North Dakota Preps

It is only fair to me that there should be an exhibition game between Four Winds & Devils Lake, It would put an end to it!

It would be difficult to sanction this game in any way.  I could see it as a pick up game on Saturday afternoon at some location where the players were invited to participate.  Coaches would volunteer.  Details would have to be worked out by someone willing to make connections and have a determined attitude.  The gym would probably have to be rented and donations would be the only charge for the fans.  First to pay for the gym, then given to a local charity, benefitting people from the whole area.

Just my thoughts.

Those dang sanctions Huh!

Four Winds is a good team but I dont see them beating Devils Lake if they would play each other this year.

They have beat them in Team Camps this past summer!!!

It's a summer team camp!!  It's not like they run they're set offense and defenses in summer team camps anyway.  Believe me I use to play high school basketball and in summer camps its not close to what the actual regular season is. Even Center-Stanton beat BHS at summer camps!

 

Devils Lake is the total package.  No one could remotely contain Mertens. Littlewind and Ironheart just don't have the firepower in comparison to Lundon,Mertens,Hunt, jeez even BJ Mertens and Lagein.  I am sorry, but I do not think Four Winds could beat Valley City.

Obviously you have not seen Ironheart or Littlewind play too often, they have been chewing up class "A" guards and spitting them out for 3 years, aside from Travis Mertens, Devils Lake does not present mismatches for 4 winds, on the other hand 4 winds presents plenty of mismatches for Devils Lake's average guards.  There is no point in discrediting 4 winds by comparing them to Devils Lake's JV players, it shows no class and shows a complete ignorance as to the talent and skill of the 4 winds players. 

2 great programs with great kids and it would make for an exciting, entertaining game that would be remembered for years to come.  Lets not forget that these 2 teams have a good relationship with each from Coach Gregory and Coach Smith's relationship dating back to Gregory's Dakota Prairie days, there is much love and respect, to the players themselves participating in many tournaments put on out at 4 winds. 

Talk about a no brain fundraising activity, this event would pack the Sports Center to the roof, and would bring in more money than any car wash or snow cone sale or any spaghetti feed at the KC's. 

Its not the Class A, B thing its 2 great programs, 13 miles apart probably wondering themselves what might happen, because noone can say for sure until it all goes down.  We can speculate all we want but until it happens, thats exactly what it is speculation.

4 Winds vs. Devils Lake (exhibition for charity) maybe to send funds to hurricane Katrina victims or for local school programs etc..... there are endless ways to make this happen, its up to the community and leaders of those communities to open their eyes to unique opportunities like this because who knows when these two programs are going to be as hot as they are right now.

The Natural

4 Winds Indians Hoops Fan wrote:Its not the Class A, B thing its 2 great programs, 13 miles apart probably wondering themselves what might happen, because noone can say for sure until it all goes down.  We can speculate all we want but until it happens, thats exactly what it is speculation.

That is the best point yet! It's like Duke/Carolina. Get this done! Why can't it be the opening exhibition game for each team and raise some money for whatever cause is designated appropriate. This is awesome baby! </end dude Vitale voice>

*Edit, spelt Dicky V's name wrong*

Any one know what Belcourts record is this year?  The reason I ask is FW played them and beat them by 15.  So you could get a good idea of how they would fair against a class A school. 

5-14

Not like it matters. Being class A doesnt give you some special team. Being class A is because your enrollment is higher and fits into that Class.

I dont see 4 Winds beating DL. Never happen. Take Mertens, Hunt or Lundon away from DL and you might be close to beating them. There is just too much firepower with DL and 4Winds would have nothing to do to stop DL's inside game. You could feed Mertens the ball on the block all day long and he would score.

It's true 4 winds would have trouble matching up with DL on defense but I know DL would have trouble with 4 wind's offense.  They average over 80 points per game and have hit 100+ 3 times this year.   JL 

Native golfer are you serious? 100+ points against a Harvey or a Maddock is not a big accomplishment. Im not sure on their records, but i dont think the two combined had 10 wins.

I have stayed out of this one, but I have to jump in now. 

Just because you can score 100 points against a team does not mean you can beat a team like DL.  From what I can see those 100 point games are against towns that programs are down.  Some of those teams would have trouble beating a JV. 

Now, I am not from that area, but I will tell you what I do know.  I have watched Dickinson Trinity, Bowman, PBK, Glenn Ullin and Watford City play this year.  There are so many times that some of these teams, mainly Trinity, Bowman, and PBK could have scored 100 + points but they put their JV's in in the second half and pull their full court presses off after the first quarter!!!  Anyone can press a weaker team for 3 and 1/2 quarters and score 100.   The difference between Four Winds and some of the other top teams is defense.  Bowman, Trinity, PBK, and others all beat teams 75 to 25, not 100 to 50.  They hold teams down.  I know someone is going to write back and say that FW plays great defense and blah blah blah and that is their opinion.  We will find out come state tourny time who has the best ALL AROUND TEAM!

Four Winds will win their region, and they are a very good team, don't get me wrong.  BUT...they could not beat a class A team, and they will NOT win the State Tourny.  There are just to many good defensive teams out there that can not only put up points, but play D and execute in ALL PHASES Of the GAME!!

I am a huge class B basketball guy, but I am not even foolish enough to believe that class B is going to win over class A.  It is just not going to happen.  Maybe once every 10 years you will get that GREAT class B team.  Examples:  Trinity's state title team two years ago.  The Mayport Teams of the late 90's.  But if you take the Class B state champ each year and put them up against the Class A champ. The class A champ will win 80% of the time, simply because they are bigger, can put 5 strong players on the court, and are much deeper because of their numbers.  Most class B team's have bench guys that play big minutes that would struggle to make the team in class A.  And that is even the good teams.  It is just a numbers thing!


Once again, I give Four Winds Credit, they are undefeated and deserve all the credit in the world.  They have a nice program.    I hope to see them on TV in March.  But can we please put an end to this one.  Anyone who knows hoops knows you just cannot compare Class A and Class B, it is like Apples and Oranges in many aspects, and this is coming from a HUGE CLASS B FAN :)

I could not have said that any better REBEL.  Hats off to a true basketball fan!!!!!

Very well put indeed Rebel!

I was at the Four Winds game yesterday and they were up by more than 50 half way through the 3rd quarter but they were disrespectful enough to keep the press on until about 2 minutes left in the game. I mean who does that. I hope that teams remember this so when the tables are turned and Four Winds has a down year, that they will absolutely keep running it down FW's throat until they can't take it anymore. 

Also it would be fun for D-Town to play Four Winds, and when D-Town is up by 30 going into the fourth they would put the bench in and stop the press. Showing them the sportsmanship of a good team

Even if DL would play 4 Winds, their weak district and schedule would come back to haunt them.   DL would beat Four Winds by double digits.

Waaa Waaa Waaa, its playoff basketball right now and you don't pull back the reigns when your team is rolling like a freight train, this is the style of the game, some people like to walk the ball up the court and point fingers in the air and call out "Omaha" or "Kansas" and pass the ball around until about 80% of the crowd is taking a nap........ Well I'm sorry to tell you that it is a difference in style of play, these guys don't operate that way, they see an opponent in front of them and they dominate them leaving no questions whatsoever as to who is the best team at the time. 

Typical North Dakota cry babies trying to preach about sportsmanship and disrespect, how about applauding a team that put on a brilliant dominating performance.  And trust me, 4 winds has had a few down years and every chance a team gets they try to run it down our throat also, just so happens that is a very rare occasion these days because of a group of athletes who refuse to lose.

So if you wanna whine about the domination go ahead but trust me you will be recieved with plenty of rolling eyes and heads shaking wondering who cries about that stuff anymore, high school basketball is highly competitive and wiping out a team the way 4 winds did against Maddock is not running it up, it is sending a message that we are for real, we deserve to be here and in the words of Big Shelds if you can't hang with the big dogs, stay off the porch.  I'm out.

The Natural

well that crap is the kind of stuff they pull up there.  It has always been like that.

P.S. Basketball is a classy sport, and it is not respectful or dignified to run up the score no matter what time on the year it is. There is an unwritten set of rules you should abide by in this sport.

One other thing, how come nobody is talking about the 36 points that 4 winds held their opponent to, anytime you hold a high school team to less than 50 points no matter who they are or if their players where hunting socks and moon boots on the court, it is a great defensive effort so stop concentrating on any negative aspect of 4 winds' program and just enjoy the show!!!!!!!!!!!!  Peace.

The Natural

They played MADDOCK? In all honesty, when is the last time Maddock actually had a decent team. Give up? So do I. 36 points is probably one of their higher point totals of the year. I dont remember ever getting beat by 4 winds in high school, and yet I dont recall running up the score when we very well could have.

I'm not disrespecting Four Winds, personally I like to watch them play. I'm just saying if your up 70 why press with your starters, thats all. You don't want to turn into the hated Fargo South of class A, do you?

Someone give ndbb a tissue, obviously feelings have been hurt and irreparable damage has been done to the game of basketball because of a blowout between 2 teams that could not have had any other outcome, tell it to a school counselor or something, someone who will share your ideas of what "class" is and share your sympathy for every team that gets worked, but don't embarass yourself and try to paint a picture of 4 winds being the bad guys, these kids have overcome a lot of things in their lives to get where they are right now, and for someone like you to say they have no class is not going to be tolerated, they are good kids, they have a great coach who is a nice guy and you won't get away with discrediting them because they put on a clinic. 

You are ignorant at best if you think high school sports isn't about the spirit of competition, gaining an edge, displaying your talented youngsters, encouraging them to play at the highest level possible and doing it in a manner that is tasteful.  If you don't understand that on a given day any single team in ND could drop 100 on Maddock, its just the facts of life, if you can't handle it then talk to your congressmen or something but don't bring weak accusations to a high quality program that has a lot of pride in their kids and community cause you'll get shot down with the ferociousness of a Chuck Norris Spinning Jump Kick.

The Natural