Next Up: Class B (part 3) ND
Who is stepping into a big role this winter in North Dakota? We have some ideas. Get to know these names!
Rhias Archambault/Riley Hodgkiss of Standing Rock/Selfridge. We are going to put ourselves out on a limb and say, this duo could step into position to make the Warriors a Region contender and have an outside shot at being a top ten team. Both are wings with good size that should help their team improve from 16-9 to at least four games better. Rhias is a senior that has the eyes on him while Hodgkiss is an up and coming junior-to-be.
Tate Dickson of Wilton-Wing. The Miners won 14 games last year but the pressure now moves to Dickson who is a steady point guard. Nick Backman has graduated so Dickson will not only lead and score some like he always has, now the pressure is on plus he needs to playmake for himself and others. He’s showed the potential to do that.
Trace Goven of Rugby. Goven continues to show that he’s one of the elite players in the 2020 class of North Dakota talent. Goven scored 18 a game as a sophomore for a 17-8 team and this is a young man that has overcome a lot in his life. A bad car accident is something that he has fought back from to become a very nice athlete. Goven looks to be Next Up not just because of his production as an underclassmen at a top school, but also because of his drive and determination to succeed.
Mason Hedberg of Bishop Ryan. Ben Bohl is the prospect with schools looking at him and a guy that gets numbers. Deserves the praise. But Mason Hedberg has shown this spring and during the March run that his talent most be accounted for as well. Mason is a talented 6-foot-1 guard that is rising as a prospect daily. If a team puts too much focus on Bohl, Hedberg will make them pay.
Evan Henke of New Salem-Almont. Henke was the top player for the Holsteins. Wait, what is a Holstein? It’s the best of a large breed of cattle and Henke is a 6-foot-1 wing that wants to be the best of the breed in basketball in Region 5. Evan was an All Region player and now he needs to help his team go from five games under .500 to a few games over the average mark.
Jonah Larson of Garrison. The 6-foot-4 low post player had an excellent sophomore season leading his team to 16 wins as the main weapon. So why Next Up? Time for Garrison to take the next step and if Jonah can build on last year he could become one of the better players in Class B basketball. The strength and consistency is there, can he take the game to another level?
Hayden Lee of Velva. Hayden is a 6-foot-3 wing that has moved into the area of top 50 players in the state and his team was a top 30 squad in the state last year facing a tough schedule. Losing three of their last four games of the season was tough but Velva has a guy in Lee that can help them improve on their year by 3-4 games.
Jaden Mitzel of Shiloh Christian. You’ve heard of the low post numbers that Big Macauley put up, you’ve heard about the leadership and shooting of Jonah Mitzel, and everyone in state is aware of Ogbu on his way to NDSU for football. Perhaps the toughest and steadiest player was Jaden Mitzel. His toughness and the way he plays with Macauley Young combined with double-double potential could lead to a big year for the junior to be.