Hillcrest Boys Basketball Season Recap
On Sunday night after the Little Eight Senior Showcase event, the Hillcrest boys basketball team held their annual reflection, celebration and awards ceremony.
It was great to spend some time looking back and remembering how the season finished the previous year, how we improved during the summer and how that prepared us for the season that we were blessed to experience this winter.
C Team Coach Sam Nash talked about the joy of having some consistency with some of his main guys for much of the year and drew out the coachability of Sawyer Draxten and improvement of so many of our players.
Junior Varsity Coach Andrew Stender celebrated a successful season in which the team was closer to .500, but were in nearly every game. We celebrated the clutch performances of Griffin Haus, the late-season big-man improvement of Cohen Draxten and the defensive prowess of Zane Holmquist.
Collectively, we thanked the players for being flexible as we adjusted line-ups to the changing landscape of players due to injury, absence or need, which seemed to be a frequent point of discussion for the coaches this season.
In focusing on the Varsity, Coach Garvin talked about the feeling of never being ready for it to be over, especially when you enjoy being together. He touched on the season's theme of Smooth Seas Don’t Make Great Sailors and that we knew we'd experience some ups and downs and understanding it is a life lesson. He mentioned getting "smacked in the face" by West Central in game one in November and how the team bounced back and learned from that experience. He mentioned the opportunity to and experience of playing at the Target Center and the bonding experience that it was. Luke's trifecta of dunks for vs Brandon-Evansville in late January, the clutch defensive performances of Zane Holmquist and Leo Nordic when the team was short-handed vs Kindred, the defensive effort vs Pelican Rapids to cap off the season and more.
At the end of the event, the coaches celebrated with some individual awards.
The Deflector. This statistic is highly valued by the coaching staff and is awarded to any player on the varsity team who generates the most statistical deflections during the season. This year, with 61 deflections, Gabe Swedenburg!
6th Man Award: The 6th Man award is given to the team's best performing player for his team consistently coming off the bench as a substitute and positively impacting the game. This award is given to any varsity player as voted by the players. Three years ago the award was given to Noah Brumfield. Two years ago: Zayne Weinrich. Last year, Erik Bjorndahl. This year, Preston Berge!
Most Coachable: Hard to make this decision as coaches, some years because there are a few athletes who specifically stand out, but this year Ethan Swedberg received the award! He's inquisitive, humble and asks questions before, during and after practice. A joy to coach players who are humble and have a desire to learn!
Clamp Defense Award: They say that defense wins championships. It might, but it also is a beautiful thing to watch a great defensive player make an offensive player look uncomfortable. The Clamp Defensive award is given to the varsity team's best performing defensive player as voted by the players. Three years ago the award went to Micah Foss. Two years ago, the players voted for Yuchan Ha. Back for repeat business, Gabe Swedenburg. Luke Christensen is also an honorable mention here. He simply changed so much of how teams had to play against us and had to be a presence to consider. He also set the single season blocks record with 52 blocks.
Chris Paul Award: One of the things we talked about two years ago in follow up to the season we had was that good passing - and good choices - are an incredibly important part of our offense. We determined that the criteria would need to be 50 or more assists with a positive Assist/Turnover Ratio. This year we had 7 guys with 40 or more assists. Last year we had 7 with 34 or more and gave the award to Preston Berge. This year, we’re giving the award to Lincoln Nash with 75 assists and a 1.67 assist/turnover ratio. Congratulations, Lincoln!
Free Throw Champion: This year we shot 6286 free throws in practice with most of our varsity guys shooting a total of 460-500 free throws. This year, we had 5 guys shoot 78% or better in practice. Last year, winning by .04%, with an 82.58 shooting percentage, Luke Christensen. This year, in revenge, by just under 1%, Noah Brumfield at 82.42%
Plow In The Ground: Friend of the program Cody Aasness says, “it’s better to be a plow in the ground than a flash in the pan.” This is awarded to any player on the team (at the coaches discretion) for their commitment to being in the gym and working to get better whether it is morning or evening shooting sessions, summer workouts or practices. Three years ago, Noah Bjorndahl. Two years ago, Sam Brumfield. Last year, Kian Stender. This year we talked about a number of guys who show a desire to be in the gym and get better, but ultimately we chose Ben Holm for this award!
Honey Badger Award for Grit & Toughness: Every team needs a player who will do all of the dirty work. This effort doesn’t necessarily translate into statistics, but this toughness and grit is invaluable to any great team. This is awarded to any player on the team at the coaches discretion. Three years ago, Joel Quam. Two years ago, Caden Fischer. Last year, Matthew Knutson. This year, Sean Berge!
Sharp Shooter: As a part of the Hillcrest basketball program, we hope to develop shot makers. We desire to create a culture of good shooters who compete against themselves, each other and against historical competition. This is awarded to any player on the team who, based on our shooting drills, generates the most high scores during that basketball season. This year, Noah Brumfield!
Rebounding Champion: Maybe one of the most unglamorous parts of basketball is rebounding, yet there is a direct correlation between rebounding and winning. First and foremost, let’s understand what a rebound represents – a possession! That’s critically important. It doesn’t matter if it’s a defensive rebound or an offensive rebound, you have just given your team a possession that they may not have otherwise received. This year, Luke Christensen ended the year with 248 rebounds which ranks as a 4th best season of rebounding in Comet history behind Nick Hansen (315, 259) and Sander Frustol 252.
Most Improved Player: The winner of the Most Improved Player Award will have increased the impact they have on the team in a positive way the most from the end of the previous season. This is awarded to any player on the team as voted by the players. Two years ago the award went to Yuchan Ha. Last year, Gabe Swedenburg. This year, we had a number of different guys get votes - Sean, Cohen, Lincoln, Preston, but Luke Christensen got the most votes. Luke made such significant strides during the summer specifically with his base strength and his footwork. So fun to see!
The Galvanizer Award: The Galvanizer Award is awarded to any varsity player as voted by the players. This person is someone who best exemplifies team unity by helping others for the betterment of the team, exhibits flexibility and grace under pressure, shows commitment to team over self and encourages the team to be excellent.
In the past, this has been awarded to Abe Burleigh & Ethan Ness & Trey Carl & Nathan Aanes. This year Luke, Noah Bjorndahl, Preston all received notes, but this year the award goes to Kian Stender who received 70% of the votes.
Most Valuable Player: Although every member on a team is valuable - for without teammates you wouldn’t have a team - the most valuable player award is awarded to any player on the team as voted by the players as the player who contributes the most to his team's success. Three years ago the award went to Micah Foss, 2 years ago: Sam Brumfield. Last year, Noah Brumfield. This year, getting the most votes, Luke Christensen.
Luke Christensen and Noah Brumfield received 1st team all conference honors with Gabe & Ethan both receiving all-conference votes.
To end the celebration, the coaches briefly discussed looking ahead to the coming summer and announced new captains Ethan Swedberg and Preston Berge. The Comets look forward to an offseason trying to figure out the identity of a team without standout performers Noah Brumfield and Luke Christensen.
