The Race for Mr. Basketball
Here are PHD’s top ten candidates so far for Mr. Basketball in North Dakota. Picking just ten seniors is tough and you can’t forget about guys like Connor Hellebust who is out with an injury or some of the others…
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Continue ReadingHere are PHD’s top ten candidates so far for Mr. Basketball in North Dakota. Picking just ten seniors is tough and you can’t forget about guys like Connor Hellebust who is out with an injury or some of the others who are having good years but their team is really struggling. But the following ten players are having outstanding seasons to this point. Let us know if you think there are some others that should be considered. Here are our top ten for Mr Basketball to this point in no particular order at all.
Zac Martin (Shiloh Christian). The three sport star has his team ranked second in state and they have picked up several wins against some of the best teams in the state. Martin has limited some of the state’s best players defensively while consistently producing double-double numbers week after week.
Dalton Poitra (St. John). Poitra has his team at 10-2 on the season and he’s hitting 46 percent of his treys on his way to a 29 point, six assists, six rebound, and four steal a game season to date. When it comes to reported statistics Poitra leads the state in scoring.
Graham Hurlburt (Enderlin). Enderlin is 9-3 and playing better than many expected and Hurlburt is having a phenomenal shooting year. Graham has made 44 percent of his treys and 46 percent of his shots overall on his way to an average of 22.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game but more importantly his team is winning.
Hunter Pinke (South Border). Pinke has put up eight double-doubles in a dozen games and the only reason he didn’t record the numbers in those games is because of a small injury or his team was crushing an opponent so he left the game early. The UND football recruit has his team at 7-5 and is just coming off a 30 point, 21 rebound game.
Brody Nieuwsma (Strasburg/Zeeland). The Bismarck State recruit has guided the Clippers to a 10-2 season is doing whatever his team needs to post victories. Brody neared a triple-double in a huge win over Flasher (13/7/11), knocked out several early treys and four treys overall on his way to 22 on the Northern State floor, and continues to push his team ahead at key moments of every game.
Connor Entzi (Edgeley-Kulm). The Rebels are 55-40 and are one of the best defensive teams in state holding opponents to 40 points or less night after night. Connor leads the team in scoring and rebounding putting up double figures every night while leading the club defensively.
Braedan Hanson (GFRR). The Rough Rigers had a bad start but have began to turn things around with a three game winning streak pushing them to 8-6 and Hanson’s 18 points, five rebounds, team leading 40 assists and 21 steals, and 45 percent field goal shooting while also defending the opposing team’s best player has stood out.
Dalton Feeney (Bismarck Century). Feeney has been so good college coaches are dreaming about what he would be like as a college basketball player instead of a Missouri baseball player. He is averaging 21.5 points per game making half of his 174 field goals and shooting 42 percent at the arc despite regular attention and Century has lost just once this season.
Braydon Lund (Minot). You have to believe somebody from the Minot senior group will be included as a candidate and Braydon’s 14 points and 11 rebounds a game making over 60 percent of his field goals seems like the obvious answer. Lund may not make the final cut but he definitely deserves to be considered.
Hayden Sadowsky (Hettinger-Scranton). The Night Hawks have won eight games and Hayden has had some incredible stretches this year including just yesterday when he knocked out eight treys and 37 points against New England. Hayden is also the only Class B returning all state player from a year ago.