects White Froslie ROSTER
Player Comments from coach Mattern
Drew Jordan Drew Jordan 6'1" | CG Minot | 2027 State ND – “Drew is a well-rounded player who does a lot of good things on both sides of the ball. He is a good on and off-ball defender. Offensively he can make plays off the dribble, he can shoot it, and this is what makes him a tough player to guard.“
Ace Sheeley Ace Sheeley 5'9" | SG West Fargo | 2027 State ND – “Ace is a tough kid who does a lot of little things that may not always show up on the stat sheet. Whether that is rebounding as a guard, diving for loose balls, making plays for his teammates or locking down his man, he always has an impact on the game.“
Drew Kessel Drew Kessel 6'6" | SF Fargo South | 2027 State ND – “Drew is our lone big man on the team. His size makes him very effective on both ends of the court. He is a good rebounder and does a good job affecting shots defensively. He is smart offensively and knows when to score for himself or when to make the extra pass to a teammate.“
Hudson Rietschel Hudson Rietschel 6'0" | SG Northern Cass | 2027 State ND – “Hudson is another skilled guard on our team. He is good at making plays off the dribble and will knock down a shot if you leave him open. He is solid defensively and adds a good piece to our team on both ends of the floor when he is in the game.“
Kash Lorenz Kash Lorenz 5'8" | SG Central Cass | 2027 State ND – “Kash is a knockdown shooter. He is good at making plays in transition and is developing that in the half-court. As an undersized guard, he does a great job fighting against bigger opponents and not giving them anything easy.“
Kashus Ereaux – “Kashus is a physical combo player. He can play inside, or he can play outside and that is what makes him unique. He often guards the other teams big when Drew is not on the floor. He has guard skills offensively which make him hard to guard because he is physically strong.“
Owen Terras Owen Terras 6'2" | SF Horace | 2027 State ND – “Owen is a good combo player for our team. He has good size for a guard. He can play in the mid-post and off the dribble but can also stretch the floor and shoot it. Defensively he does a good job using his length to make things difficult on the offensive player.“
Owen Beery – “Owen is a super smart player with a very good skill set. Owen has good length for a guard and is smart defensively. Offensively he is good at getting his teammates involved and scoring when he has the opportunity. This combination is what makes him hard to guard.“
Ryder Majkrzak Ryder Majkrzak 5'11" | PG Horace | 2027 State ND – “Ryder is another knockdown shooter for our team. He has been creating off the dribble as well and is a smart player. He uses his IQ well defensively and is always in the right spot at the right time. As another undersized guard, he uses his quickness to keep defenders in front of him.“
Player Comments from coach Froslie
Peyton Lochthowe Peyton Lochthowe 6'2" | PF Sheyenne | 2027 State ND – “Big strong F/C. Really good at moving from low to high post, really solid at finishing around the rim as well. Plays extremely hard at every moment, and rebounds well on both ends. He goes to West Fargo Sheyenne High School where he played Freshman A and won the EDC tournament.“
Gabriel Dalieh Gabriel Dalieh 5'9" | PG Sheyenne | 2027 State ND – “Really good 2-way player. Gets after it on the defensive end picking up full court. 3-level scorer, able to knockdown 3s, get to the rim, and has shown to be able to shoot the 1 or 2 dribble pull-up as well. He goes to West Fargo Sheyenne High School where he played Freshman A winning the EDC tournament and played some C squad games as well.“
Crew Rickard Crew Rickard 5'8" | PG Fargo North | 2027 State ND – “Absolute SHOOTER. Can knock the 3 down from many feet behind the line. Also has shown to be able to get downhill and finish many different ways with both hands. He has really improved on the defensive end as well. Goes to Fargo North High School where he played C Squad and led his team in scoring.“
Carter Shambaugh Carter Shambaugh 6'0" | SF Fargo South | 2027 State ND – “Mid-range sp ECI alist. He loves the short corner pull-up mid-range and knocks it down with ease. Can shoot the 3 as well. Carter is an overall solid defender as well. Goes to Fargo South High School where he played Freshman A.“
Seth Heidenreich Seth Heidenreich 5'8" | SG Fargo Davies | 2027 State ND – “Lefty knockdown shooter. Also does an extremely good job at getting to the rim with many different finishes. Really good at getting into the paint and playing off two as well. He goes to Fargo Davies High School, where he plaid Freshman A and out of Conference C squad games.“
Blake Engstrom Blake Engstrom 6'1" | SF Horace | 2027 State ND – “Blake is a really good 3-point shooter. Knocks it down with ease. Also capable at getting downhill and finishing around the rim. He goes to West Fargo Horace High School, where he played Freshman A.“
Brady Vetter Brady Vetter 6'2" | SG Fargo Davies | 2027 State ND – “Very good 3-point shooter. Knocks it down consistently, while being able to get downhill and finish with both hands at the rim if you close out to hard. He also gets after it on the defensive end. He goes to Fargo Davies High School, where he played mainly Freshman A and a few C Squad games.“
Parker Strom – “Big strong center that does a very good job at rebounding and pushing the opponent off the block while boxing out. Does a great job at rolling to the basket hard in a pick-and-roll. He goes to Barnesville High School where he played C squad and had a solid season as a team.“
CJ Smith CJ Smith 5'9" | PG Sheyenne | 2027 State ND – “Really good 3-level scorer. Knocks down the 3 with ease, really good pull-up jumper, and finishes around the rim well. Does a great job at keeping his man in front of him as well. He goes to West Fargo Sheyenne where he played Freshman A winning the EDC tournament and playing a little C Squad.“
Q&A with coach Treyton Mattern
PHD: Can you tell me a little about your coaching/basketball background?
“This is my fourth year coaching ECI and first year at the 15U level. This past winter was my first year coaching as an assistant coach at Century High School. I grew up playing in the ECI program and went to Century High School. Following high school, I went on and played for four years at the University of Mary.“
PHD: Why are you excited to coach this group?
“This is a group of talented young players. They all have different strengths and weaknesses, but their ability to be coachable and willing to learn is something that I am always grateful for as a coach. They are all great kids and fun to be around. I really enjoy getting to work with them and see them compete throughout the summer.“
PHD: What will be the strengths of your team?
“The strength of this team is the way we share the ball offensively. This team does a really good job making the extra pass and making plays for each other. Everyone on the team is unselfish and it is very fun to watch. Defensively this team does a good job of keeping their guy in front of them and plays team defense when someone does get beat.“
PHD: What event/tournament are you looking forward to the most?
“Every tournament is a good opportunity to improve and compete both as a team and as an individual. I think the one I am looking forward to the most is the Prep Hoops Last Dance in Chicago. It will be fun to get away and see a lot of good teams and players from all over the country.“
PHD: Will your team get together and practice?
“This team has had one practice and with locations all throughout the state of ND and western Montana, we will only have a few throughout the year.“
PHD: What are your goals for this AAU/grassroots season?
“I hope that throughout the spring/summer, everyone learns some things and improves. I learn a lot from my players, and I hope they learn something from me as well. If everyone can get better throughout this season it will help these guys in the school season tremendously.“
Q&A with coach Max Froslie
PHD: Can you tell me a little about your coaching/basketball background?
“I have played basketball my entire life. I went to Fargo Davies High School where I won 2 EDC Championships. I played at the University of Mary for a year and due to injuries, I decided to get into the coaching side of things.“
PHD: Why are you excited to coach this group?
“My team is full of familiar faces to me. Me being from Fargo, along with a majority of my team, I have seen most of them play before and I am excited to help them develop over the summer.“
PHD: What will be the strengths of your team?
“Everyone on the roster is capable of hitting the 3, along with playing really good defense.“
PHD: What style of basketball will you play?
“We will play a run-and-gun type of basketball. Due to us being small, we are faster than most teams and will look to play a lot in transition and knock-down open looks.“
PHD: What will your team “hang your hat on”?
“We will hang our hat on outworking our opponents every game.“
PHD: Who do you predict will be your top defender?
“I predict that Gabe will be the top defender on the team. He plays extremely hard and is really good at playing tight defense without fouling, he will make it tough for the opposing team’s point guard to bring it up.“
PHD: What event/tournament are you looking forward to the most?
“Prep Hoops The Last Dance down in Chicago. Chicago is a really fun city to be in, it is also the farthest we will travel this summer which will be fun for not only me but the players as well.“
PHD: Do you see your team playing man, zone, or a mix of both?
“We will play mainly man, maybe mix in a zone every once in a while depending on the opponent’s personnel.“
PHD: Will your team get together and practice?
“We will practice once or twice a week together in Fargo.“
PHD: What are your goals for this AAU/grassroots season?
“Obviously, we want to win as many games as possible, but at the end of the day, I am just excited to see how each player develops over the course of the summer from start to finish.“
PHD: Who are some of the top shooters?
“ Crew Rickard Crew Rickard 5'8" | PG Fargo North | 2027 State ND , CJ Smith CJ Smith 5'9" | PG Sheyenne | 2027 State ND , Brady Vetter Brady Vetter 6'2" | SG Fargo Davies | 2027 State ND . These 3 are always in the gym working on their game and it shows night in and night out.“