2018: ND Class B Region 7 Preview, Dickinson Trinity
Dickinson Trinity fans walked out of Hazen gym after the Region 7 championship with a bad taste in their mouths. It was the taste of a double-overtime loss and missed a chance at the state tournament. This year they’ll be trying to avoid another sour ending.
Dickinson Trinity head coach Gregg Grinsteinner said last season was an up and down season all the way through.
“It was kind of up and down. There was a lot of roller coaster stuff during the first half of the year,” Grinsteinner said. “When we lost Noah we had to basically re-define ourselves. I thought our kids really bought in. “
“That’s when so many other kids really started to step up; Matt Stafford, Isaac Fridrich, Seth Herner. Those guys didn’t get a lot of minutes early on then toward the postseason those guys came in and did some nice things for us. “
Stafford is a 6-1 junior who can go inside or outside, Fridrich is a 6-3 all-state defensive tackle with a nice jumper who loves to bang inside and Herner is a smart defender with long arms. Grinsteinner is happy to have the trio back this year but said his team will be young this year.
“We knew we had a solid core coming back, we graduated 7 seniors and this year we only have 3. So, a lot of younger kids are going to be counted on to step in and play. Right now on our varsity roster, we have 3, seniors, 3 juniors and 3 sophomores,” Grinnsteiner said.
Playing Style
Trinity has a good mix of skill sets but Grinsteinner loves this team’s overall basketball IQ. They make the smart play and understand what the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses are.
“We’re not going to change what we’ve been doing. I think this group has a very high basketball IQ. We’re probably a month ahead of where we normally are. A lot of credit goes to those guys. They really understand the game and we are able to do a lot more switching,” Grinsteinner said.
In terms of strategy, Grinsteinner said this year’s team will be able to play multiple ways. They have the athletic profile to play fast, slow and alter their defensive approach.
“We can play the slow game in the half court or get up and down. I think that’s going to make us dangerous. Same with defensively. We aren’t even close to where we need to be defensively but I’ve seen flashes where we can defend the post, perimeter,” Grinsteiner said.
Grinsteinner said his team will play some zone defense and press this year along with their usually strong man-to-man. He added that they have a lot of depth and should be able to go 12 deep come tournament time.
Players with potential
- Aric Knopik is a 6-4 lean athlete who can run, jump and defend.
- Alija Karsky is a 6-3 lefty who is physical and long.
- Cheydan Hauf is a 5-11 physical guard, good leaper, defender
- Cole Fritterer is a 5-11 sophomore point guard who started some games last year and is gaining confidence
- Jacob Daniel is a 6-0 guard who is a smart player and coach’s kid. He can shoot the rock
- Nate Jilek and Kaden Kuntz elected not to go out. Which means Trinity will lose two very good athletes this year. Jilek is a sophomore, so Region 7 fans may have to worry about him in the future still. Kuntz is a senior and NDSU football recruit.