Dakota Showcase

[Kemo]

Just wondering if anyone get to check out any games this weekend and what their thoughts on who stood out and who seemed over hyped.

Opinions not only welcome, but encouraged!

[filbert]

Re: Dakota Showcase

Just wondering if anyone get to check out any games this weekend and what their thoughts on who stood out and who seemed over hyped.

Opinions not only welcome, but encouraged!

I didn't see any games, but I suspect there were guys who were over-hyped before, and other guys (or maybe the same ones) will be over-hyped afterwards. It's just how I roll.

[zooropa]

Re: Dakota Showcase

what their thoughts on who stood out and who seemed over hyped.

SDSU's prospects and commits were all super extra awesome and NDSU's guys totally coasted on other people's efforts

Seriously, no clue. Try reading Terry Vandrovec's stuff on the Argus site, if you haven't already: http://argusleader.com/section/sports

[West-River_Jack]

Re: Dakota Showcase

There were pictures of some of the high school class of 2011 in the Thursday and Friday photo galleries in the Argus Leader. Does anyone know if any of the incoming high school juniors made a splash over the weekend?

[filbert]

Re: Dakota Showcase

SDSU's prospects and commits were all super extra awesome and NDSU's guys totally coasted on other people's efforts

Yeah, that's what I saw, too. (humor alert for the joviality-deficient)

[Billy Hoyle]

Re: Dakota Showcase

3 (Alegent, Comets, Fury) of the top 4 teams in the bottom half of the draw opposite the Dakota Schoolers....hmmm?

Alegent Crusaders were a complete and dominant team, winning the tourney. Ryan Rolfzen and Cole Martin were a couple of the players that stood out, but everyone contributed on that team. They beat the Comets, Fury and Schoolers in the final.

Dakota Schoolers- Cody Larson & Trevor Gruis were the two best big men at the tourney. Derek Brown gets that offense going.

MN Comets Elite-Hanson- Alex Hanks is like an outside linebacker playing hoops. Taylor Filipek may have been the most versatile player at the tourney. Erik Tengwall is a player DII's must be fighting over.

MN Fury Elite- Ledarian Horton looked very good. Jay Sewer from TNL joins Fury for this tournament and really gets them going.

I was also really impressed with the whole MN Magic team and the SW MN Stars (who took Alegent to overtime in pool play). The South Dakota Heat team also had a good tourney winning their pool.

[Cadsev]

Re: Dakota Showcase

3 (Alegent, Comets, Fury) of the top 4 teams in the bottom half of the draw opposite the Dakota Schoolers....hmmm?

Doug Koster draws up the pools in April or May, not a week prior to the event. MN Comets have never made the final four or finals of the 16 team (when it was 16 teams) or 32 team event. This is the first year that MN Fury has made the Final Four and never has played in the finals.

In contrast the Dakota Schoolers and Omaha Crusaders (aka Tournament Gold, Omaha Crusaders and Alegent Crusaders) have played in the finals against each other 3 times in 9 years. The Schoolers have played in 5 finals and the Crusaders have played in 4 finals in 9 years. The Schoolers have played in 7 final fours and the Crusaders 5 final fours in the 9 years history of the event.

In looking at the numbers I'm certain that Doug cross bracets his two most successful programs in the tournament and sticks others in pools the best he can to balance the tournament. There is no way to predict the best MN teams in April or May with 30+ 17 and under teams in the state it varies from year to year.

If the Comets and Fury had the history of others you'd have a valid point but it's simply not the case and as balanced as many of the MN teams are outside the top two (Howard Pulley & MN Pump n Run) almost any MN team can lay claim to be a top contender.

[Billy Hoyle]

Re: Dakota Showcase

Doug Koster draws up the pools in April or May, not a week prior to the event..

Both the Comets & Fury made it to the final 4 at the US Bank Tourney the first week of April and the Comets (final 4) and Fury (elite 8) at the Jayhawk in early May. Plus, Ryan James from MN Preps had these 2 teams ranked in the top 5 in MN early in April. I am guessing they do their homework prior to seedings which came out in mid-May. No offense, they run a great tournament.

I'm not saying, I'm just saying.

[TeaJackrabbit]

Re: Dakota Showcase

You're just saying the Dakota Showcase people are cheaters?

Alegent was really dominant even though one of their wins was in OT and their final win (over the Schoolers) was by 2?

[Billy Hoyle]

Re: Dakota Showcase

You're just saying the Dakota Showcase people are cheaters?

Dude chill. I never said that. Host tournaments (at every level) commonly set up favorable draws for the home team. And, as I stated earlier Alegent was obviously the dominant team. They beat the 3 best teams to win it all.

[Cadsev]

Re: Dakota Showcase

Both the Comets & Fury made it to the final 4 at the US Bank Tourney the first week of April and the Comets (final 4) and Fury (elite 8) at the Jayhawk in early May. Plus, Ryan James from MN Preps had these 2 teams ranked in the top 5 in MN early in April. I am guessing they do their homework prior to seedings which came out in mid-May. No offense, they run a great tournament.

I'm not saying, I'm just saying.

The Jayhawk from all accounts was the weakest field in years.....yawn.....come on over and play anytime you'd like. Seriously, one year making an elite 8 does not garner consideration for top billing and I doubt that Doug Coster reads MN preps. I guess the 7 of 9 years the Dakota Schoolers made the final 4 they played one legged blind kids (no offense to one legged blind kids) and were soundly beaten by 2 points this year by a dominate Omaha Crusaders team. Seriously, get a clue.

[trueblue]

Re: Dakota Showcase

Dude chill. I never said that. Host tournaments (at every level) commonly set up favorable draws for the home team. And, as I stated earlier Alegent was obviously the dominant team. They beat the 3 best teams to win it all.

How is it a "host tournament"? The tournament is not put on by the Dakota Schoolers but by Mr. Basketball (Doug Koster). It is the "Dakota Showcase" not the Dakota Schooler Showcase. If you want to be the best you have to beat the best at some point- does it really matter whether that is early or late?

[GopherHole]

Re: Dakota Showcase

Interesting how Doug Koster (Kearney, NE), sets up a tournament where the top Nebraska team has to play in the "tough half" of the bracket. You would have thought that he would have tried to set up something for Allegiant if he was being a homer.

I've coached a junior team for three years under Koster's Kearney Basketball Club and every tournament we have been in, he has tried to split up teams from the same program or town. After that, he has always done a blind draw once he separates teams. The last tournament that we played in, it just happened that the three best teams all ended up in the same half of the bracket. Koster makes his entire living off of amateur basketball, and his business would not last long if it played favorites.

[Nidaros]

Re: Dakota Showcase

I would think when you are in the business like that of Mr. Koester, you would soon be out of business if you had a skewed agenda favoring an area or a state in bracketing a tournament. He seems to have built a real recruiting tool for coaches who otherwise would be riding to some remote high school gym on nearly every January night and hoping this kid that they were about to watch play had what the coach was looking for. The tourney gives the coaches a chance to evauluate kids and see how they play outside of their high school team and with other kids they hardly know. If the coaches stop coming to Dakota Showcase tourney, then Mr. Koester might be doing something wrong, but that does not seem to be the case. Just think of the recruiting dollars that are saved by holding this tourney and how much time assistant coaches do not have to spend on the road during the school year.

I would be willing to bet that even after being as objective and considerate as possible, some idot still wants to take his head off. I guess thats life in the business world.

[91jack]

Re: Dakota Showcase

I think it all depends on how you look at it. I would look at the last few years before I complained about the brackets. I wonder if those other "tough" teams were in the Schoolers bracket, would people be complaining? When you draw teams, it won't be perfect most years. Is it better to draw them out of a hat or have 3 guys get together and make the brackets as they see fit?
I've been around softball, basketball, baseball, darts and even bean bag tourney's that seem like they could be fixed. Either my teams bracket is tough(in my opinion) or the host team has it too easy.
I don't gamble because I'm terrible at it. There is no blaming that on my bracket. Eventually you have to play some good teams. Is it better to be battle tested or just walk over weak teams to get to the championship game? This depends on if you have the, "to be the best, you have to beat the best attitude". I know you feel better if you win but some people take pride in playing tough teams and beating them.