Baltic Bulldogs: Preview

USE CODE “herrick30” FOR 30% OFF THE FIRST PURCHASE OF ANY SUBSCRIPTION   Prep Hoops Dakota is going north of Sioux Falls to Baltic, SD for this Team Preview. We are checking in on the Bulldogs! Baltic won 14 games last season and they bring back a super-solid group of junior ballers. Coach Langner's squad will rack up double-digit wins again this season, the Bulldogs will be a a formidable Class A squad. Baltic plays in a tough Conference and a difficult Region, it will be a challenging but fun/entertaining year for hoops for the Bulldogs. They certainly have the talent to reach the SoDak 16 and anything can happen from there!   See below for Bulldog stats, players to watch, Q&A, and the Baltic game schedule.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/balticbulld-crop-991x651-1731780095.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/balticbulld-crop-991x651-1731780095.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2637584" style="width:269px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/TeamPreview.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/TeamPreview.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-2632356" style="width:256px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   School: Baltic   Mascot: Bulldog   Head Coach: Alex Langner   Class: A   Region: 3   2023-24 Record: 14-8   Returning Statistical Leaders   [player_tooltip player_id='1656544' first='Kellen' last='Artz'] – JR 6'9 Forward – 8.5 ppg 7.6 rpg, 2 bpg, 2apg,  55% fg%, 33% 3pt fg%   [player_tooltip player_id='1641266' first='Ben' last='Erickson'] – JR 6'1 Guard – 4ppg, 3rpg, 31% 3pt fg%,   [player_tooltip player_id='2623197' first='Dylan' last='Runestad'] – 6'0 JR Guard – 3.5 ppg, 38% 3pt fg%, 67% fg%   [player_tooltip player_id='2424126' first='Trevor' last='Cuperus'] – 6'6 JR Forward – 2.1 ppg, 2rpg   Players To Watch   Comments from Coach Langner   "Our 4 Juniors that we have coming back from last years team are going to be our leadership for the next two seasons. They are a great core group of guys to build on our program's recent success and I think they have the make up to some really great things here."    [player_tooltip player_id='1656544' first='Kellen' last='Artz'] – 6'9 JR Forward – "Kellen is long and runs well. He was a key defensive asset last year and has really worked to develop his offensive game. He is versatile, can handle it, and has really improved on his perimeter shot. We will lean on him and his experience early in the year to get our season off on the right foot."   [player_tooltip player_id='2623197' first='Dylan' last='Runestad'] – 6'0 JR PG – "Dylan has really increased his bag offensively. He does a great job of getting to the basket and has really worked on his ability to finish at the rim. He has spent a ton of time in the weight room to be able to play through contact, and we are going to ask him to do a lot of different things for us this year. He can score from the perimeter and can create his own shot as well."   [player_tooltip player_id='1641266' first='Ben' last='Erickson'] – 6'1 JR Guard – "Ben is athletic and exciting to watch. He can fill it up from the 3pt line and does a great job off the ball to be able to put himself in positions to score. His movement without the ball is extremely good and he has great vision of the court to find his opportunities within our offense. He also is a talented defender and extremely versatile on that end of the floor. He matches up with a lot of different people and can guard just about 1-5 if we need him to."   [player_tooltip player_id='2424126' first='Trevor' last='Cuperus'] – 6'6 JR Forward – "Trevor is going to be a physical presence for us in the paint. He has really come a long way in the last year with his ability to finish around the rim, and his footwork has improved as well. He has gotten more comfortable from outside 15 feet with his jumper, and has really developed into a threat for us on the offensive end. Defensively he will do the things in the paint we will ask him to do in order for our team to have success."   [player_tooltip player_id='2637594' first='Cooper' last='Garry'] – 5'10 JR Guard – "Cooper is new to our system this year, but we like what we've seen out of him this summer. He has really good lateral quickness and is aggressive defensively. He is going to be a nice 3 and D guy within our system, but still has the creativity of his game to be able to get to the hoop. He is a nice piece to what we hope to accomplish here this year."   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/QA.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/QA.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-2511663" style="width:295px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   With Alex Langner   PHD: How would you sum up last season?   "Last season we finished 14-8, losing in the second round of the Region Tournament. We graduated a big chunk of our offensive production with our group of seniors. We gained valuable experience for our returning guys this year with big minutes from them off the bench."   PHD: Does your program/team have any non-negotiables?   "We believe in high-character guys. Our philosophy as a program is that you have to be disciplined in all aspects of your life if we want to naturally have that carry over to the court. How you carry yourself, how you perform in the classroom, what kind of person you are in your community. These are crucial to the development of our players as well as our program."   PHD: What will your defense "hang its hat on"?   "We want to be able to dictate games defensively. Our height really allows our perimeter defenders to be aggressive and create opportunities for us on the defensive end of the floor. We have to be able to guard the basketball one-on-one, but we also need to understand where our opportunities are to challenge shooters. We want to force teams into shots that aren't typically theirs, and transition out of it quickly."   PHD: Who will be your primary ballhandler this year?   "[player_tooltip player_id='2623197' first='Dylan' last='Runestad'], [player_tooltip player_id='2637594' first='Cooper' last='Garry'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1641266' first='Ben' last='Erickson'] will have the ball in their hands a lot of the time for us in the transition game. We want to have the ability to get a rebound and go, and each of these guys has the ability to do that. Dylan is going to probably be our more traditional “One” man, handling the basketball in the half-court for us and getting us into our offense. Against pressure, I feel confident in any of our guys having to handle it consistently though."    PHD: How did the offseason go for your team/program?   "I felt like we had a really productive offseason. We found out some areas that we need to improve on and be more consistent in for us to be successful on a nightly basis. I think we also found out some of our guys have the ability to do some things offensively that maybe they didn't have the opportunity to do before."   "We attended a series of team camps and played in the Pentagon League this summer in Sioux Falls. We traveled to NDSU for team camp and really developed some good team chemistry on that trip, which is really what we want the outcome of those trips to be."   "We competed at the other team camps we were a part of, both USF and Northwestern College. Our guys didn't really back down from any challenge, and we got more consistent at running our stuff correctly. You could tell we got more comfortable within our own system as the summer went on."   PHD: Who are a few of your top players to look out for?   "I think the guys that I've talked about up to this point are going to be difference-makers in the development of our program. They each have the ability to change the game in their own ways, and it's not going to be specifically any one of them on a given night. Matchups will dictate a lot of who we can go to and what we want to do, but each of them is going to have an impact on both ends of the floor for us."    PHD: Who are a couple of up-and-comers to look out for?   [player_tooltip player_id='2637692' first='Bradyn' last='Hanson'] – SO – 6'1 Guard/Forward – "Bradyn is a worker for us. He has a knack of getting to the offensive glass and has really improved on his ability to read defenses to find his movement without the ball. He is going to give us big minutes off the bench this year."   [player_tooltip player_id='2475686' first='Benjamin' last='Berg'] – FR – 5'10 Guard – "Ben played with our older guys all summer and his experience shows up. He moves well offensively without the ball, knocks down open shots, and is a quick defender on the perimeter for us. Confidence is going to go a long way for him as he continues to develop into his body and his game continues to improve. He has a really quick 1st step and sees the floor really well."   PHD: Who do you think will be your best rebounders?   "[player_tooltip player_id='1656544' first='Kellen' last='Artz'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2424126' first='Trevor' last='Cuperus'] are going to have to dominate the glass for us on both ends of the floor this year. They are different and distinct in their own ways. Trevor lives on contact and plays physical. Kellen attacks the ball so high off the rim and is able to go up and get it. Each of them should be a great factor on the glass."   PHD: What are your team goals this year?   "Our guys know that they can compete within our Conference and Region. We hope to continue to improve and get better as the season goes along.  Defensively we want to hold opponents under 45 points, offensively our goal is to consistently get to 55. They each have individual goals as well.  Ultimately our outcomes will be the result of the work our kids put into preparing each and every day at practice."   PHD: Who will be your hardest worker?   "I think [player_tooltip player_id='2637692' first='Bradyn' last='Hanson'] is going to be one of our hardest-working kids because he wants the opportunity to get on the floor and is willing to do the little things to get there."    PHD: Who are the top teams in your Region?   "Flandreau, Dell Rapids, and West Central are going to be challenges for us when we get to the postseason. They are all really good basketball teams that know how to win. Our Conference race is going to come down to Flandreau and Sioux Valley this year. Flandreau is really deep and talented, and Sioux Valley has such a rich history of basketball success. Each are really well-coached and will be tough to get this year. I think our Conference has more balance this year than we have had in years past, so we won't be overlooking anyone on our schedule as wins are going to come at a premium on any given night."    PHD: Any last comments about the upcoming season?   "I think this group was part of a team that got a taste of what they wanted in success last year. It's time for this group to take another step in that direction that we are capable of. Our top 5 guys are going to have to perform consistently until our guys off the bench get more confident and comfortable on the floor. Our schedule is challenging and is by no means any gimme games. We have to be willing to compete for 32 minutes to go get wins."    Bulldog Game Schedule   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/image_36b129.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/image_36b129.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2637593" /></a></figure>   BEST OF LUCK TO BALTIC!!!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/balticbulld-crop-991x651-1731780095.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/balticbulld-crop-991x651-1731780095.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-2637584" /></a></figure>

USE CODE “herrick30” FOR 30% OFF THE FIRST PURCHASE OF ANY SUBSCRIPTION