2016 Timberwolves Shootout

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With Timberwolves assistant coach Gary Trent and point guard Tyus Jones watching, Gary Trent Jr. and Tre Jones led the Apple Valley Eagles to a 79-46 victory in the final Timberwolves Shootout game.

The duo with NBA bloodlines pushed the Eagles to victory as Trent scored 27 and Jones had 14. Cam Kirksey also pitched in 12, and Jordan Bolton added 11. But the Eagles weren’t without their miscues; they shot just 34 percent from the field in the first half and struggled from the perimeter, hitting 2-of-14.

The players voiced their slight disappointment after the game on a win that was far from polished. If beating a top team from Tennessee by 33 points is considered “sloppy,” then that speaks to just how good this Apple Valley team can be.

“We want to be a lot better than we are right now,” Jones said. “We’re playing pretty sloppy, and we can clean up a lot of things. Part of that is just getting used to the floor. It’s bigger. But it’s also on ourselves with effort and things like that.”

The defending Class AAAA state champs were matched up against Isaiah Stokes, a 6-foot-8 power forward who holds several high-major football offers. He logged 17 points.

“I thought Brock did a good job against Stokes,” Apple Valley coach Zach Goring said. “He didn’t get quite as many minutes in the second half, but he’s had a great senior season. He did well against Reed (Nikko), too, the other night, and he’s showing what kind of player he can be.”

With all four Minnesota teams winning their games in the Timberwolves Shootout, the talent was on full display. And there is absolutely no shortage of it in Class AAAA.

The state tournament is going to be great this year, and hopefully we’re a part of it,” Goring added. “They’ve redone the sections and spread teams out a little bit. I think it will be the best state tournament in a long time.”

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APPLE VALLEY COMPLETES MINNESOTA’S SHOOTOUT SWEEP

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Photo Gallery | 2016 Timberwolves Shootout

Several sequences during the Maple Grove/Iowa City West looked more like a wrestling match — or gladiator battle — than a basketball game.

Missouri-signed center Reed Nikko had to plug a bloody nose early. Iowa City West’s Alex Henderson took a hard fall in the paint and got kicked in the head on the way down. Charges were drawn and blocks were dished out.

But at the end of the game, Maple Grove was the victor in the third game of the 2016 Timberwolves Shootout, winning 70-57 over a quality opponent.

“We started off a little slowly,” Maple Grove head coach Nick Shroeder said. “I didn’t think we were as patient as we needed to be. Then Reed got going, Tywhon had an awesome game, and I was happy with our overall team effort.”

Maple Grove held a one-point lead at half, 27-26, as both teams were largely neck-and-neck. But an excellent game from Tywhon Pickford (25 points on 10-14 shooting) and a monster effort from Nikko (9-11 from the field for 18 points, 8 rebounds and 7 blocks) helped Shroeder earn his 100th career win in just six seasons as head coach.

When asked if this was his most talented team yet in his six years coaching Maple Grove, Shroeder gave a different answer.

“I’ve coached a lot of really good kids who I would trust watching over my own kids. That’s how I judge things right now, is when these kids come back and see me, what kind of person have we become. Talent-wise, yeah this team is probably deeper than most. But character-wise, this team ranks right up there with a lot of teams I’ve had.”

And for Maple Grove, a team that is considered a heavyweight contender in Class AAAA, they saw this opportunity as a warm up for March.

“Getting the opportunity to play on this floor — where we could potentially play a state tournament — that gets a head start on things,” Shroeder added.

Iowa-signed junior Connor McCaffrey, who played despite illness, led Iowa City West with 20 points; Devontae Lane pitched in 15.

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MAPLE GROVE PULLS AHEAD AFTER CLOSE 1ST HALF

The Hurt brothers introduced themselves to Riverside University High School (Wis.) in a big way at Saturday’s Timberwolves Shootout.

Senior Michael and freshman Matt scored 15 points each for Rochester John Marshall in the first half, and several sequences looked like Hurt family driveway games on the home hoop.

Michael would drive and shoot, and Matt would clean up the miss, or vice versa. The duo works in tandem for the Rockets; at one point, both brothers blocked the same Riverside player in the same possession. The first half ended with JM holding a 49-34 advantage, and the brothers Hurt combined to shoot 12-of-18 from the field.

“They’ve been playing really well this year,” John Marshall coach Kirk Thompson said. “And they obviously play very well together. They feed off each other, and neither one of them are selfish. They both score a lot of points, but it’s not because they’re ‘me’ players. They’re really good team players.”Michael turned up the heat even more in the second half and finished with 35 points; Matt pitched in 18. Terrence Lewis led Riverside with 21 points, 19 of which were in the second half. Riverside shot a paltry 1-of-15 from the perimeter.After the 90-72 win, Coach Thompson added some thoughts on the Timberwolves Shootout, an annual basketball tradition in Minnesota.

“It’s fantastic,” Thompson said. “I was lucky enough to come here one time before, but for the kids, to see Target Center from the playing perspective, it’s a great experience. It’s also fun to play a very good team from a different state.”

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HURT BROTHERS COMBINE TO TRUMP RIVERSIDE

Champlin Park didn’t score for almost three minutes to open today’s Timberwolves Shootout opener against Council Bluffs Lincoln… and then the floodgates opened.

The Rebels shot 52 perfect from the field in the first half, putting together a 27-5 run that gave them a 37-15 advantage. They cashed in on six 3-pointers, including three from senior Aaron Kloeppner. Lincoln struggled mightily from the field, shooting 32 percent in the first half with the coaching staff telling their players to “stop playing scared,” among other suggestions.

For the rest of the game, Champlin went on autopilot and cruised to a 76-45 victory. Four players contributed in double-digit scoring efforts, with Aaron Kloeppner (15 points) and DJ Hunter (12) leading the way. Junior phenoms Theo John and McKinley Wright had 11 and 10 points, respectively. 

“We stressed patience,” Champlin Park coach Bill Tuchscherer said after the win. “We move the ball around and get good shots. That’s the way we play basketball. I never really panic with our boys; no matter what team it is, we try to play the game the right way.”

The big story for Champlin was Kloeppner. A 6-foot-3 senior, Kloeppner played a bench role on last year’s state tournament team. He’s now starting, and his impact from the perimeter gave the Rebels an early spark.

“He’s a great piece for us, he always has been,” Tuchscherer said of Kloeppner. “He was our sixth man last year. He takes the charges, hits the threes, he does what he has to do for the team. He’s a great team leader.”

The Hurt brothers introduced themselves to Riverside University High School in a big way at Saturday’s Timberwolves Shootout.

Senior Michael and freshman Matt scored 15 points each for Rochester John Marshall in the first half, and several sequences looked like what Hurt family driveway games might be like.

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CHAMPLIN PARK RUNS AWAY WITH A BIG VICTORY

 Maple Grove (MN):  The Crimson has blown out just about every opponent they've faced this year winning their first six straight including a win over Wayzata which was key after the Trojans knocked them out of sections a year ago.  Five Maple Grove players are scoring in double figures this year including Mizzou signed senior Reed Nikko, junior lead guard Brad Davison (offers from Nebraska, Northern Iowa, and others), leading scorer junior Tywhon Pickford, talented senior guard transfer Taron Pickford, and junior shooter Jack Hutchison (offers from Montana State and Sam Houston State). Davison, Hutchison, and Pickford are all top-20 ranked juniors by Northstar Hoops Report. The Crimson have just about every piece needed to make a run at state and so far this season they've looked like one of the top three or four contenders.

Iowa City West (IA):  ICW has overwhelmed everybody they have played in Iowa this year so they are coming back to Minnesota once again for a big event.  They lost to Apple Valley but eight points in early December at the Tip Off Classic despite 28 points from Iowa bound Connor McCaffery who is the No. 1 ranked junior prospect according to Prep Hoops Iowa and the son of Iowa Head Coach Fran McCaffery. Connor is putting up 18 points a contest while fellow junior Devontae Lane (ranked third amongst Iowa juniors) is scoring 11 points a contest. Wali Parks and Tanner Lohaus (the son of former NBA player Brad Lohaus) are top-five ranked Iowa talents also scoring in double figures each contest.  Lohaus has signed to play at Northern Iowa next season. 

Key Match-Up: Connor McCaffery vs Brad Davison.

These are both strong ball handlers with great vision who double as outstanding shooters. McCaffery has a size advantage on Davison which will help to get more open looks but Brad will likely create for others at the highest rate of anybody in the game.

Maple Grove:  Brad Davison (6-ft-3, Jr, point guard), Taron Pickford (6-ft-0, Sr, point guard), Jack Hutchison (6-ft-1, Jr, shooting guard), Tywhon Pickford (6-ft-4, Jr, small forward), Reed Nikko (6-ft-9, Sr, center)

Iowa City West: Connor McCaffrey (6-ft-5, Jr, point guard), Tanner Lohaus (6-ft-7, Sr, power forward), Davontae Lane (6-ft-0, Jr, point guard), Wali Parks (6-ft-5, Sr, small forward), Patrick McCaffery (6-ft-6, Fr, small forward)

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Timberwolves Shootout Preview | West High School vs. Maple Grove

Rochester JM (MN): The Rockets are once again undefeated against Big Nine competition building up several league victories including wins over Mankato East, Owatonna, and Austin. Their lone pitfall is a three-point loss to Shakopee at the Breakdown Tip Off Classic.  Brothers Michael and Matthew Hurt lead the Rockets with 16 points, 10 reboud and nine assists and 23 points, 11 rebounds and three assists, respectively. Michael is a Minnesota-signed talented ranked in the Rivals150 for the senior class while Michael is a five-star caliber prospect in the 2019 class, ranked No. 1 amongst Minnesota's freshman talents by Northstar Hoops Report.  Michael already has offers from Iowa and Iowa State.  The Hurts are getting help from senior D'Angelo Tines (13 points a game), junior Isaiah Walden (11), and junior Ray Adams (9.4). Albert Lea transfer Dedoch Chan put up 23 points and 11 rebounds a game last year as a sophomore and soon should be in the line-up as well.

Milwaukee Riverside (WI): Riverside has scored 80 plus points in four games already winning five of their first six contests. The lone loss of the season was to Stevens Point 80-55. Riverside is led by 6-foot-5 four-star junior talent Terrance Lewis who has offers from Auburn, Ohio, and Wisconsin-Milwaukee amongst others. Lewis is scoring 24 points a game with 11 rebounds, shooting 45 percent from the arc.  Carlos Curtis is one of the best sophomore prospects in the state of Wisconsin. Curtis is scoring 15 a night shooting 60 plus percent from the field while 6'5 junior power forward George Dixon is scoring 17 points per game with 14 rebounds a contest.

Key Match-Up: Michael Hurt vs Terrance Lewis

Lewis has been scorching this winter but Hurt is an excellent defender.  This will be a nice challenge to see what Hurt can do defensively. Hurt will be a Gopher next year and Lewis a player Minnesota actively scouted this past summer. Hurt is averaging nearly a triple double so Lewis will likely work on him the other direction.

Rochester JM:  Michael Hurt (6-ft-6, Sr, small forward), Matthew Hurt (6-ft-9, Fr, power forward), Dedoch Chan (6-ft-6, Jr, power forward), Isaiah Walden (6-ft-2, Jr, point guard), D'Angelo Tines (6-ft-3, SR, small forward), Ray Adams (6-ft-3, Jr, small forward)

Milwaukee Riverside: Terrance Lewis (6-ft-6, Jr, small forward), Carlos Curtis (6-ft-2, So, shooting guard), George Dixon (6-ft-5, Jr, power forward), Melvin Lee (5-ft-7, Jr, point guard), Alondes Williams (6-ft-3, Jr, small forward)

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Timberwolves Shootout Preview | Riverside University vs. Rochester John Marshall

Champlin Park (MN): The Rebels kicked of their year with six straight wins after going 31-1 a season ago. The team lost three starters to division one basketball in JT Gibson (Nebraska-Omaha), Jeremy Johnson (Wisconsin-Milwaukee), and Marty Hill (Northeast CC) but return a pair of Rivals150 talents in juniors McKinley Wright and Theo John.  Wright (who has offers from Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas State, and others) is producing 18 points a game with 7.8 rebounds while John (offers from Minnesota, Illinois, Marquette, Iowa, Nebraska) is producing 17.8 points a contest with 8.4 rebounds and a couple blocks.  The Rebel returning starters are getting support from junior guards Brian Smith and DJ Hunter as well as senior wing Aaron Kloeppner. 

Council Bluffs Lincoln (IA):  Council Bluffs began their year with hard fought wins over Sioux City West and Sargeant Bluff-Luton on their way to a 4-0 start.  The senior trio of Tony Bonner, Kyle Crowl, and TreVonte Jones lead the way all with double figure production. The 6-foot-8 Bonner gives his team 22 points and 11 rebounds a game and is a top 30 prospect in Iowa according to Prep Hoops Iowa.  Crowl and Jones are the dynamic backcourt with Crowl the three-point weapon and Jones the creator.  Add in fellow seniors Josh Krabbe and Devin Logan (also starters) and you have one of the most experienced teams in all of Iowa.

Key Match-Up: Theo John vs Tony Bonner.  Both are regular double-double big men who are highly productive. John has the edge in agility and length while Bonner is more experienced and has been putting up big numbers for awhile. This will make for an excellent post match-up.

Champlin Park: Theo John (6-ft-9, Jr, Center), McKinley Wright (6-ft-1, Jr, Point guard), Aaron Kloeppner (6-ft-4, Sr, Small forward), Mello Adkins (6-ft-2, Jr, Small forward), DJ Hunter (6-ft-2, Jr, Shooting Guard), Brian Smith (5-ft-9, Jr, Guard), Chris Davis (6-ft-6, Jr, Power Forward)

Council Bluffs Lincoln: Tony Bonner (6-ft-8, Sr, power forward), TreVonte Jones (6-ft-0, Sr, point guard), Kyle Crowl (6-ft-1, Sr, shooting guard), Josh Krabbe (Sr), Devin Logan (Sr)

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Timberwolves Shootout Preview | Abraham Lincoln vs. Champlin Park

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