South Prairie-Max and Thompson: Previews

Class A teams in North Dakota are just three days into practice, making it the perfect time to preview the South Prairie-Max Royals and the Thompson Tommies. The Royals compete in Region 3, while the Tommies battle in Region 1, and both programs enter the season with a fresh look and a renewed sense of optimism. With new faces (some familiar), fresh energy, and plenty of excitement surrounding each squad, it's shaping up to be an intriguing year for both teams.   <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:285px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   South Prairie-Max   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/image_4c30db.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/image_4c30db.png" alt="" class="wp-image-3174288" style="width:238px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   Q&A with Coach Jade Larson   PHD: Could you write a couple sentences summing up last season?   "Last season was a tough season for us. We struggled to get everything to come together as a team, but battled until the end against a DLB team that had a good run at State."    PHD: Does your program/team have any non-negotiables?   "Yes, effort and attitude are non-negotiables, as well as timeliness and dedication to schoolwork and team."   PHD: What will your defense "hang its hat on"?   "Our defense will look to pressure the ball and make it difficult for teams to score around the rim. We will change it up and give teams different looks to keep them off balance."   PHD: How does this year's team differ from last year's?   "This year's team is younger than last year's as we lost a good number of seniors and we're going to need our sophomore group step up and take over a lot more responsibility."   PHD: How did the offseason go for your team/program?   "Great, we played in some team camps and got after it in open gyms. A lot of the guys played a lot of basketball in their own time as well."   PHD: Who are some players you expect to take on expanded roles this season?   "Our senior class, [player_tooltip player_id='2608318' first='Jaret' last='Eklie'], [player_tooltip player_id='2608319' first='Jayden' last='Huesers'], Luke Anderson, and Wiatt Ness will have to be better leaders for us this year and help out the younger guys as they acclimate to Varsity."   PHD: Who are a few of your top defensive players?   "Our top defenders are: [player_tooltip player_id='2608319' first='Jayden' last='Huesers'] - smart and fundamental and not afraid to get physical."   "[player_tooltip player_id='2384487' first='David' last='Eberle'] - all around always looking for ways to get stops and not let his guy score."   "[player_tooltip player_id='2608318' first='Jaret' last='Eklie'] - defends the rim will and makes offensive players change their shots."   "[player_tooltip player_id='2384507' first='Ethan' last='McCall'] - always in a good position and has quick hands to go along with being intelligent."   PHD: Who are a couple of up-and-comers to look out for?   "Besides the guys listed above: [player_tooltip player_id='2388270' first='Will' last='Rau'] - sees the floor very well and can finish inside well as well as shoot."   "[player_tooltip player_id='2386776' first='Torston' last='Beall'] - great shooter."   "[player_tooltip player_id='3175320' first='Jamesley' last='St. Martin'] - great around the rim and loves physicality."   PHD: What style of play can fans expect on both ends of the floor?   "We are going to play fast and loose on offense and pressure a lot on defense."   PHD: Who do you think will be your best rebounders?   "[player_tooltip player_id='2608318' first='Jaret' last='Eklie'] 6'5" - lengthy, goes after the ball."   "[player_tooltip player_id='2388270' first='Will' last='Rau'] 6'2" - very good fundamentally, offensive rebounder."   "[player_tooltip player_id='2384487' first='David' last='Eberle'] 6'0" - physical and wants the ball."   PHD: What are your team goals this year?   "Our team goals are to play together as a team and to go deep into Tournament time."   PHD: Who are the top teams in Region 3?   "Bottineau and Turtle Mountain."   PHD: Can you tell us about an assistant coach and the positives they bring to the team?   "Konnor Keysor brings a lot of energy and passion to the game."   "Nick Thompson brings a lot of knowledge and expertise on the defensive side."   PHD: Any last comments about the upcoming season?   "I am excited about what this team is capable of accomplishing this season."   BEST OF LUCK TO THE ROYALS!   <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:210px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   Thompson   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/image_e67e9d.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/12/image_e67e9d.png?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-3174396" style="aspect-ratio:1.0078839534502542;width:201px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   Tommies To Watcch   Hippen and Oster came off the bench at the varsity level last season. They will have an expanded role this winter and will be expected to produce. Expect them to play heavy minutes and be leaders for the Tommies.   [player_tooltip player_id='1951559' first='Noah' last='Hippen'] Senior 6'5'' Forward - Good defender, finisher around the basket, productive rebounder, advanced athlete.   [player_tooltip player_id='2335335' first='Gavin' last='Oster'] Senior 6'1'' Guard - Good shooter, knocks down 3's, will space the floor, teams will pay if he gets space.   Q&A with Coach Seth Kuchar   PHD: How would you sum up last season?   "We had a very successful season last year making the State Tournament and finishing 4th. We had 5 seniors that started every game except [player_tooltip player_id='1951559' first='Noah' last='Hippen'] did start one game last year because of a sickness to a starter. We lost a lot of experience and size in that graduating class."    PHD: How does this year's team differ from last year's?     "This team is a lot different, not only graduating the 5 starters but also losing a ton of size. We will have to learn to defend the whole length of the court and have younger players step up throughout the season into new roles."   PHD: How did the offseason go for your team/program?   "We had a pretty successful turnout with open gym, shooting league, summer league on Monday nights in Grand Forks and then varsity team camps. We saw a lot of players that were at the stuff weekly improving from where they were last year. Also, a lot of the boys were in the weight room which will be huge for our development."   PHD: Who are some players you expect to take on expanded roles this season?    "It is a wide open competition when the season starts, there are a lot of underclassmen that could make their way onto the court."   PHD: Who are a few of your top defensive players?   "[player_tooltip player_id='1951559' first='Noah' last='Hippen'] is going to be our leader on defense and we will go as he does. He is very athletic and takes pride in defending the other team's better players. [player_tooltip player_id='2848487' first='Joe' last='Taylor'] is a senior guard that could step up into a key defensive role."   PHD: Who are a couple of up-and-comers to look out for?   "There is a group of players that are up-and-comers. I will not narrow it down to certain names. I am really looking forward to seeing who from these younger grades takes the step forward; it could be any of them."   PHD: What style of play can fans expect on both ends of the floor?    "Relentless on defense and sharing the ball with everyone, moving in spatial awareness on the offensive side."   PHD: Who do you think will be your best rebounder?   "[player_tooltip player_id='1951559' first='Noah' last='Hippen']"   PHD: Who are some of the top teams & players in your Region?   "Devils Lake- [player_tooltip player_id='1632626' first='Mason' last='Palmer'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1632635' first='Max' last='Palmer']."   "Four Winds- Marial Deng, [player_tooltip player_id='1894872' first='Joran' last='Lohnes'], [player_tooltip player_id='2417279' first='Sylvester' last='Alberts'], [player_tooltip player_id='1894915' first='Tyler' last='Black Jr.']"   "Hillsboro CV - [player_tooltip player_id='2713094' first='Alexander' last='Dufner']"   "Grafton - [player_tooltip player_id='2856939' first='Brody' last='Lillemoen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1632619' first='Reggie' last='Rice']."   PHD: Can you tell us about an assistant coach?   "Shane Wall and Jeremy Anderson bring a lot of positives to the team. They have been around the program and know the players very well, having taught and coached them. They have good relationships with the players and bring a wealth of knowledge of the game of basketball."   PHD: Any last comments about the upcoming season?   "I look forward to getting better throughout the season and seeing what guys step up into key roles from December until March. There is a good opportunity for players to move up from the level they start at the beginning of the year until the end of the year."   BEST OF LUCK TO THE TOMMIES!!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/ClassABasketball.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/ClassABasketball.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-2713048" /></a></figure>

Class A teams in North Dakota are just three days into practice, making it the perfect time to preview the South Prairie-Max Royals and the Thompson Tommies. The Royals compete in Region 3, while the Tommies battle in Region 1, and both programs enter the season with a fresh look and a renewed sense of optimism. With new faces (some familiar), fresh energy, and plenty of excitement surrounding each squad, it's shaping up to be an intriguing year for both teams.