by baller01 » Thu Feb 01, 2007 3:22 pm
[font=Arial]Dufault, Cowboys riding high
[/font][font=Arial]By MICHAELWEBER
Bismarck Tribune[/font]
[font=Arial]In North Dakota boys basketball, the 6-foot-7 kids normally take up residence in the post.
At Killdeer, coach Rich Dufault likes to have his 6-foot-7 son, Austin, roam the perimeter.
And for good reason.
"Austin's the best perimeter shooter on the team," coach Dufault said. "Normally, you would use a player with that size on the inside, but we have capable post players and Austin's been a big help to us on the outside. As long as he's helping us out there, that's where we'll play him."
The younger Dufault's numbers back the coach's claim. As a sophomore last season, he connected on 47 of 109 3-point shots (43 percent), while averaging 14.6 points per game. This season, he's netted 28 of 66 shots from 3-point land - a 44 percent accuracy.
Dufault has shown that he can rack up points on a variety of shots, but to him there's nothing quite like sinking one from beyond the arc.
"It's the kind of shot that gets everybody fired up when you make it," Dufault said. "I started shooting threes way back when I was in grade school. ... I liked it because I thought it was pretty cool and I just kept working on it every year. It's a shot that can make a big difference in a game. You shoot well from out there and you're really going to help your team."
Dufault has been a big help to the Cowboys this season. He's averaging 21 points, eight rebounds and two steals per game while shooting 58 percent from the floor and 80 percent from the free-throw line.
Dufault's ballhandling and passing skills also make him a valuable commodity. He's an effective press-breaker, and he has 60 assists.
His contributions have helped the Cowboys to a 13-1 overall record and a No. 2 ranking in the Class B poll behind Lisbon.
"Austin's stepped up every part of his game and that's the result of all the hard work he put in during the offseason," said coach Dufault, who has won 153 games at Killdeer. "He knew that if he made himself better, the team would be better."
Dufault's all-around abilities have allowed coach Dufault to use him anywhere on the court. The same can be said of senior guard Jacob Wheeling, who is in his fourth year as a starter. Wheeling's numbers mirror Dufault's. Almost. He's averaging 22 points, is shooting 53 percent from the floor and 78 percent from the charity stripe and like Dufault, has 60 assists.
Dufault and Wheeling have been 1-2 punching opponents all season. They've scored in double figures in each of Killdeer's 14 games. They've combined for 19 20-point games and only once have they been more than eight points apart.
"They've become quite a tandem," coach Dufault said. "What's impressive is they've drawn a lot of the defensive pressure and yet, they've produced big numbers night after night. Again, that's the result of hard work."
Wheeling, who went over the 1,500 mark in career points last week, played point guard last season and averaged 20 points and five assists despite knee problems.
Wheeling is healthy this season and the emergence of junior point guard Michael Wagner - who leads the team with 90 assists - is giving him more opportunities to shoot the ball.
"Mike stepped in late last year and did a nice job for us," coach Dufault said. "That's made a difference because Jacob no longer has to be concerned about setting up the offense and getting the ball into the hands of the scorers. Now he's free to do more offensively and he's making the most of it."
Taking care of business inside are posts Allias Fredericks and Zach Gaugler. Fredericks is averaging seven points and four rebounds, while Gaugler, a 6-foot-3, 220-pounder, is collecting an average of 5.5 rebounds.
"Neither one of our posts played a lot of varsity last year, but they're coming along really well scoring, rebounding and playing defense," Dufault said. "Everybody on this team knows his role and if we all continue to improve, we think we're going to be tough to beat at tournament time. We're in a tough district and region and it'll all come down to team effort."
The Cowboys are 1-1 in District 14, which also includes No. 3 Hazen, No. 7 Beulah, No. 9 Dickinson Trinity and Richardton-Taylor. Hazen, Beulah and Trinity all are 2-1 and Richardton-Taylor is 1-1. Each of the five teams has at least 10 wins overall and are a combined 57-9. They've beaten each other seven times.
Killdeer is bracing itself for three district games in eight days, beginning tonight at Beulah. The Cowboys host Richardton-Taylor next Tuesday and Trinity next Thursday.
All of the games are important for district tournament seedings, but coach Dufault said seeding probably won't matter this time.
"I think there are five teams capable of winning the tournament," he said. "It's so close, so even ... I don't think it will matter much where you're seeded because every draw will be a tough one. The sad thing is one, maybe two of those teams won't make it to the regional.
"But it would still be good to win those games because of what it would do for our confidence," he continued. "The main thing is finding out where we're at and what we need to do to better prepare ourselves for the postseason."
The Cowboys, whose only loss was to Hazen - 75-62 on Jan. 9, met Richardton-Taylor and Trinity in non-district action at the Roughrider Tournament in December. They defeated Richardton-Taylor 68-59 and Trinity 51-42.
"Beating those teams at the Roughrider was great, but we've got some tough games ahead of us. ... Everybody will be ready to give it their all," Dufault said. "It'll be fun, though. Those are the games you look forward to playing."
What is everyones take on him? He is definately one of the top players in the state IMO. How many 6'7" kids can shoot the ball like that. Is Dufault-Wheeling the best 1-2 combo in the state?[/font]
Last edited by
baller01 on Thu Feb 01, 2007 3:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Winning isn't everything--but wanting to win is. -Vince Lombardi