Who’s doing what in the Northern Sun?
We’re going to do something a little different today. We’re not going to make any forecasts, because the NSIC coaches have already spoken, and they would know. So, just for the record, here’s what they said.
South
1. Augustana (#3 overall) 2. Wayne State (#4) 3. Winona State (#5) 4. Concordia St. Paul (#6) 5. MN Mankato (#7) 6. Sioux Falls (#10) 7. SW State (#12) 8. Upper Iowa (#15) |
North
1. MN Moorhead (#1 overall) 2. Northern State (#2) 3. UMD (#8) 4. Mary (#9) 5. St. Cloud (#11) 6. UMC (#13) 7. Bemidji (#14) 8. Minot (#16) |
So, that’s that. Now, as I surveyed the coaches poll and all 16 of these rosters, here’s what really struck me. And, that is, how little established senior talent there is in the NSIC this year from the state of Minnesota. Here is what I would call established senior talent going into 2017-2018 in the NSIC.
1. Jill Conrad, 5-11, center-power forward, Northern (Centennial), 15 ppg
The takeaway here would have to be that the toughest, most hard-nosed player has the best chance for success. If Northern proves to be the #2 team in the NSIC, it will be due to Jill Conrad more than any other Northern player, though there are other good ones including senior Alexis Tappe from Frazee (7 ppg). Conrad was #34 in our 2014 rankings and the #5-rated player to go to the NSIC, so she just keeps raising her stock.
2. Drew Sannes, 6-3, power forward, Moorhead State (Hawley), 15 ppg
Sannes has a lot more help than Conrad, mainly from 5-11 senior Cassidy Thorson from West Fargo and 5-9 junior point guard Jacky Volkert from Mounds View (13 ppg). Sannes was not rated in our 2014 ratings. I remember seeing her for the 1st time in the coach’s all-star game after our final ratings came out.
3. Claire Ziegler, 6-0, point guard, MN Mankato (Manksto East), 8 ppg
Ziegler doesn’t have enough help, though senior forward Mackenzie Dahl (Minnetonka) is on board. Ziegler was #39 in our 2014 ratings and #8 among NSIC-bound seniors.
4. Michaela Noga, 5-7, point guard, UM Crookston (Parkers Prairie), 8.5 ppg
Noga runs the show for coach Mike Roysland. She was #63 and #13 among NSIC-bound players.
5. Amanda Christianson, 6-0, shooting guard, St. Cloud State (Alexandria), 11 ppg
She was #44 in our ratings, and #9 among the NSIC-bound.
6. Sierra Senske, 6-2, power forward, Bemidji State (Dilworth-GF), 12 ppg
Senske was not rated in our 2014 ratings.
7. Taylor Holicky, 6-0, post, SW State (Cleveland), 7 ppg
Was #105 and #17 among 2014s bound for the NSIC.
8. Kyrah Fredenburg, 5-11, forward, Concordia St. Paul (Anoka), 5 ppg
A hustle player whose value is only hinted at by her scoring numbers. Unfortuantely, she went down with a knee injury the other night. Presumably, she will get an extra year of eligibility and be back on the court in 2018-2019. Was #38 and #7 in 2014.
9. Emily Gruber, 5-11, forward, UM Crookston, 6 ppg;
Those great Monti teams were not only Grace Sawatzke, but we only had Gruber rated at #97 (#15 among the NSIC-bound).
10. Anna Monke, 6-0, post-power forward, UMD (Fergus Falls), 4.5 ppg
We had Anna at #26 and #1 among the NSIC-bound.
Also Among Our Top 10
Also among our top 10 NSIC-bound seniors back in 2014 were:
• Rayna Sherow, 6-2, post-power forward, UMD (St. Paul Central). #29 and #3, and no longer with UMD.
• Chelsea Guetter, 5-11, forward, Augustana (Wabasso). #32 and #4, now at St. Ben’s.
• Ayo Porte, 5-10, wing, UMD (Osseo). #48 and #9, scored 2 ppg at UMD last year.
• Hadyn Becker, 5-11, combo guard, Sioux Falls (Andover), #50 and #10, now also at CSP.
Next were Jasmin Bretoi, Wayne State and Centennial, now at Bethel; and Mackenzie Dahl, Sioux Falls and Minnetonka, now at Mankato.
5 other 2014s have missed time with injuries, transfers and/or redshirts and are listed as juniors. They are:
• Gabby Laimer, 5-6, guard, Northern, 8 ppg (Monticello).
• Lexi Lee, 5-7, shooting guard, MN Mankato (Maranatha), now at CSP.
• Kayla Miller, 5-9, combo guard, CSP (Pequot Lakes).
• Issy Odor, 6-0, center-forward, UMC (Kennedy).
• Mackenzie Uter, 5-6, guard, still at St. Cloud (Howard Lake).
So, that’s a total of 21 Minnesotans from the class of 2014 who committed to NSIC schools at the time. 15 of them are still at their original commit, while 2 others have transferred within the conferences. I think it’s fair to say that 13 of them will have important roles with their teams this coming year. I started out by saying that it seemed that there was a dearth of Minnesota seniors in crucial roles in the NSIC. Is 13 so bad?
No, it’s not. By way of comparison, I would say that 9 of 24 Minnesotans out of the class of 2015 (juniors in college now if they’ve avoided injuries and redshirts and the like) are in key roles for their teams. Of course, more of them could earn such roles by the time they, too, become seniors. But, for now, the tent-poles—the players who help hold up the tent so everybody else can crowd under it—are point guards Anna Schmidt, 5-7, CSP (Waconia) and Jacky Volkert, 5-9, Moorhead (Mounds View).
Meanwhile, about 22 Minnesotans committed to the NSIC in 2016. Only 12 remain with their original team. The tent-poles among this group would appear to be Megan Hintz, 6-2, post, Moorhead State (Dover-Eyota, ) and maybe Caleigh Rodning, 5-11, power forward, SW State (Shakopee) and Kassidi Steen, 6-1, power forward, St. Cloud (Cloquet).
Finally, the 2017s, now freshmen in college, are a big, big group of 40 women, so there is a lot of upside for a strong cohort moving through over the next 4 years. Right now the Minnesotans who are already grabbing tent-poles and hoisting them into the air for their team are, first and foremost, Allie Pickrain, 5-9, combo guard, Winona (Eastview) and Tori Wortz, 5-8, shooting guard, St. Cloud (Hutch). Just behind them are Sadie Stelter, 5-9, point guard (Lakeview) and Erin Baxter, 6-0, forward (Apple Valley), both of SW State.
All-NSIC (Minnesotans only)
Center—Jill Conrad, 5-11, senior, Northern, 15 ppg (Centennial)
Power Forward—Caleigh Rodning, 5-11, sophomore, SW State, 9 ppg (Shakopee)
Small Forward—Drew Sannes, 6-3, senior, Moorhead State, 15 ppg (Hawley)
Point Guard—Anna Schmidt, 5-7, junior, CSP, 18 ppg (Laconia). Schmidt's success is no surprise, of course. We had her at #10 in her class, making her the highest-rated player to go to the NSIC these past 4 years by a comfortable margin.
Shooting Guard—Allie Pickrain, 5-9, freshman, Winona State, 17 ppg (this year), (Eastview)
2nd Team
Center—Megan Hintz, 6-2, sophomore, Moorhead State, 8 ppg (Dover-Eyota)
Power Forward—Kassidi Steen, 6-1, sophomore, St. Cloud, 8 ppg (Cloquet)
Small Forward—Liz Evenocheck, 5-11, junior, 9.5 ppg (Rosemount)
Point Guard—Jacky Volkert, 5-9, junior, Moorhead State, 13 ppg (Mounds View)
Shooting Guard—Tori Wortz, 5-8, freshman, St. Cloud, 18 ppg (this year), (Hutch)