North Dakota Preview: Bismarck Legacy
One of the surprise state tournament teams a year ago was Bismarck Legacy. The Sabers were a middling team in a very good WDA and seemed to peak right in time to make a run and capped it off with…
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Continue ReadingOne of the surprise state tournament teams a year ago was Bismarck Legacy. The Sabers were a middling team in a very good WDA and seemed to peak right in time to make a run and capped it off with a win at state. Now, the Sabers return three starters and a number of key guys in what could be an exciting season.
KEY RETURNERS: Rhett Clements, Nick Kupfer, Keagen Woodbury
Clements is one of the best returning players in the WDA. At 6-foot-3, he’s one of Legacy’s biggest guys, but he’s versatile in that he can handle the ball, rebound at a high rate, get to the rim, shoot a little bit and guard just about anybody on the floor. He averaged 14 points and more than seven rebounds per game last year and should be an all-league guy this winter.
Kupfer was rock-solid as a sophomore, averaging 11.7 points per game while shooting 45 percent from the field. He showed at various points throughout last season that he was capable of getting hot and putting up big point totals. He’ll have more on his plate as an upperclassman and if he can improve his 3-point shooting by a tick, he could be in the upper-echelon of scorers in the conference.
Woodbury returns after starting at the point last season, averaging 9.3 points and 2.5 assists. He’s another guy who will have to take that next step and go from being a nice varsity player as a sophomore to a true difference-maker. He’s capable. He’s a solid perimeter shooter, a smart passer who can also defend on the ball.
STEPPING INTO NEW ROLES: Joe Buzalsky, Ben Patton, Lyric Hoffman, Cooper Glenn
Buzalsky earned spot minutes last year as a freshman and could be in line for a breakout year with a bigger role. He’s a really solid 3-point shooter and a heady decision-maker, which makes him a solid complement to the backcourt pairing of Kupfer and Woodbury. Expect him to play a good chunk of minutes.
Patton and Hoffman both saw rotation minutes off the bench last year and will have opportunities to either start or play regular minutes this winter. Both guys struggled with efficiency last year as sophomores but they’ve got the potential to be positive two-way guys on the perimeter.
Glenn played a little bit as a junior and could be first in line to step into a starting role in the frontcourt. The Sabers are going to be undersized in just about every game they play this winter and Glenn could be the guy who has to grind inside with some of the top big men across the WDA. He likely won’t be a big scorer, but he’ll have a role as a defender, screener and hustle guy.
QUESTION: Can the Sabers overcome a lack of size?
Bismarck Legacy has a shot at contending for a top-four spot in the WDA this winter. But one thing that could hold them back is a lack of size. Clements is the team’s biggest guy at 6-foot-3 and he’s more of a swingman, combo forward type. They don’t have a big, meaty 6-foot-6 kid who is going to provide a lot of resistance at the rim or control the glass. The teams the Sabers are competing with have significantly more size across the board. Lack of size didn’t show up a whole lot on the glass last year as the Sabers were outrebounded by about a board per game but there are disadvantages that come with being as small as they are. With the guard talent at the team’s disposal, it might behoove them to play fast and try to make opposing teams uncomfortable with pace.
SEASON OUTLOOK
The Sabers head into the 2019-20 season with a team that looks capable of earning a top-four seed in the WDA and contending for a state berth. In a league that, as a whole, will be younger, the Sabers have an experienced group coming back with seven guys that played decent minutes last year. If Kupfer, Buzalsky and a few of those juniors can take steps forward, this team could win 15-plus games again and make an extended run in the postseason.