Flasher Bulldogs (1-0)

The Bulldogs are 1-0 on the season after they opened the year with a win against Kidder County by a score of 56-29. Brian Nieuwsma and his Bulldogs take on Region 5 foe Garrison tonight on the road.   It will be interesting to see how these teams look after last week with all of the weather/postponements/cancelations.   The Bulldogs lost Jace Friesz to graduation who was an All-State player, however, they have his younger brother [player_tooltip player_id='1144986' first='Javin' last='Friesz'] who is super talented. In tonight's game it will be fun to watch Friez go against [player_tooltip player_id='1125690' first='Connor' last='Kerzmann'] from Garrison who is also an All-State type player. Friesz vs. Kerzman will be a great matchup to watch tonight!   See below for more info on the Bulldogs from Flasher.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/TeamPreview.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/10/TeamPreview.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-1634111" width="342" height="214" /></a></figure>   Top Bulldogs   [player_tooltip player_id='1144986' first='Javin' last='Friesz'] (2024) |6'2 G|   23.4 ppg, 7rpg, 3.5 apg, 58 3's made, and 31 steals last year. If you call him a stat sheet stuffer, that would be an understatement! Javin is super athletic and a dead-eye shooter. He knows that he will have to continue to improve his game with extra defensive attention, but he's ready for the challenge. Things will not come as easy for the young Friesz with the loss of his older brother. He will get loads of attention, but with his size, athleticism, and skill, we should expect a monster year from the talented junior.   [player_tooltip player_id='1704407' first='Joey' last='Richter'] (2023) |6'4 F|   8.5 ppg and 6 rpg last season. Richter brings a strong post presence to the Bulldogs. He needs to become more well-rounded and is working hard to do that. Flasher is expecting a big year from Joey. He will have a tall task tonight going against 6'8" [player_tooltip player_id='1184662' first='Brady' last='Norenberg'] from Garrison. This will be another matchup to keep eyes on in the Region 5 clash.   [player_tooltip player_id='1354784' first='Carter' last='Bonogofsky'] (2023) |5'11 G|   9 ppg, 3.5 apg, and 32 3's made last season. Carter is a strong and feisty attacking guard. He will slide over to point guard this season and is developing as a leader. Bonogofsky and Friesz should make a dynamic duo in the backcourt for the Bulldogs.   Trey Heid (2025) |5'10 G|   He is a top returning reserve for Flasher. Heid is a very quick player that has worked on his jump shot. The Bulldogs expect him to impact the game in a number of ways starting with his defense.   Q&A with coach Brian Nieuwsma   PHD: Could you write a couple sentences summing up last season?   Coach Nieuwsma: “Last season was a dream and it ended abruptly, all the pieces were in place to make a run at a State berth but after All-State player Jace Friesz suffered an ACL tear the team wasn't able to recover. Overall, a successful campaign that ended with an 18-4 record and a school-best #4 in state ranking at one point.”   PHD: How did the offseason go for your team/program? What did you do?   Coach Nieuwsma: “Our off-season saw the bulldogs get in the gym, weight room, and hit the road to a number of team camps, the goal of the summer was to develop our younger players and help our returners grow into their new roles. We saw some success, failure, but most importantly worked to improve.”   PHD: Who are a few of your top players to look out for and why?   Coach Nieuwsma: “[player_tooltip player_id='1144986' first='Javin' last='Friesz'] is an exceptional athlete and will be the driving force to the Bulldogs success, others will have to play off of him and provide an additional punch, expect [player_tooltip player_id='1354784' first='Carter' last='Bonogofsky'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1704407' first='Joey' last='Richter'] to be some of the main contributors.”   PHD: Who are a couple up-and-comers to look out for in the near future?   Coach Nieuwsma: “Trey Heid is an emerging player that will provide a spark, Pine Fleck is a great athlete that thrives in transition.  Zach Bonogofsky and Jason Weingberger are a couple of young players that are in a race to maturity but could provide vital minutes.”    PHD: What style of basketball will your team play?   Coach Nieuwsma: “We will continue to pressure teams defensively and look to extend that to the FC, we will get out and run in transition to get easy buckets and look to develop our HC attack as camp progresses.”    PHD: Who are the top few players in your Region 5?    Coach Nieuwsma: “[player_tooltip player_id='1144986' first='Javin' last='Friesz']”   “[player_tooltip player_id='1125690' first='Connor' last='Kerzmann'] Garrison, great shooter, slasher, and scorer”   “[player_tooltip player_id='1185243' first='Wyatt' last='Kuhn'] NSA, great long athlete that is very skilled”   “Lance Bradley Standing Rock, great scorer who can shoot from deep”   “[player_tooltip player_id='1138746' first='Jay' last='Wanzek'] Shiloh, very skilled big”   PHD: In your opinion, who are some of the top teams in Region 5?   Coach Nieuwsma: “Shiloh – in our region all roads go through Bismarck until the 3-class plan is approved”   “Garrison – bring back a lot of experienced talent”   “Wilton Wing – had a great year last season, will look to build on it”   “We hope to be in the mix with these teams”   Good Luck Bulldogs!

The Bulldogs are 1-0 on the season after they opened the year with a win against Kidder County by a score of 56-29. Brian Nieuwsma and his Bulldogs take on Region 5 foe Garrison tonight on the road.