Monday was day 1 of high school practice in Minnesota
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The first day of practice is always a big deal for players and coaches as they embark on another high school basketball season. This year, however, there is a whole different level of excitement. After a long delay, Monday marked the first day that high schools across Minnesota could practice. Everyone we talked to afterwards was thrilled to be back at it.
“It was great to hear basketballs bouncing in the gyms again!” said Kasson-Mantorville coach Ryan Haraldson. “The kids were just grateful to be back with their friends playing a game they love. Depending on their hybrid schedule some of the kids don’t see each other in school so basketball is the only time they see them.”
“It went really well,” said Perham coach T.J. Super. “We have a great group of girls that are willing to work so it makes it fun! With the long layoff a huge focus will be on getting in game shape and doing skill work, but the girls attacked the day. We have great senior leaders and upperclassmen who are focused and some younger girls that are hungry. It makes for a good atmosphere in practice.”
“It was a whirlwind practice that went by super fast, but it was so much fun,” said Andover coach Blake Nicols, who emphasized that what mattered most was the kids being able to be together again. “100 percent! What they missed the most was each other.”
The players agreed. “It was so great to be back in the gym with my teammates and coaches!” said junior Madison Mathiowetz Madison Mathiowetz 5'10" | CG Sleepy Eye St. Mary's | 2022 State MN of St. Mary’s School in Sleepy Eye. “There was a nice feeling of normalcy being able to get back playing in a gym full of teammates hyping each other up.”
Not much time to prepare
One of the challenges all of the players and coaches will face is the lack of preparation time. Yesterday was the first day of practice; next Thursday, Dec. 14 will be the first games. Everyone’s approach to that challenge is a little different. Some teams focused more on conditioning on day one, others emphasized new plays or systems, and some just got back to the basics. “We worked on fundamentals, especially ball-handling drills and footwork,” Mathiowetz said. “We did a good amount of defensive and conditioning drills, too. Coach used today to get us back in the groove of playing together, too, and we played some 5-on-5 to end practice.”
The time frame to prepare for opening day is especially short for coaches who are new to their programs. That’s a rather lengthy list that includes the likes of Ryan Martin at Rockford, Demondi Johnson at Prior Lake, Chris Bjorgaard at Orono, Patrick Bowlin at Rogers, Ashley Ellis-Milan at East Ridge, Mary Dengerud at Totino-Grace, and more. Tanysha Scott, who won a state championship at DeLaSalle, is taking on a new challenge this year at Roseville. She was pleased with her first Raiders practice.
“The girls were great today. Everyone showed up ready to go with good energy from the start,” Scott said. “With this being my first time on the court with them, the juniors and seniors really impressed the coaches with their knowledge and ability to take on a lot of the new things we did today. One thing that is great for me is this group has had a really good coach before me. Coach (Jeff) Crosby had a lot of the same principles, especially on the defensive side, so the girls have been able to catch on really quick to what we are trying to implement in such a short time.”
The elephant in the room
One thing everyone had to deal with at practice was a rather large elephant in the room. That would be the mandate from the Minnesota State High School League that all players wear masks this season to help curtail the spread of the COVID-19 virus which is, of course, the reason why the season was delayed by two months. There’s no escaping the fact that it’s going to be an adjustment.
“It was hard,” said coach Leah Dasovich of Minnetonka, who had more than 50 girls trying out on Monday in spite of the COVID issues and mask restrictions. “The masks make it tough, but the girls are really resilient.”
“Of course, the masks are a big story and it is not fun wearing them,” said coach Super in Perham. “The girls would agree that while they’re running it’s a nuisance. But we’re happy to be playing and everyone is in the same situation so we’ll roll with it”.
“The kids adjusted very well,” said Haraldson, whose team opens play Jan. 15 against Zumbrota-Mazeppa. “There was some heavy breathing, but I think that had more to do with being out of shape and not having been in a gym for a while and not because of the masks.”
Beyond the challenges of adapting to restricted breathing, the other issue is communication.
“I emphasize communication really heavily in week one and that’s compromised somewhat,” said Dasovich, whose Skippers begin play Jan. 14 against Hill-Murray.
Super agreed: “It made it interesting as a coach trying to communicate and the players will struggle with that, too,” he said. “In fact, our number one defensive emphasis today was communication rather than positioning, hands, or vision.”
“It could be a lot worse. We’re just happy to be playing,” said Mathiowetz, whose squad opens its season Dec. 15 at Wabasso. “But sometimes getting a good breath in was super difficult. The other thing I noticed was when we were playing it is a lot harder to communicate with each other using facial expressions and things like that. I hadn’t thought of that until now.”
Andover coach Nicols, whose team will play its first game Jan. 14 against Blaine, said the primary adjustment for coaches will be to have patience with the situation. “The kids competed and they didn’t complain,” he said. “Coaches who say the masks aren’t an issue are lying, but coaches who say the kids can’t play with them are flat out wrong. It’s a challenge and an obstacle but certainly something they can push through. Coaches just need to be patient and give grace.”
Everyone has known for some time that the masks were likely going to be required. Some players got a jump on the adjustment period by wearing masks over the past couple of weeks while in the gym for individual workouts. “It was tough for most of the players,” Hastings junior Lilly Nuytten Lilly Nuytten 6'1" | PF Hastings | 2022 State MN said of her team’s practice on Monday. “Most of the time it falls down or isn’t over the nose. But I’d say it helps a bit that I’ve been training with one for a while so I have just gotten used to it being there.”
Unfinished business
With the way the season ended last spring, a lot of teams entered Monday’s first practice feeling like they have unfinished business to deal with. That would be true for Becker and Farmington, two teams that were poised to play in the state championship game of their respective divisions. The situation is similar for Duluth Marshall.
“The kids were so excited to be on the court and around their friends, all trying to accomplish the same goal,” said coach C.J. Osuchukwu. “The first day went great. We have eight new kids this year in grades 7 to 9 so the future looks bright.”
That’s a lot of new kids to integrate while coping at the same time with the graduation of standout senior Grace Kirk (Brown University). “We’re really just focusing on the things we can control and being very competitive at all times,” CJ said, while admitting that the unfinished business was also a subject of discussion. “Yes, we talked about that a little, about not living in the past. We still have something to prove, and we want to win the whole thing if we have a state tournament.”
Perham coach Super is just excited to get going. The last time his Yellowjackets were on the floor prior to Monday was the final game of fall league when talented sophomore guard Mya Morris Mya Morris 5'7" | PG Perham | 2023 State MN knocked down 10 three-pointers – yes 10! – against Barnesville. That would be enough of a teaser to get any coach amped up about the season. “I think,” he said, “that she’s going to have a breakout year for us.”
One player who isn’t sticking around
One player who wasn’t at practice Monday is senior Katie Borowicz Katie Borowicz 5'6" | PG Roseau | 2021 State MN of Roseau, who has been one of the state’s premier players for the past five years and won a state championship along the way. The 5’6 guard, who is the #4 player in the Prep Girls Hoops class of 2021, has elected to forego her senior year. Borowicz graduated in December and has chosen to attend the University of Minnesota now. She was in uniform Sunday when the Gophers won at Wisconsin.
“It was difficult to leave my high school career unfinished, but the uncertainty of this year is what helped me make my decision,” said Borowicz. “COVID-19 has changed a lot of aspects of not only my life, but everyone’s lives. There were a lot of variables to consider but ultimately I knew it would give me the greatest chance to become a better basketball player.”
Top photo: It was day one of practice in Owatonna Monday as the Huskies prepared for their first game of the season Jan. 14 at Mankato East. (Courtesy photo)