Prospect Spotlight: Bereket Loer (2020)
A week ago, we took a look at high-scoring Wadena-Deer Creek senior, Noah Ross, who is currently leading the 6-6 Wolverines in scoring with over 20 PPG. After this season, Ross, along with six players currently in the W-DC rotation will be graduating, leaving quite a void for the team to fill.
Fortunately for head coach Kevin Tumberg, he will be returning his up-and-coming sophomore point guard, Bereket Loer, for the next two seasons.
“He is a very quick and athletic player. He has great court awareness and ball handling” says Tumberg when describing the 5’10” floor general. Asking Loer to describe what has made him successful this season, his answer was very similar to that of his coach, saying “My strengths as a basketball player is my quickness and my ability to shoot well. I also have good court awareness.”
The athleticism, quickness, and shooting ability were all on display earlier this season when watching Loer go head-to-head with a pair of very dynamic guards from Henning, Blake Wallevand and Sam Fisher. Loer was able to score in a variety of ways on his way to 17 points on the night, getting into the lane off the dribble and hitting the open three when the opportunity presented itself.
This season, Loer is averaging 13.6 PPG, 2.3 AST, 2.5 REB, and 2.1 STL per game for the Wolverines. He is shooting 54% from two, 33% from three, and 80% at the line. Those numbers look to be trending upwards for Loer, as he went for 24 points, including five makes from downtown, on Tuesday night in a 102-81 victory over Sebeka.
Coach Tumberg acknowledged that Loer’s scoring ability has taken a step forward this season, saying “He has become a better scoring threat for us this year and we will need him to continue doing that for us to be successful.”
While the improvement this season has been noticeable, Loer knows that there is always something to work on. “I have been working on ball handling and my defensive abilities. I’m also working on being a better playmaker and getting more assists.” An area of improvement that Tumberg sees, is one that is common for most younger players. “He needs to continue to get stronger and be more physical on the boards” says Tumberg.
Last summer, Loer and other players from the area formed a team that practiced a number of times, but only competed in one tournament. While their game action was limited, Loer says that “it was good to play [during the] offseason.”
As far as plans to play basketball collegiately after his high school career is done, Loer says that he is hoping to continue his playing career but hasn’t looked that far ahead yet.
Loer has done a nice job this season adding some scoring support to Noah Ross, but keep an eye on Loer the next couple of seasons when he becomes the featured weapon for the Wolverines. The future is bright for this sophomore point guard.
***Photo Credit: Wadena Pioneer Journal***