Pre-Season Region Award Predictions

[BasketballMind]

Anyone willing to share/discuss their picks for the various awards in each region and the all-region selections? Personally I can't wait for the heated AD of the Year debates.

[Region 1 Fan]

Region 1
Coach of the Year - Central Cass. Possible sleeper would be Richland should they get into top 4 of Region.
AD of the Year - Central Cass
Player of the Year - Koppervig from CC or Hatfield from OG - Both players will have huge years and represent their respective team favorably.
Region 1 Championship - CC vs OG - OG wins!

[BasketballMind]

Region 1
Coach of the Year - Central Cass. Possible sleeper would be Richland should they get into top 4 of Region.
AD of the Year - Central Cass
Player of the Year - Koppervig from CC or Hatfield from OG - Both players will have huge years and represent their respective team favorably.
Region 1 Championship - CC vs OG - OG wins!

Only other seniors I can think of would be Bartholomay from Enderlin or Storbakken from Richland. Don't know if their teams will finish high enough to overtake a player like Kobbervig or Hatfield on what should be two good teams. They'll have a chance to fill up the stat sheets for their teams though.

Is OG bringing much back besides Hatfield? I see this being the year for Central Cass to go to state with the strong backcourt of Kobbervig and Vrchota as well as Holzer coming off a good Sophomore year last year. They had a strong JV team last year as well.

[WalkingStick]

Region 1
Coach of the Year - Central Cass. Possible sleeper would be Richland should they get into top 4 of Region.
AD of the Year - Central Cass
Player of the Year - Koppervig from CC or Hatfield from OG - Both players will have huge years and represent their respective team favorably.
Region 1 Championship - CC vs OG - OG wins!

Only other seniors I can think of would be Bartholomay from Enderlin or Storbakken from Richland. Don't know if their teams will finish high enough to overtake a player like Kobbervig or Hatfield on what should be two good teams. They'll have a chance to fill up the stat sheets for their teams though.

Is OG bringing much back besides Hatfield? I see this being the year for Central Cass to go to state with the strong backcourt of Kobbervig and Vrchota as well as Holzer coming off a good Sophomore year last year. They had a strong JV team last year as well.

Oak Grove will be Hatfield and Bakkegard...both could easily go for 50+ combined each night but I'm not sold on their depth.

Top 3 are
Central Cass - Holzer is tough to stop in the pain plus they'll have depth and plenty of shooters
Kindred - still hard to contend with their size...even if Sunram doesn't play
Oak Grove - need more contributions out of role players to have a chance to win the region, in my eyes, but they should be Top 3 and their schedule will always have them prepared no matter their record going into postseason.

Richland has taken their lumps here for a couple of years and played young...those kids have matured and they could surprise some teams.

Northern Cass is always tough but I fear they will be undersized (they always have shooters though)

Enderlin will be carried by Bartholomay and could put up some very solid numbers

4-10 could be anyone honestly

[Region 1 Fan]

Region 1
Coach of the Year - Central Cass. Possible sleeper would be Richland should they get into top 4 of Region.
AD of the Year - Central Cass
Player of the Year - Koppervig from CC or Hatfield from OG - Both players will have huge years and represent their respective team favorably.
Region 1 Championship - CC vs OG - OG wins!

Only other seniors I can think of would be Bartholomay from Enderlin or Storbakken from Richland. Don't know if their teams will finish high enough to overtake a player like Kobbervig or Hatfield on what should be two good teams. They'll have a chance to fill up the stat sheets for their teams though.

Is OG bringing much back besides Hatfield? I see this being the year for Central Cass to go to state with the strong backcourt of Kobbervig and Vrchota as well as Holzer coming off a good Sophomore year last year. They had a strong JV team last year as well.

Besides Hatfield, they bring back Bakkegard (PG) as well. He could very easily be in the discussion for R1 POY as well. I expect him to avg. 16 plus pts 8 asst/gam. He will be the catalyst of this team. If he can get his team involved early and often, OG will be tough. Other than that, they will be unproven. They do have some size from JR's Swenson and Johnson - both players are going to be looked upon for points and rebounds this year. OG's depth will not be like it has been in past but Hatfield and Bakkegard will give them a chance to be a very competitive team. Coach Card always does a nice job of developing players throughout the year as well.
I would agree that Bartholomay and Storbakken will have very nice years as well. You could possibly add Hernandez from Hankinson and the big guy from WL as well.
Central Cass has the big 3 in Kobbervig, Vrchota and Holzer not to mention a strong supporting cast. It is going to be a fun year! Whomever makes it out of Region 1 should have a strong chance of playing for the chip on Saturday night in March.

[packers21]

Region 1
Coach of the Year - Central Cass. Possible sleeper would be Richland should they get into top 4 of Region.
AD of the Year - Central Cass
Player of the Year - Koppervig from CC or Hatfield from OG - Both players will have huge years and represent their respective team favorably.
Region 1 Championship - CC vs OG - OG wins!

Only other seniors I can think of would be Bartholomay from Enderlin or Storbakken from Richland. Don't know if their teams will finish high enough to overtake a player like Kobbervig or Hatfield on what should be two good teams. They'll have a chance to fill up the stat sheets for their teams though.

Is OG bringing much back besides Hatfield? I see this being the year for Central Cass to go to state with the strong backcourt of Kobbervig and Vrchota as well as Holzer coming off a good Sophomore year last year. They had a strong JV team last year as well.

Besides Hatfield, they bring back Bakkegard (PG) as well. He could very easily be in the discussion for R1 POY as well. I expect him to avg. 16 plus pts 8 asst/gam. He will be the catalyst of this team. If he can get his team involved early and often, OG will be tough. Other than that, they will be unproven. They do have some size from JR's Swenson and Johnson - both players are going to be looked upon for points and rebounds this year. OG's depth will not be like it has been in past but Hatfield and Bakkegard will give them a chance to be a very competitive team. Coach Card always does a nice job of developing players throughout the year as well.
I would agree that Bartholomay and Storbakken will have very nice years as well. You could possibly add Hernandez from Hankinson and the big guy from WL as well.
Central Cass has the big 3 in Kobbervig, Vrchota and Holzer not to mention a strong supporting cast. It is going to be a fun year! Whomever makes it out of Region 1 should have a strong chance of playing for the chip on Saturday night in March.

I would put OG 3rd in the Region with a shot to win it, overall the talent is down from the past few years. Teams 4-10 could honestly be anyone. Bakkegard has a much stronger chance than Hattfield if someone from OG was to win POY.

[Region 1 Fan]

Region 1
Coach of the Year - Central Cass. Possible sleeper would be Richland should they get into top 4 of Region.
AD of the Year - Central Cass
Player of the Year - Koppervig from CC or Hatfield from OG - Both players will have huge years and represent their respective team favorably.
Region 1 Championship - CC vs OG - OG wins!

Only other seniors I can think of would be Bartholomay from Enderlin or Storbakken from Richland. Don't know if their teams will finish high enough to overtake a player like Kobbervig or Hatfield on what should be two good teams. They'll have a chance to fill up the stat sheets for their teams though.

Is OG bringing much back besides Hatfield? I see this being the year for Central Cass to go to state with the strong backcourt of Kobbervig and Vrchota as well as Holzer coming off a good Sophomore year last year. They had a strong JV team last year as well.

Besides Hatfield, they bring back Bakkegard (PG) as well. He could very easily be in the discussion for R1 POY as well. I expect him to avg. 16 plus pts 8 asst/gam. He will be the catalyst of this team. If he can get his team involved early and often, OG will be tough. Other than that, they will be unproven. They do have some size from JR's Swenson and Johnson - both players are going to be looked upon for points and rebounds this year. OG's depth will not be like it has been in past but Hatfield and Bakkegard will give them a chance to be a very competitive team. Coach Card always does a nice job of developing players throughout the year as well.
I would agree that Bartholomay and Storbakken will have very nice years as well. You could possibly add Hernandez from Hankinson and the big guy from WL as well.
Central Cass has the big 3 in Kobbervig, Vrchota and Holzer not to mention a strong supporting cast. It is going to be a fun year! Whomever makes it out of Region 1 should have a strong chance of playing for the chip on Saturday night in March.

I would put OG 3rd in the Region with a shot to win it, overall the talent is down from the past few years. Teams 4-10 could honestly be anyone. Bakkegard has a much stronger chance than Hattfield if someone from OG was to win POY.

You might be right! He is a very good player. I wouldn't say that Bakkegard "has a much stronger chance" however. I need some facts/reasoning behind that one. Going off of last year, I'd say Hatfield was more impressive. Hatfield was the leading rebounder/block shots and second leading scorer. Can play all 5 spots on the court. Shoots the ball very well from all 3 levels. Should be a 40% 3 pt shooter and 55% overall from field this year. Matchup nightmare for most teams. Both players are very impressive and should give OG a chance to come out of their respective Region. I know one things is for certain, they both feed off of each other. Both are better players when they are playing together and both have the ability to make their teammates better as well. That's why I predict them to come out of Region 1, even with a roster that might only go 7 or 8 deep.
How about Region 2. Any predictions?

[defensewinsgames]

Region 2 Predictions:

Coach of the Year: MayPort/Grafton/Thompson. Grafton or Thompson will likely finish first in the region and will get votes for this reason. If Grafton finishes first and has a great season (undefeated in region or 1 loss) I think it will go there. If Thompson finishes similarly to Grafton record wise and ends up one or two, I think it may go to Thompson. If MayPort finishes top 3 they should get it. I get the temptation to go the top team wins it but if you look at the job he has done over the last couple years, a MayPort team with a pile of seniors that could finish from 2 to 4 would be my pick for COY.

AD of the Year: Who knows how this is even picked, seems to change all the time...... MayPort (could be Midway or PRFL, seems like they are up in the rotation).

Player of the Year: Comes down to Stainbrook (NB) or Koenig (MayPort). The secondary tier goes: Cosley (NB), Dryburgh (HCV), Rosinski (PRFL), and maybe I'm forgetting someone. I don't think any of these players will compete with the other two because of career stats (Cosley would have a really good case if Stainbrook wasn't on his team but I don't think you can pick him over Stainbrook). I will take Stainbrook to win.

Regular Season Region Finish Prediction (1 to 11) - Thompson, Grafton, MayPort, NB, HCV, Park River, Midway, Cavalier, Larimore, DVE, HN. MayPort finishes 3rd and is the team outside of the top 2 I least want to play in the regional tournament. If NB can put up 60 a night between 3 kids they could be dangerous too (top two are better than anyone in the region but finding guys to round out a 7 man rotation might be tough, they haven't ever gotten out of 3 night regional tourney without issues). HCV will struggle early and be tough later in the year - good defense and size again. Park River will be solid but I don't think can compete with that top 4 or 5 at least consistently. Midway will have lots of guard play and be scrappy as all get out on defense but will struggle against teams with good posts/size. Cavalier loses a lot but had a couple really solid guards to build around. Larimore, DVE, HN are a toss up to me and could finish in any order so I ranked them by returning talent.

Best Storyline: After some really tough years Larimore is significantly better this season because the young kids have taken their lickings and are upperclassmen now with experience.

Region 2 Championship: Grafton vs. Thompson with Thompson winning.

[Region 1 Fan]

Region 2 Predictions. Always a tough Region. Last year, I picked HCV to win the Region and I didn't see Grafton reloading like they did and take home Region 2. This year, I see North Border beating Thompson for the right to go to State and represent Region 2.

Coach of the Year - NB
AD of the Year - NB
Region 2 Player of the Year - The Jamestown commit, Stainbrook. Wouldn't surprise me to see him on the All-State team as well. He is a terrific player that can score from all 3 levels. He is terrific at seeing the courty and finding the open man. Jamestown is getting a good one.

I think the region will go down this way:
1. NB - The big 3 of Cosley, Stainbrook and Johnson will be too much for a solid and strong Thompson team
2. Thompson - Love everything about how this team is coached and plays. They will be my pick in 2023/4.
3. HCV - Lost a lot of size from last years team but still has Jr, Brandt.
4 Mayville - This is my sleeper team this year. They have size and guards who can shoot the ball. There big guy, Koenig will be a load.

[Region 1 Fan]

Region 2 Predictions:

Coach of the Year: MayPort/Grafton/Thompson. Grafton or Thompson will likely finish first in the region and will get votes for this reason. If Grafton finishes first and has a great season (undefeated in region or 1 loss) I think it will go there. If Thompson finishes similarly to Grafton record wise and ends up one or two, I think it may go to Thompson. If MayPort finishes top 3 they should get it. I get the temptation to go the top team wins it but if you look at the job he has done over the last couple years, a MayPort team with a pile of seniors that could finish from 2 to 4 would be my pick for COY.

AD of the Year: Who knows how this is even picked, seems to change all the time...... MayPort (could be Midway or PRFL, seems like they are up in the rotation).

Player of the Year: Comes down to Stainbrook (NB) or Koenig (MayPort). The secondary tier goes: Cosley (NB), Dryburgh (HCV), Rosinski (PRFL), and maybe I'm forgetting someone. I don't think any of these players will compete with the other two because of career stats (Cosley would have a really good case if Stainbrook wasn't on his team but I don't think you can pick him over Stainbrook). I will take Stainbrook to win.

Regular Season Region Finish Prediction (1 to 11) - Thompson, Grafton, MayPort, NB, HCV, Park River, Midway, Cavalier, Larimore, DVE, HN. MayPort finishes 3rd and is the team outside of the top 2 I least want to play in the regional tournament. If NB can put up 60 a night between 3 kids they could be dangerous too (top two are better than anyone in the region but finding guys to round out a 7 man rotation might be tough, they haven't ever gotten out of 3 night regional tourney without issues). HCV will struggle early and be tough later in the year - good defense and size again. Park River will be solid but I don't think can compete with that top 4 or 5 at least consistently. Midway will have lots of guard play and be scrappy as all get out on defense but will struggle against teams with good posts/size. Cavalier loses a lot but had a couple really solid guards to build around. Larimore, DVE, HN are a toss up to me and could finish in any order so I ranked them by returning talent.

Best Storyline: After some really tough years Larimore is significantly better this season because the young kids have taken their lickings and are upperclassmen now with experience.

Region 2 Championship: Grafton vs. Thompson with Thompson winning.

Great analysis. I agree with Larimore as well. They will be a competitive team after earning their stripes the past couple of years. I'm probably overlooking Grafton like I did last year. Their style of play makes them a tough team to play and match up with. Just don't know about the Burros this year. Need to see how their guard play pans out. I predicted them 3rd but really wouldn't surprise me if Mayville finishes at that spot as well. Region 2 is always a great Regional Tourney to follow/watch.

[BasketballMind]

Region 2 Predictions. Always a tough Region. Last year, I picked HCV to win the Region and I didn't see Grafton reloading like they did and take home Region 2. This year, I see North Border beating Thompson for the right to go to State and represent Region 2.

Coach of the Year - NB
AD of the Year - NB
Region 2 Player of the Year - The Jamestown commit, Stainbrook. Wouldn't surprise me to see him on the All-State team as well. He is a terrific player that can score from all 3 levels. He is terrific at seeing the courty and finding the open man. Jamestown is getting a good one.

I think the region will go down this way:
1. NB - The big 3 of Cosley, Stainbrook and Johnson will be too much for a solid and strong Thompson team
2. Thompson - Love everything about how this team is coached and plays. They will be my pick in 2023/4.
3. HCV - Lost a lot of size from last years team but still has Jr, Brandt.
4 Mayville - This is my sleeper team this year. They have size and guards who can shoot the ball. There big guy, Koenig will be a load.

Johnson graduated last year. Their third experienced player would be Grant Cosley. Grayson Ohmann got some good minutes for them last year, but after that it's going to be quite a few inexperienced players playing on a team ready to go to a state tournament.

[Region 1 Fan]

Region 2 Predictions. Always a tough Region. Last year, I picked HCV to win the Region and I didn't see Grafton reloading like they did and take home Region 2. This year, I see North Border beating Thompson for the right to go to State and represent Region 2.

Coach of the Year - NB
AD of the Year - NB
Region 2 Player of the Year - The Jamestown commit, Stainbrook. Wouldn't surprise me to see him on the All-State team as well. He is a terrific player that can score from all 3 levels. He is terrific at seeing the courty and finding the open man. Jamestown is getting a good one.

I think the region will go down this way:
1. NB - The big 3 of Cosley, Stainbrook and Johnson will be too much for a solid and strong Thompson team
2. Thompson - Love everything about how this team is coached and plays. They will be my pick in 2023/4.
3. HCV - Lost a lot of size from last years team but still has Jr, Brandt.
4 Mayville - This is my sleeper team this year. They have size and guards who can shoot the ball. There big guy, Koenig will be a load.

Johnson graduated last year. Their third experienced player would be Grant Cosley. Grayson Ohmann got some good minutes for them last year, but after that it's going to be quite a few inexperienced players playing on a team ready to go to a state tournament.

You are right. Sorry about that. Still have a lot of confidence that Stainbrook can elevate his play and get his team to State however.

[Flying Wallenda]

Region 1: Central Cass's to lose in my opinion. Two experienced guards in Kobbervig/Vrcota and a nice wing in Holzer. Solid garbage guy in Cruchet. Deep, good JV last year. Kindred 2 - the sophmore (wing - I forget his name) is a dude and will be one of the top 3-4 in the region, lots of depth and tradition - not sure if big Sunrham is playing? That will make a huge difference. Oak Grove right behind - will push the top two and could sure win it all. COTY - Woehl/SOTY - One of the kids from Oak Grove.

Region 2: Surprised at all the love for MPCGFS- Koenig a solid piece and Judish a quality guard, they maybe have other pieces back I'm not aware of?
NB has the best player in the region and SOTY in Stainbrook, Older Cosley very good and younger one is good as well, very little depth -
Grafton well coached, solid guards, probably the best or second best guard in the region in Baldwin, will defend you, I think Dumas hurt a knee and not sure if he's going to be able to play? Not much size.
Thompson - lost 3 starters but 4 solid guys back in Starcevic/Overby/Wolfgram/Peterson. Have another big kid and the JV is usually solid. They'll contend for sure.
HCV will be the sleeper - Brandt will have a big year and Dryburgh is a good one at both ends. Couple good pieces from the JV (a guard and post) will help. Deep JV. Rotvold makes them defend hard. COTY -
After that i'll go MM/PR/Cavalier/Larimore/HN/DVE.

[defensewinsgames]

MayPort only lost the Mewes kid everyone else significant is back. Xyler Carslson is a very good player too for them. They will do very well this year. Not a surprising pick at all if you follow Region 2.

[defensewinsgames]

Region 2 Predictions. Always a tough Region. Last year, I picked HCV to win the Region and I didn't see Grafton reloading like they did and take home Region 2. This year, I see North Border beating Thompson for the right to go to State and represent Region 2.

Coach of the Year - NB
AD of the Year - NB
Region 2 Player of the Year - The Jamestown commit, Stainbrook. Wouldn't surprise me to see him on the All-State team as well. He is a terrific player that can score from all 3 levels. He is terrific at seeing the courty and finding the open man. Jamestown is getting a good one.

I think the region will go down this way:
1. NB - The big 3 of Cosley, Stainbrook and Johnson will be too much for a solid and strong Thompson team
2. Thompson - Love everything about how this team is coached and plays. They will be my pick in 2023/4.
3. HCV - Lost a lot of size from last years team but still has Jr, Brandt.
4 Mayville - This is my sleeper team this year. They have size and guards who can shoot the ball. There big guy, Koenig will be a load.

This is NB's worst team in the last 3 years in my opinion and they weren't able to get over the hump those other two years. Not having Johnson to do a lot of the dirty work will hurt more than most realize. Not saying they won't be good but I don't see them winning three games to make state...other teams in the region are much more balanced and have better depth. One injury and they might not finish in the top 5.

[Flying Wallenda]

MayPort only lost the Mewes kid everyone else significant is back. Xyler Carslson is a very good player too for them. They will do very well this year. Not a surprising pick at all if you follow Region 2.

I follow region I and II pretty close and to a lesser extent 4. I DID forget Carlson. What other starter returns for that team? How was MPCGFS JV?
The boy from Kindred I forgot is Oase - he's the real deal and nice prospect down the road when he fills out/matures. The other possible SOTY from region I is Bartholemay from Enderlin - good size, inside outside type of game. Will have to carry a bunch of the load (obviously) this year.

[Flying Wallenda]

Region 2 Predictions. Always a tough Region. Last year, I picked HCV to win the Region and I didn't see Grafton reloading like they did and take home Region 2. This year, I see North Border beating Thompson for the right to go to State and represent Region 2.

Coach of the Year - NB
AD of the Year - NB
Region 2 Player of the Year - The Jamestown commit, Stainbrook. Wouldn't surprise me to see him on the All-State team as well. He is a terrific player that can score from all 3 levels. He is terrific at seeing the courty and finding the open man. Jamestown is getting a good one.

I think the region will go down this way:
1. NB - The big 3 of Cosley, Stainbrook and Johnson will be too much for a solid and strong Thompson team
2. Thompson - Love everything about how this team is coached and plays. They will be my pick in 2023/4.
3. HCV - Lost a lot of size from last years team but still has Jr, Brandt.
4 Mayville - This is my sleeper team this year. They have size and guards who can shoot the ball. There big guy, Koenig will be a load.

This is NB's worst team in the last 3 years in my opinion and they weren't able to get over the hump those other two years. Not having Johnson to do a lot of the dirty work will hurt more than most realize. Not saying they won't be good but I don't see them winning three games to make state...other teams in the region are much more balanced and have better depth. One injury and they might not finish in the top 5.

NB will be a great story this year - can Stainbrook and the two Cosely's pull that engine all the way? Foul trouble/injury will be a huge thing for that team. I tend to agree with you Defense, region II is typically strong and several teams will have far more depth.

[Region 1 Fan]

Region 3 Predictions

Coach of Year - L-HMB
AD of Year - LaMoure
Championship Game Prediction - LaMoure vs L-HMB - I like both teams and I think Linton has a chance to be really good. I'm going to have to take LaMoure - Like there style of play and they have 2 kids back from last years State Tourney Team (Ness and Musland)
Region 3 POY - Going with Ness on this one. I'm not real familiar with this Region so I expect I'm overlooking a couple of players that could very well be name POY.

I think South Border will be an intriguing team but might be another year away from being in top 3 conversation.

Predict LaMoure, L-HMB, Ellendale, E-K-M and South Border rounding out the top 5.

[packers21]

Region 3 Predictions

Coach of Year - L-HMB
AD of Year - LaMoure
Championship Game Prediction - LaMoure vs L-HMB - I like both teams and I think Linton has a chance to be really good. I'm going to have to take LaMoure - Like there style of play and they have 2 kids back from last years State Tourney Team (Ness and Musland)
Region 3 POY - Going with Ness on this one. I'm not real familiar with this Region so I expect I'm overlooking a couple of players that could very well be name POY.

I think South Border will be an intriguing team but might be another year away from being in top 3 conversation.

Predict LaMoure, L-HMB, Ellendale, E-K-M and South Border rounding out the top 5.

I think MPB will be in the region title discussion down there. They have 2 studs.

[Your daddy]

Oakes is returning all their starters. They'll be in the hunt for the region title. Last year they beat every team in district 6, except Medina Pingree and Thai game went to overtime. The region will come down to oakes and lamoure.

[BasketballMind]

Around the rest of the state, who are the top candidates for Region Player of the year?

Region 1: Kobbervig, Bakkegard, Bartholomay?
Region 2: Stainbrook
R3-R8: ?

[Region 1 Fan]

Around the rest of the state, who are the top candidates for Region Player of the year?

Region 1: Kobbervig, Bakkegard, Bartholomay?
Region 2: Stainbrook
R3-R8: ?

Region 3 - Ness
Region 4 - Grossman
Region 5 - Kerzman
Region 6 - Yale
Region 8 - Enget

The 9 kids listed here would make up a pretty strong team. Last year, Class B played the A schools very well at the Lions All-Star game. Class A is loaded this year. I'm guessing many of these boys (Class B) will make up the roster next summer as well. Class B has a lot of talent. Going to be a fun year!

[BasketballMind]

If your Region 4 pick is "Deng Deng" from FWM, he's a Junior.

[Region 1 Fan]

If your Region 4 pick is "Deng Deng" from FWM, he's a Junior.

Sorry. Yes, I knew that. My bad.

Region 3 - Ness
Region 4 - Grossman
Region 5 - Kerzman
Region 6 - Yale
Region 8 - Enget

[BasketballMind]

Anyone have any insights on Region 7? Is the Duffield kid from Bowman County a Junior or Senior?