Who gets MR. BBALL now?

by **bigbballfan** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 7:52 am

Maybe I asked the question too soon before. Does mertens still get mr. basketball? last night he got senior player of the year, but with all of the teams playing like they did especially north, does he still get it? or is it going to be erdmann or a class B boy?

by **ndsubball** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 7:55 am

Mertens still gets Mr.basketball obviously hes showin that he is one of the best in the state so I think it still goes to mertens

by **ndfan** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 8:04 am

I think it could go either way now, The sports press does the voting for it, Erdmann's team winning state could help him out a lot and the press from out west getting a chance to see him play and not seeing Mertens could hurt too.

I still see Mertens winning it but anything can happen. Still don't see a class B player winning it this year.

by **Ming01** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 12:51 pm

I think Mertens will still get it. It's kind of like a few years ago when Tyler Koenig won it but didnt make the state tournament. I think Mertens will still win it.

by **klg_11** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 7:13 pm

there is no reason he shouldnt get it i never have been a big devils lake fan but just looking at his stats i can see he deserves it im from williston and never got a chance to see him play that is why is wish dL would have made it to state cuz if he looks this good on paper and if he is even half as good as people have been saying all year i would have loved to see him play even if it would have been him beating the yotes;)

by **g_unit** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 7:18 pm

ndfan wrote:I think it could go either way now, The sports press does the voting for it, Erdmann's team winning state could help him out a lot and the press from out west getting a chance to see him play and not seeing Mertens could hurt too.

I still see Mertens winning it but anything can happen. Still don't see a class B player winning it this year.

well just for everyone's information.....the voting for MR. BASKETBALL was completed SUNDAY NIGHT OF LAST WEEK.....the votes for mr bball are done BEFORE the state A and state B tournaments.......this is because class B has to wait an extra week to play there state and with the votes being done after the regional tournaments both class B and class A get the equal amount of attention....so to let everyone know that the votes were done before Fargo North won the state title...so it doesnt really hurt anyone's chances of winning

by **Y-not Daily** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 7:50 pm

g_unit wrote:
ndfan wrote:I think it could go either way now, The sports press does the voting for it, Erdmann's team winning state could help him out a lot and the press from out west getting a chance to see him play and not seeing Mertens could hurt too.

I still see Mertens winning it but anything can happen. Still don't see a class B player winning it this year.

well just for everyone's information.....the voting for MR. BASKETBALL was completed SUNDAY NIGHT OF LAST WEEK.....the votes for mr bball are done BEFORE the state A and state B tournaments.......this is because class B has to wait an extra week to play there state and with the votes being done after the regional tournaments both class B and class A get the equal amount of attention....so to let everyone know that the votes were done before Fargo North won the state title...so it doesnt really hurt anyone's chances of winning

Not true g_unit. The nomination process is this week (Wednesday) and I believe the final vote is early in the weekend.

by **rep** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 9:24 pm

nope, mr. basketball voting has not yet been done. speaking as a member of the sporting media in the state, i haven't yet cast a vote. either that or when i walk into work on monday i'm going to get yelled at (which is always a very real possibility).

the selections for miss basketball took place during our sportscaster's meeting during the second day of the state b girls tourney in minot with voting done during the state a in forks.

if i had to guess the agenda for mr. basketball should be similar and look something like this: on wednesday night there will be a meeting for the sportscasters that get into town early. the candidates will then be penciled in there. on friday morning at the meeting that the entire media body at the tournament will be at, the selections from wednesday's meeting will be brought forward and if anyone has any additions/objections to the candidates named/etc. then there'll be a vote to officialize the condidates. after that's done, some poor sap is going to have to fight it out verbally on why his/her selection should be the recipient. after that, there will be a vote for the award. then all-state nominations will be named. more verbal discussion. then the all-state will be voted on. then, lunch.

by **g_unit** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 11:19 pm

sorry about the incorrect info. but i was informed by a relaible source that is involved with the NDHSAA that the info i provided was correct..i guess not sorry once again... i really did beleive my info was certain ....thanks rep for the postback

by **rep** » Sun Mar 12, 2006 11:32 pm

at this time of year anyone following sports is lucky to be able to you what day it is...i generally go by 'it's light out' or 'it's dark out'...my wife pretty much hates this time of year...there is so much going on and so much to keep track of...dates and stuff kind of lose all relavence until sometime in april

no harm no foul my man (and like i said, i might be in for a butt-chewing because i didn't vote when i get into work on monday)

by **bballfan** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 1:25 pm

I was just curious if there is any criteria besides the game stats that the sportswriters and sportscasters look at (ex. Grades, community involvement, etc. )when they are selecting Mr. Basketball? If anyone knows I would sure appreciate a reply!

I also wanted to know if anyone thinks a Class B player has a chance at the title this year....although a Class A guy has recieved it for like the past 10 years....I think there are some pretty talented Class B guys out there this year too, from what I've heard and read this winter anyways.

by **rep** » Mon Mar 13, 2006 5:24 pm

when i bring a name into a mr. basketball (or all-state for that matter) i generally just stick with stats. we aren't dealing with a humanitarian award, just basketball (or whatever sport it happens to be). i also think that if that would be brought into the discussion, the meetings would turn somewhat ugly. in that i mean, if someone brings up a kid from region 8 and that helps homeless kids (or whatever) i don't really feel that i should be voting on him versus someone who sings with his grandmother in a church choir. i don't really feel it is my place to judge on some of that kind of stuff. gimmie the stats and tell me if he is his team's no. 1 or no. 2 option. i'll compare it to the rest of the state/candidates and go from there.

to be honest, i really don't like this time of year with trying to pick 'who is better.' there are quite a few good kids that are on bad teams and how do you judge them against players on better teams that aren't getting as many shots and aren't facing triple teams on a nightly basis. definately the part of the job i don't care for because it is all subjective. kids are kids and they've done a lot of work and are way more talented then i'll ever dream of. if it is football, i can tell you if a lineman did a good job getting to the next level and fencing off a linebacker. with basketball, they all shoot a lot better than i do.

i cover class b for what turns out to be about 6 districts and so when it comes to class a kids, i generally don't know much about them. essentially, i might not know much about the kids in my own area. when it comes to all-state and state awards like that, i'm responsible for region 3, and with a lot of the teams (especially from district 6) i don't get much of a chance to see them play. if i do get to see them play, it is either at the end of the year or at a random game, and you hate to form opinions on a kid from one game out of a season. for instance, i wasn't at the girls' regionals, but i knew that huber made linton go as does whitney eckroth for sdwt.

so when i'm talking about class b kids, i'm generally going on what coaches/others have told me. i try to talk to quite a few different people and then go by an average consensus. generally i ask coaches who they gameplan for. if they are trying to shut down a kid and they are still going for 15-20 points, they've got talent.

this is my second year covering sports, and as a newbie, i basically look at what other people are telling me. if i have a strong feeling about a player(s) i'll voice it, but when it comes to mr. basketball (and all-state) voting, the good thing is that there is a larger group voting on it, and one person's opinion doesn't really amount to much. the bad part is a player with a lot of hype can overshadow a better player that just isn't seen as much.

i think that is why it is essential for a team to get to state to guarantee they will get some post-season awards. i can sit at a meeting and talk about a player being good all day, but if the rest of the voting media hasn't seen that person, it is probably a coin flip on whether or not they think i'm telling the truth or just pimping my own region. but if a player/team gets to state, generally you can tell almost immediately if a player is deserving to be recognized above his/her peers. at the state level (in theory against the state's best competition) it is generally a little easier to judge players, but there again, if that player has an off night, who knows?

as far as a class b player getting mr. basketball, i honestly don't know. mertens seems to have quite a bit of momentum from the regular season, but erdman was pretty tough throughout the state a tournament. i don't know if there are any other a candidates out there, and i'm not sure who the class b nominations would be at this point. from region 3 i'd guess ross florhaug would be my nomination, but i honestly have no clue if he'll go any further than that or not...in the hands of the voting media after i rattle off his stuff. sounds like region 7 has some studs, but as far as the rest of the state, i'm not sure.

don't know how much of that made any sense or if it came off as just stupid rambling. feel free to fire back any questions/clarifications/random complaints that i'm stupid.

by **bballfan** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 5:34 am

I agree with you that the basis for this award should be strictly on basketball. I had just heard that they consider other criteria and I was just trying to get my facts straight....thanks. I also agree with you when you said that good players can be overlooked because some guys get so much hype. I'm from the west and I hear a lot about Jayden Voth and Payton Tivis for Class B, but it seems like (well on this site anyways) they are very overlooked. This is probably just because they live in the wrong part of the state....I think the east is where most of the press and publicity is because there are so many more people. It will be interesting to see who wins it...looks like Travis Mertens will probably be the favorite.

by **paperboy** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 6:50 am

I agree, Travis Mertens will probably get Mr. Basketball, and if he does, that will be good because he had a heck of a year and is a really good kid. However, that Erdmann kid really had a solid year and is so fundamentally sound that I think he has a good chance too. I've followed both those teams (North and Devils Lake) as much as I can this year and I truly believe that if I were to start a team, I'd probably pick Erdmann first. Defense is important, and I know Erdmann is a great defender...in fact, when North played DL earlier in the year, Erdmann gaurded Mertens for the whole first quarter and Mertens didn't score...yep, no points. Erdmann picked up two fouls and their coach switched him off of Mertens and he ended up with 17, I think. And, in the Region game when Mertens scored 38 and 21 rebounds, Erdmann never did gaurd Mertens, which I thought was a mistake by the North coach. Anyway, they are both great players, but I think Erdmann is a better defender. Any agreement out there on this?

by **ErdySouth** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 9:59 am

paperboy wrote:I agree, Travis Mertens will probably get Mr. Basketball, and if he does, that will be good because he had a heck of a year and is a really good kid. However, that Erdmann kid really had a solid year and is so fundamentally sound that I think he has a good chance too. I've followed both those teams (North and Devils Lake) as much as I can this year and I truly believe that if I were to start a team, I'd probably pick Erdmann first. Defense is important, and I know Erdmann is a great defender...in fact, when North played DL earlier in the year, Erdmann gaurded Mertens for the whole first quarter and Mertens didn't score...yep, no points. Erdmann picked up two fouls and their coach switched him off of Mertens and he ended up with 17, I think. And, in the Region game when Mertens scored 38 and 21 rebounds, Erdmann never did gaurd Mertens, which I thought was a mistake by the North coach. Anyway, they are both great players, but I think Erdmann is a better defender. Any agreement out there on this?

Yes.

by **g_unit** » Thu Mar 16, 2006 7:29 pm

you guys the whole Fargo North team guarded mertens and no one could stop him....he was breaking double coverage the whole game....

by **klg_11** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 1:52 pm

g_unit try looking at it as a whole not as travis mertens buddy. who actually deserves it. Not who do u want because you know him.

by **g_unit** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 2:55 pm

klg_11 wrote:g_unit try looking at it as a whole not as travis mertens buddy. who actually deserves it. Not who do u want because you know him.

so ur saying travis mertens doesnt deserve it.....

by **klg_11** » Fri Mar 17, 2006 3:16 pm

not at all but im saying that all of ur examples just seemed a little exagerated as in the "whole" north team was just guarding him and i think that he is a dang good candidate but others, such as erdman (havent seen the other two) just seems more like a complete package with his defense abilities. Mertens is good and im not saying he is bad on defense either just that erdman seems like he is better on defense

sorry for what seemed like attacking you but im just saying that everyone is bias to the person they know the best and just look at everyones stats before you say he IS the best.

by **dlsiouxfan** » Sat Mar 18, 2006 10:32 am

In response to the post about Erdmann being a superior defender and shutting down Mertens in the head to head matchups. The truth is yes Erdman did guard Mertens in the tournament game and Mertens did score the majority of his points on other players. But you're giving too much credit to Erdmann however as Mertens drew two early fouls on Erdmann when he was trying to guard him. It doesn't matter how good of a defender you are if you can't guard a player without fouling him. In the first head to head matchup in the regular season you also omitted that Erdmann finished the game with 10 points.

by **g_unit** » Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:32 am

klg_11 wrote:not at all but im saying that all of ur examples just seemed a little exagerated as in the "whole" north team was just guarding him and i think that he is a dang good candidate but others, such as erdman (havent seen the other two) just seems more like a complete package with his defense abilities. Mertens is good and im not saying he is bad on defense either just that erdman seems like he is better on defense

sorry for what seemed like attacking you but im just saying that everyone is bias to the person they know the best and just look at everyones stats before you say he IS the best.

ok now that i just reviewed the stats page(like you told me to)

Travis mertens won the class A scoring, rebounding, and blocking title, he tied for first in steals and rebounding, blocks, and steals to seem to fall under the defensive catergory to me......and he team was ranked number one all year and finished with a 19-3 record........and one more thing i would feel really bad travis if he doesnt get the award all because of some kids lucky shot preventing him from going to the state tourney...and travis works so hard on the court

by **klg_11** » Sat Mar 18, 2006 7:34 pm

good, a post with actual info and not just a bunch of talk that i can respect and ya maybe he should get it but no comp can be ruled out

But now that he has it CONGRATS! it was a good year and to bad he couldnt get further but at least he was acknowledged! ya now with my talk i insert foot in my mouth but im sure it was a good run between him and the other contestants. CONGRATULATIONS TO TRAVIS MERTENS!

by **Bob** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 9:07 pm

rep- what area of the state do u cover. what city?

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