Central McLean Cougars: Season Recap

The ND prep season is in the books, but we are taking a look back! PHD is publishing a series of Season Reviews to help recap and celebrate the season.   In this piece, we are looking at the District 8 Champions, the Central McLean Cougars!   [player_tooltip player_id='1746021' first='Aiden' last='Hanson'] led CMC, he was one of the top ballers in the state. Next season, Hanson will be one of the elite players in Class B, and the Cougars will enter the season as a Top10 squad. But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let's take a look in the rearview mirror..........   Head Coach: Joi Anderson   Class: B   District: 8   Region: 4   Record: 19-6   See below for player stats & an in-depth Q&A session with Coach Anderson   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/SeaonReview-.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/SeaonReview-.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-1842251" style="width:303px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   Central McLean Cougars   Individual Statistical Leaders   [player_tooltip player_id='2838603' first='Jase' last='Utley'] (2027) |6'1 G| - 6.4 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.3 apg, 42 FG%, 51.1 eFG%   [player_tooltip player_id='2573796' first='Ethan' last='Hanson'] (2028) |5'9 G| - 9.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.1 apg, 52.3 FG%, 61 eFG%   [player_tooltip player_id='1746021' first='Aiden' last='Hanson'] (2026) |6'4 G| - 22 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 5.1 apg, 60.2 FG%, 65.9 eFG%   [player_tooltip player_id='2338864' first='Bridger' last='Rittenbach'] (2026) |6'0 G| - 9.8 ppg, 2 rpg, 2 apg, 37.2 FG%, 52.4 eFG%   [player_tooltip player_id='2775238' first='Jacob' last='Wolf'] (2026) |6'0 G/F| - 3.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.4 apg, 65.9 FG%   [player_tooltip player_id='2638409' first='Sam' last='Benson'] (2025) |6'5 PF| - 10.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.5 apg, 53.5 FG%, 53.9 eFG%   [player_tooltip player_id='2775184' first='Jonas' last='Christensen'] (2027) |6'1 G/F| - 6.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 33.6 FG%, 37.7 eFG%   <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:226px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   With Joi Anderson   PHD: How would you sum up the season for your squad?   "We had a very good season (19-6). We knocked off the only undefeated team left in the state and the #1 team in the polls all year (Wilton-Wing) with a 56-54 victory for the District Championship. We met them again for the Regional Championship game and came up short there. Finally, we played the number 4-ranked Westhope Sioux in the State Play-In game and again, came up short. We ended the season with a 9th place rating in the State Poll."    PHD: Do you have any fun memories to share with us?   "Beating number 1 ranked and undefeated Wilton-Wing Miners for District Championship."   "[player_tooltip player_id='1746021' first='Aiden' last='Hanson'] scoring his 1000th point in the first game of the Regional Tournament."   "Any time [player_tooltip player_id='2775238' first='Jacob' last='Wolf'] shot/made a 3-pointer."   PHD: How did your team overcome adversity?   "We are a young team and struggled to put 5 experienced players on the court at once. We had to make up for some deficits in “court sense” by being very strong defensively. Also, we had a couple of players step up to take on roles that would give Junior, [player_tooltip player_id='1746021' first='Aiden' last='Hanson'], some help. Early in the season, some of us got into the habit of watching Aiden instead of doing our parts. As the season went on, we were better at seeing the court and understanding the importance of being a role player."   PHD: What are a few things your team improved on throughout the season?   "Defense, shooting %, FT %, reading and reacting."   PHD: Who are some role players that stood out to you?   "[player_tooltip player_id='1746021' first='Aiden' last='Hanson'] – Everything runs through Aiden as he is a true court general. Aiden's knowledge of the game and his ability to read and react to all game situations is remarkable. He works hard to get all of his teammates involved while managing to average 22 ppg while being constantly double or at times, triple-teamed. One downside is that sometimes, some of his teammates “watch and wait” for Aiden to make a move or to make a decision. Aiden scored his 1000th point during the first night of our Regional Tournament. Aiden will continue to lead his teammates throughout summer ball and into the fall on the football field. As a senior next season, and considering how close we got to the State Tournament, I know Aiden will be on a mission to lead his team back to the Region 4 Championship game and hopefully, a different outcome!   "[player_tooltip player_id='2775238' first='Jacob' last='Wolf'] – Jake has always been a great defensive player. As an All-State football pick the last 2 years, he definitely brings his toughness and hard work ethic to the BB court. Toward the middle of the season and into the post-season, Jake took his defense to another level. One that garnered the attention of other teams, coaches, and sportscasters. He has become such a fan favorite because of his work ethic and his ability to always be in the right place at the right time. Jake does all the little things that a lot of people don't notice as well. He creates turnovers for his opponents and out-rebounds everyone around him despite him not having a height advantage. Jake also worked very hard on his offensive game this season and went from averaging 4 ppg to putting up 12-15 a night during the postseason. He outworks and outhustles every opponent and is the kind of player coaches love!"   PHD: Can you talk about your seniors?   "Our only senior, [player_tooltip player_id='2638409' first='Sam' last='Benson'], brought size and strength to our team. He was nicknamed Sam, “The Diesel” Benson by PSP Sportscasters early in the season and they called him that in every game they covered (9 of our games this season were broadcast on PSP Network). Sam added an inside game that we would have not had if he had not joined us as a new student this year. He is calm under pressure and his size makes him a formidable opponent.  He can also score from the perimeter. Our team will look different next year and I'm not sure, at this point, we will have the ability to replace what he contributed in the post. Sam will be playing football for Minot State University next year."   PHD: Who are some up-and-comers to look out for?   "[player_tooltip player_id='2838603' first='Jace' last='Utley'] is a 6'1” sophomore forward who saw decent minutes on the varsity. Jace adds a big offensive threat as he can be deadly from the perimeter and his height advantage makes him a threat in the paint and especially on the boards. He has a tremendous rebounding ability and as he is likely not done growing, he adds an offensive and defensive threat to our team."   "[player_tooltip player_id='2573796' first='Ethan' last='Hanson'] is a 5'11” freshman and also saw plenty of varsity minutes. He played a key role in several big wins, including sinking 4/4 free throws to win the Regional Semifinal Game. Ethan is the younger brother of [player_tooltip player_id='1746021' first='Aiden' last='Hanson'] and he possesses the same skill level and court sense as his brother. He is an all-around player but will add a great deal to our offensive game. We didn't play a true point guard this season and sometimes struggled against pressure. Ethan will fill that hole for us and his ability to score, and to create scoring opportunities as the shooter, or by getting the assist, will be huge for us next season. Additionally, it's obvious that he and Aiden play a lot of basketball together and the 2 of them are fun to watch."   PHD: Who was your best defensive player?   [player_tooltip player_id='2775238' first='Jacob' last='Wolf'] dominated, defensively. Especially toward the end of the season and into the postseason. He (along with [player_tooltip player_id='1746021' first='Aiden' last='Hanson']) was awarded game MVP by PSP Network in all 3 district tournament games as well as our first 2 region tournament games. Jacob personifies helping out teammates and has an uncanny sense of knowing exactly where to be at the right time to make big plays. One of the sports commentators said “If you look up team-player in the dictionary, you will find a picture of [player_tooltip player_id='2775238' first='Jacob' last='Wolf']”. Another comment about his defense was that he “outworks every single one of his opponents."   PHD: Who was your interior player?   "We didn't really have an “effective” interior player. It is one of our weak links.  [player_tooltip player_id='1746021' first='Aiden' last='Hanson'] will be working to improve his post moves in the off-season so I'm optimistic that we will have that interior threat next season."   PHD:: Any last comments/thoughts on the season?   "Our last 2 games of the season fell short and we did not play “our game” in any capacity. I will need to analyze where the disconnect happened and why we seemed to fall apart in those big games. We will take on those challenges as opportunities to learn and grow and will move on and look forward to preparing for the 25-26 season."   "That being said, I could not be prouder of this group of young men and their amazing progression throughout this season. We had a couple of close losses very early in the season, but went on to win game after game. I could see their confidence grow as the season went on and I knew that we had something special here and had a legit chance to make it all the way to state…and we did come very close.  Additionally, our JV and C squads both went undefeated on their seasons and those kids played a big part in our success as they made us better due to their relentless work ethic during practices. Those kids came to every practice and worked very hard long after their seasons were over. Our losses all came against rated teams and with the exception of the last 2 (losses), were between 2-11 points difference. We always played hard until the very end which was something that we had to work on! Starting with the 21-22 season, I knew we had some rebuilding years ahead. Now we are starting to see the results of hard work and tenacity come to fruition!"   "I'm looking forward to next year and the senior leadership we will have, the varsity experience of underclassmen, and the ability to go deep on our bench. I believe goals have already been set and we will be hungry next year. It should be a lot of fun and can't get here soon enough!"   BEST OF LUCK TO THE COUGARS THIS OFFSEASON!!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/CMCbbb-crop-569x374-1744580137.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/CMCbbb-crop-569x374-1744580137.jpg?w=568" alt="" class="wp-image-2838477" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: CMC Boys Basketball</figcaption></figure>

The ND prep season is in the books, but we are taking a look back! PHD is publishing a series of Season Reviews to help recap and celebrate the season.