MN AAU All Tournament & What ever Happened to...

#1 posting 2.27.2006
Your Daily Dose of Girls Basketball News & Information

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO 1997 MN 15U CHAMPS?
This was my team I coached. It was the second year that we had the core group together. The program's name was Power Play. The other teams out there were North Tartan and Blizzard. In the state tournament that year we opened with Lady Slippers and beat them 75-23; Next were Lakers Blue 70-46; South Metro Green was next with a 90-51 beating. All these games we were playing without Tanisha Gilbert, who hurt her knee in the first few minutes of the first game. In the semis we beat Forest Lake 79-48. We actually were only up by a few in the second half when I inserted Gilbert into the line up. Her appearance lifted a lethargic team into inspired play. In the championship we beat Blizzard 77-67. We trailed at halftime 30-28, again Gilbert came into the second half and that got us going. If we use the 63 possession margin that is pretty much the standard for this year's AAU season that means we were scoring at a 122.2 pp100 in the championship game. If we use the 70 possession margin, which I haven't seen this season at AAU, we are at 110.0 pp100. Floor % numbers at 63 possessions: .603; and at 70 possessions .543.

NUMBERS EXPLAINED

At nationals in Shreveport we opened with the NY Liberty Belles. We trailed in the second half by 17, but we came back led by Jenny Johnson's 19 second half points to tie it. Tanisha Gilbert, on one gimpy knee, blocked a game winner lay up as she sent the ball into the third row. We won in overtime 69-67. After that game we sent an assistant coach and Jill Kalvik to the hospital for fluids. We lost the next game to Houston Hoops 65-55. In the third game in pool play we beat Indiana Shooting Heat 62-54. That advanced us to the bracket play. We lost to MD Hurricanes 66-56. One more loss and we were headed home. We next faced a Tennessee team and fell behind by 17 again, this time in the first half. We did come back again with Alsdurf ripping the twine for 20. We won in overtime 84-81. Our next game was later in the afternoon and we were sent to a steamy, non air conditioned gym against Western PA. We were beat 73-57. My kids were drained. We subbed frequently. Our tanks were on empty. They had left too much on the floor in the morning game.

1997 AAU 15U what happened to the players on that team?
Name, HS, College
Tanisha Gilbert, Champlin Park, Minnesota, Winona State emotional leader
Savannah Martens, Mpls North, dnp one of my traveling kids
Kate Townley, Cretin-Derham Hall, Binghamton magician with the ball, another of my traveling kids
Jenny Johnson, St. Louis Park, Winona State 3 pointer, quick feet and hands
Kate Waddick, Holy Angels, dnp another traveling kid that had a knee injury
Becky Moen, Morris, North Dakota a blind pick using my number system. I had Townley's dad make the sale. She was a wonderful athlete (volleyball, high jumper) baseline slasher, good at the line.
Jill Kalvik, Mpls North, Concordia St. Paul great footwork, great defender
Angie Grabowski, Maple Grove, Carleton knew her from Osseo camps, hard nosed competitor
Jennifer Hughes, Cooper, dnp rough life outside of basketball, fearless between the lines, many floor burns, street fighter.
Hana Peljto, Osseo, Harvard European skilled, good leaper, eager to learn, and try things. Good skills
Chanel Thomas, Trinity/Minnehaha, High Point bulldog in the paint. Nobody was going to mess with her. She had your back
Katie Doerr, LeSueur-Henderson, MSU Moorhead another of my blind picks with the number system. another player with good quickness inside.
Katie Alsdurf, Forest Lake, Marquette/Minnesota a pick up from the Forest Lake team we beat in the semis. great 3 point bomber.

These players were All Conference at some point in College in their career
Gilbert, Townley, Johnson, Moen, Grabowski, Peljto, Doerr (7/12).
Moen was second team All American.
Peljto was academic All American at Harvard.
Kalvik was All American in Volleyball at Concordia STP and also started for the basketball team there.
8 of the 12 made it to the state tournament. 4 won state titles (Martens & Kalvik at North; Townley at CDH; Peljto at Osseo). 3 were up for Miss Basketball (Peljto, Townley, Alsdurf).

I did not coach them the next season (1998) because Peljto was at Osseo, and I was coaching there at the time. That team was divided up into three teams.

AAU ROSTERS

MN AAU ALL TOURNAMENT
I only am rating players I saw. If the player had an off game, or I didn't see her, they don't get ranked. Bold indicates MVP. The 16s will include games from the Qualifier as well.
player, HS, AAU team
14s
Kara Elofson, Breck, MN Metro Stars
Katie Loberg, Princeton, North Tartan
Cassie Rochel, Lakeville North, Lakeville North
Kaiya Sygulla, Lakeville North, Lakeville North
Megan Waytashek, Centennial, MN Stars
Honorable Mention
Emily Dosmann, Rogers, Summit
Briana Tisch, Chaska, MN Metro Stars
15s
Tayler Hill, Minneapolis South, NC Heat
Hannah Linz, Eden Valley-Watkins, North Tartan
Brianna Mastey, Becker, MN Stars Schmitz
Carolyn Mobley, North St. Paul, Total Package
Theairra Taylor, St. Paul Como Park, Total Package
Honorable Mention
Jessie Althoff, Becker, MN Stars Antl
Jaime Birr, Holy Angels, North Tartan
Nicole Mastey, Becker, MN Stars Schmitz
Rey Robinson, Bekcer, MN Stars Antl
Brea Tinney, Osceola, WI, MN Stars Antl
Carly Rothfuz, Eden Prairie, 43 Hoops Lady Elite

16s
First Team
Kachine Alexander, Benilde-St. Margaret's, Triple Threat
Courtney Boylan, Chaska, MN Metro Stars
Angel Robinson, St. Paul Central, MN Stars
Caitlin Rowland, Hopkins, North Tartan
Janessa Wolf, Park Rapids, North Tartan
Second Team
Alyssa Karel, Cretin-Derham Hall, North Tartan
Macie Michelson, Marshall, North Tartan
Elle Queen, Minnetonka, MN Metro Stars
Patrice Thomas, Minneapolis Washburn, Triple Threat
Honorable Mention
Maggie Bauernfiend, Rosemount, Storm
Kiara Buford, St. Paul Central, Triple Threat
Amy Kallemyen, Edgerton, MN Stars
Jackie Kelly, Blaine, North Tartan Blue
Tera Steinbauer, North Tartan
Jenny Theisen, Champlin Park, MN Metro Stars
Tessa Wilka, Sioux Falls O'Gorman, MN Stars

COACHING NEWS
IA
Todd Tidgren has been hired as the new coach in Carroll. He coached the last 14 years at Maurice-Orange City-Floyd Valley. Here is more from the News in Carroll site.
MN
Lynn Dalhed has been hired at Apple Valley. She is the coach of the 14u state champs MN Metro Stars. Dalhed graduated from AV in 1998, and Luther in 2002

COACHING OPENINGS

VERBALS

CORRECTION
Minnesota has NOT hired yet for the assistant position. The information posted early was wrong and has been taken down.

Sorry this was late. I was out honoring my relatives in Western Minnesota for Memorial Day. When I got back home I wrote an hours worth of story only to lose it all. Thanks for your patience.

Next up: tomorrow after I return from the Menomonie, Wisconsin Memorial Day Shoot out