Sleeper Teams

[TheRealDeal]

Are there any sleeper teams throughout the state that have potential to have big years, but nobody is really talking about?

[lovefootball88]

My picks are Tioga (young big athletic)...... Shiloh...... (same kids that made it to the semi's in 9 man football) (athletic, deep).... Linton ( watched them beat Milnor at UMary last summer) ( athletic and can shoot the ball)....

[packers21]

Hard to call Shiloh or Linton "sleepers" IMO. Both are always contenders.

One team I think is a sleeper is St. John (Depending on who is coaching). Return basically their entire team, older Jay kid was hurt early in the season.

[azcard]

Dist 5 sleeper I will go with EKM Rebels young, quick have depth on bench good coaching with Strobel and the addition of Rory Entzi may see some new and exciting things out of them. Could give run at Regions.

[Jack8]

I would have to say New Town since hoopster has them at 32 they are big and fast. They go about 9 deep and all r good shooters. They r my sleeper team to make it to state and once there anything can happen as seen last year. IMO

[broseidon2010]

Dist 5 sleeper I will go with EKM Rebels young, quick have depth on bench good coaching with Strobel and the addition of Rory Entzi may see some new and exciting things out of them. Could give run at Regions.

Yes I completely agree. I think Connor Entzi will be a fun kid to watch as the year goes on. He could do some damage to teams that over look the Rebels. It will be interesting to see how he competes against Anthony Olson and the Thielges boys in LaMoure.

[NDFootballPredictor]

Sleeper teams in Region 7 are New England and Killdeer, outside of Beulah, Trinity, and Hazen which won't dominate IMO. Heart River is high on a lot of peoples lists but as soon as Heart River finds a way to stop Kudrna how will they score? The rest of the region seems pretty equal (RT, Glen-Ullin, Mott, Bowman, Hettinger-Scranton, Beach).

*Feedback is accepted.

[winner-within]

Sleeper teams in Region 7 are New England and Killdeer, outside of Beulah, Trinity, and Hazen which won't dominate IMO. Heart River is high on a lot of peoples lists but as soon as Heart River finds a way to stop Kudrna how will they score? The rest of the region seems pretty equal (RT, Glen-Ullin, Mott, Bowman, Hettinger-Scranton, Beach).

*Feedback is accepted.

I like it....Predicting BBall as a FootballPredictor...takes guts

[NDAthletics]

Dist 5 sleeper I will go with EKM Rebels young, quick have depth on bench good coaching with Strobel and the addition of Rory Entzi may see some new and exciting things out of them. Could give run at Regions.

If there's a sleeper team in district 5 it certainly is not the Rebels. With the exception of Entzi, this team lacks the scoring ability and depth that other teams in the district have. They did not impress me over the summer and struggled against teams that matched up well with Entzi. One team I was really impressed with was Ellendale. With decisive wins over EKM and Lamoure over the summer this team could be very good. They lose two average seniors but replace them with 2 very athletic kids with Kellemon Hinton and TJ Belmore. Brennen Vance is a rising freshman with a very bright future. Chase Durheim, Zach Dathe, and Adam White work very well together and will lead this team to a lot of victories. Don't sleep on the Cardinals.

[chief45]

I would have to say New Town since hoopster has them at 32 they are big and fast. They go about 9 deep and all r good shooters. They r my sleeper team to make it to state and once there anything can happen as seen last year. IMO

If New Town stays healthy they will be a contender at the end of the year.

[EHS1998]

One team I was really impressed with was Ellendale. With decisive wins over EKM and Lamoure over the summer this team could be very good. They lose two average seniors but replace them with 2 very athletic kids with Kellemon Hinton and TJ Belmore. Brennen Vance is a rising freshman with a very bright future. Chase Durheim, Zach Dathe, and Adam White work very well together and will lead this team to a lot of victories. Don't sleep on the Cardinals.

Summer League success isn't always a great barometer for the regular season as it is coached and reffed very differently. As an example 3 or 4 years ago Ellendale beat Lamoure handily several times in the Oakes summer league and ended up losing to them in the District 5 Championship that year. However, I share your thinking that this could be a good year for the Cardinals. I think 5 Key things for this to happen are: 1- Leadership must emerge and stay consistent, 2-Players must take pride in accepting whatever role they have that is best for the team, 3-Consistent outside shooting to keep teams from packing the paint. 4- Consistent alternative scoring option that makes other teams drop the double and triple teams on the post. 5- Keep turnovers to a minimum.

I've been around Ellendale basketball a long time and I know that having a winning team is so much more than talent. Lamoure has tremendous talent but what makes them great as a team is their work ethic, selflessness and commitment to playing as a team. I see this emerging in the Cardinals and I hope it continues.

I wouldn't sleep on EKM or Medina Buchanan Pingree either though.

[Flip]

Medina Buchanan Pingree that just roles off the tongue.

[EHS1998]

Medina Buchanan Pingree that just roles off the tongue.

I may have the order mixed up.

[Run4Fun2009]

Medina Buchanan Pingree that just roles off the tongue.

I may have the order mixed up.

Medina/Pingree-Buchanan...doesn't roll much better but it is what it is.

[EHS1998]

Medina Buchanan Pingree that just roles off the tongue.

I may have the order mixed up.

Medina/Pingree-Buchanan...doesn't roll much better but it is what it is.

Run to my rescue once again. Thanks man!

[woodchuck10]

Hard to call Shiloh or Linton "sleepers" IMO. Both are always contenders.

One team I think is a sleeper is St. John (Depending on who is coaching). Return basically their entire team, older Jay kid was hurt early in the season.

I think the District 8 Championship game could be St. John vs Rolette. Rolette didnt lose much of anything last year and played SJ pretty tough both games (lost by 2 and in 2OTs) last season. North Star will obviously be in the picture as well.

[NDAthletics]

One team I was really impressed with was Ellendale. With decisive wins over EKM and Lamoure over the summer this team could be very good. They lose two average seniors but replace them with 2 very athletic kids with Kellemon Hinton and TJ Belmore. Brennen Vance is a rising freshman with a very bright future. Chase Durheim, Zach Dathe, and Adam White work very well together and will lead this team to a lot of victories. Don't sleep on the Cardinals.

Summer League success isn't always a great barometer for the regular season as it is coached and reffed very differently. As an example 3 or 4 years ago Ellendale beat Lamoure handily several times in the Oakes summer league and ended up losing to them in the District 5 Championship that year. However, I share your thinking that this could be a good year for the Cardinals. I think 5 Key things for this to happen are: 1- Leadership must emerge and stay consistent, 2-Players must take pride in accepting whatever role they have that is best for the team, 3-Consistent outside shooting to keep teams from packing the paint. 4- Consistent alternative scoring option that makes other teams drop the double and triple teams on the post. 5- Keep turnovers to a minimum.

I've been around Ellendale basketball a long time and I know that having a winning team is so much more than talent. Lamoure has tremendous talent but what makes them great as a team is their work ethic, selflessness and commitment to playing as a team. I see this emerging in the Cardinals and I hope it continues.

I wouldn't sleep on EKM or Medina Buchanan Pingree either though.

Your absolutely right in saying summer league is different but it showed the potential this team really has. Guard play will be critical for them as they need to keep defenders honest. With White in the post there will be some pressure on guys like Durheim, Dathe, and Vance to hit some outside shots and keep defenders from stacking the paint to help out on White. I think your keys were spot on. This could be a team no one wants to face in February.

[Dun1234]

Sleeper teams in Region 7 are New England and Killdeer, outside of Beulah, Trinity, and Hazen which won't dominate IMO. Heart River is high on a lot of peoples lists but as soon as Heart River finds a way to stop Kudrna how will they score? The rest of the region seems pretty equal (RT, Glen-Ullin, Mott, Bowman, Hettinger-Scranton, Beach).

*Feedback is accepted.

I totally agree with this. I could see Killdeer and/or New England knocking off one of those "big 3" come region tournament time. Throughout the season I think the top of the region will be Beulah with the next 5 as New England, Hazen, Killdeer, Trinity and Heart River not in that order.

[twinsman123]

Don't sleep on Oakes or Hankinson in district 1.

[TheOneTheOnly]

No one in district one will beat Milnor that's a fact!! Oakes or Hankinson fight out two and three seed

[beachy]

I feel that after Milnor it could be up for anyone in district one... FCT beat Hankinson and Sargent Central alreaday and we will wee how they compar to Lisbon on thursday night.. But like i said after Milnor it could be all up in the Air..

[cntrfthrs]

I would have to say New Town since hoopster has them at 32 they are big and fast. They go about 9 deep and all r good shooters. They r my sleeper team to make it to state and once there anything can happen as seen last year. IMO

If New Town stays healthy they will be a contender at the end of the year.

Please tell me about new town. Although I live a 45 minute drive away, my seasonal loyalties lie with the braves and so I don't watch them play. But after the season if a Ft. Berthold team makes it to state, we're all fans. Do they have a good big man or men? How's their guards and 3 point shooters? Tell me about their losses, to who, and what other teams in the region could give em trouble...