Best team of all time in Class B

[heelsfan]

ndlionsfan wrote:

97 MPCG team was far and away the best basketball team in the modern era and perhaps ever in this state.  I played against them in the state quarterfinals that year and when you walked out on the floor and saw their height and size it was instant intimidation.  Not to mention their athleticism and basketball ability.  After we got over the initial shock, we played them pretty tough and ended up losing by 10.  I think we were the closest any ND team go to them that year.  I do think they lost to a team or two from the cities, tho.

 

Wrong!  I played for Beulah that year and we only lost to them by 1 point in the finals.  We should have beat them, we had two chances at the end of the game, but some bad decisons were made.  Towards the end of the game we were up by a few. We also beat them the following year by almost 20 points in the power poll.

[thundastruck.]

[user=26]point/center[/user] wrote:

i think there was a little bit of consternation with Chuck and Leah...I think they were in the Finley Sharon dist.? but Chuck went to Mayville for hoops? Not 100% sure on that.

Chuck and Darren Klabo went to elementary school in Finley and then high school in MPCG - there were some people that weren't happy about that. Also Travis Kraft's dad got a job in MPCG I believe when Travis was a 7th or 8th grader - they were previously at Central Valley.
And obviously Leclair's moved in when Andy was in elementary as his dad got the head coach job at MSU for football.
So not a lot of May-Port natives on that team - which leaves the conspirators to believe in the recruiting stories.

and later on nelson got hired with his talented kid and then steve trudeau moves in and...

[itsallabouteddie]

[user=26]point/center[/user] wrote:

i think there was a little bit of consternation with Chuck and Leah...I think they were in the Finley Sharon dist.? but Chuck went to Mayville for hoops? Not 100% sure on that.

Chuck and Darren Klabo went to elementary school in Finley and then high school in MPCG - there were some people that weren't happy about that. Also Travis Kraft's dad got a job in MPCG I believe when Travis was a 7th or 8th grader - they were previously at Central Valley.
And obviously Leclair's moved in when Andy was in elementary as his dad got the head coach job at MSU for football.
So not a lot of May-Port natives on that team - which leaves the conspirators to believe in the recruiting stories.

and later on nelson got hired with his talented kid and then steve trudeau moves in and...

and i think kyle nelson actually had a buxton (central valley) address...

[thundastruck.]

[user=26]point/center[/user] wrote:

i think there was a little bit of consternation with Chuck and Leah...I think they were in the Finley Sharon dist.? but Chuck went to Mayville for hoops? Not 100% sure on that.

Chuck and Darren Klabo went to elementary school in Finley and then high school in MPCG - there were some people that weren't happy about that. Also Travis Kraft's dad got a job in MPCG I believe when Travis was a 7th or 8th grader - they were previously at Central Valley.
And obviously Leclair's moved in when Andy was in elementary as his dad got the head coach job at MSU for football.
So not a lot of May-Port natives on that team - which leaves the conspirators to believe in the recruiting stories.

and later on nelson got hired with his talented kid and then steve trudeau moves in and...

and i think kyle nelson actually had a buxton (central valley) address...

and i thought the baldwins are from out of town also, i could be wrong....

[The Schwab]

Alright....all of this recruiting bit, I know how you feel.....If anyone should feel cheated in the Klabo's and Baldwin's open enroling to MPCG, it would be Finley-Sharon alumni.....as a former Raider I have a few opinions on this.....1st off the Klabo's left long before any varsity years, so it would be imposible to know if they would have developed the same in the FS system.......they live about....6-10 miles Northeast of Finley, within the school district.......Baldwin's on the other hand NEVER attended school in FS so you cant say that they were recruited......It's not Travis or Craig's fault that their dad's got jobs in the school........oh and on the subject of the Beulah v. MPCG games....i know that beulah beat MPCG by 20 in the opening weekend ...but didnt MPCG avenge that loss in the state tourny...i could be wrong....but just a thought.

[heelsfan]

Alright....all of this recruiting bit, I know how you feel.....If anyone should feel cheated in the Klabo's and Baldwin's open enroling to MPCG, it would be Finley-Sharon alumni.....as a former Raider I have a few opinions on this.....1st off the Klabo's left long before any varsity years, so it would be imposible to know if they would have developed the same in the FS system.......they live about....6-10 miles Northeast of Finley, within the school district.......Baldwin's on the other hand NEVER attended school in FS so you cant say that they were recruited......It's not Travis or Craig's fault that their dad's got jobs in the school........oh and on the subject of the Beulah v. MPCG games....i know that beulah beat MPCG by 20 in the opening weekend ...but didnt MPCG avenge that loss in the state tourny...i could be wrong....but just a thought.

Your right, MPCG did beat Beulah in the State Tourney that year.  They played pretty well against Beulah.  And Beulah didn't play so well.  It was a pretty good rivalry while it lasted.  The team that wins in the end get most of the credit, which they probably deserve...but Beulah doesn't get much credit for what they did against MPCG.

[The Schwab]

oh i will be the first one to say that beulah was a very good team....who was that player they had....i think his name was Jayden Olsen...help me out on this.

[ndlionsfan]

ndlionsfan wrote:

97 MPCG team was far and away the best basketball team in the modern era and perhaps ever in this state.  I played against them in the state quarterfinals that year and when you walked out on the floor and saw their height and size it was instant intimidation.  Not to mention their athleticism and basketball ability.  After we got over the initial shock, we played them pretty tough and ended up losing by 10.  I think we were the closest any ND team go to them that year.  I do think they lost to a team or two from the cities, tho.

 

Wrong!  I played for Beulah that year and we only lost to them by 1 point in the finals.  We should have beat them, we had two chances at the end of the game, but some bad decisons were made.  Towards the end of the game we were up by a few. We also beat them the following year by almost 20 points in the power poll.

I'm not saying the MOCG team of 97 couldn't be beat, I'm saying they were the most talented team in ND history.  What does beating the 98 MPCG team have to do with the 97 team??  We beat the 98 team by 25 in the state semis that year, too.  They were more talented and much taller than us, but our defense just smothered them.

[ndlionsfan]

Alright....all of this recruiting bit, I know how you feel.....If anyone should feel cheated in the Klabo's and Baldwin's open enroling to MPCG, it would be Finley-Sharon alumni.....as a former Raider I have a few opinions on this.....1st off the Klabo's left long before any varsity years, so it would be imposible to know if they would have developed the same in the FS system.......they live about....6-10 miles Northeast of Finley, within the school district.......Baldwin's on the other hand NEVER attended school in FS so you cant say that they were recruited......It's not Travis or Craig's fault that their dad's got jobs in the school........oh and on the subject of the Beulah v. MPCG games....i know that beulah beat MPCG by 20 in the opening weekend ...but didnt MPCG avenge that loss in the state tourny...i could be wrong....but just a thought.

Your right, MPCG did beat Beulah in the State Tourney that year.  They played pretty well against Beulah.  And Beulah didn't play so well.  It was a pretty good rivalry while it lasted.  The team that wins in the end get most of the credit, which they probably deserve...but Beulah doesn't get much credit for what they did against MPCG.

Yeah, and then lost to a smaller, determined Leeds team by 25 the next night in the semis.

[ndlionsfan]

[user=1251]Diamond D[/user] wrote:

?

I am going to throw this out and some of the younger ones on the site my disagree, but I think the older ones will agree.

I don't think MPCG of 97 was the best this state has ever seen.?

I know I only got to watch them play a handful of games, but I believe there were many teams in 1992 and 93 that would have contested against them.? I also think the Newburg team of Chris Leamioux (sp?) and Kevin Beirman would have given them a good shot at the title as well.

I think both Ryan and Jason Henry at Minot Ryan (1992) would have been able to keep pressure on Nelson....they also had Pankratz that year.? Watford City was pretty stacked as well as Munich, Mohall, Trenton, and Del Lacs/Burlington.

Washburn, Kenmare, Linton, Hillsboro and few other had some athletes/teams as well that I think would have competed against them very well in some of the past years.

Now I am not saying they WOULD beat the 97 team, but I think they would have given a very good run at the title.

Craig Nelson didn't play on that MPCG team. It was Chuck Klabo 6'5 - Andrew Leclair 6'7 Matt Swift 6'5, Tom Jacobsen 6'5 Jeremy Macekovic 6'6 the other Klabo - whose name escapes me now - 6'6 and Travis Kraft 6'7 came off the bench with Chuck Klabo.
My belief in saying MPCG was the best is that they were the most TALENTED team I had ever seen. 6 of these 7 individuals went on to play D-1 Basketball, football or D-2 or NAIA basketball. They were the most athletically gifted TEAM I have ever seen. I think the Lamoure team of 76 or 77 I forget which year - That would have been the most dominant.

I believe Minot Ryan was undefeated state champ in 94, not 92.  They beat a pretty tough Tolna team that year.  Champ in 1992 was Munich, they beat Leeds in the final.  I'd have to agree and say a few teams in the early 90's were pretty close to the 97 MPCG team.  Munich, Watford City, and Leeds all had stacked teams and went to state in 91 and 92, Minot Ryan had that great team in 94, and Carrington and Grenora in 95.  The early 90's were great years for Class B basketball.

[Indians Alumni]

[user=1251]Diamond D[/user] wrote:

?

I am going to throw this out and some of the younger ones on the site my disagree, but I think the older ones will agree.

I don't think MPCG of 97 was the best this state has ever seen.?

I know I only got to watch them play a handful of games, but I believe there were many teams in 1992 and 93 that would have contested against them.? I also think the Newburg team of Chris Leamioux (sp?) and Kevin Beirman would have given them a good shot at the title as well.

I think both Ryan and Jason Henry at Minot Ryan (1992) would have been able to keep pressure on Nelson....they also had Pankratz that year.? Watford City was pretty stacked as well as Munich, Mohall, Trenton, and Del Lacs/Burlington.

Washburn, Kenmare, Linton, Hillsboro and few other had some athletes/teams as well that I think would have competed against them very well in some of the past years.

Now I am not saying they WOULD beat the 97 team, but I think they would have given a very good run at the title.

Craig Nelson didn't play on that MPCG team. It was Chuck Klabo 6'5 - Andrew Leclair 6'7 Matt Swift 6'5, Tom Jacobsen 6'5 Jeremy Macekovic 6'6 the other Klabo - whose name escapes me now - 6'6 and Travis Kraft 6'7 came off the bench with Chuck Klabo.
My belief in saying MPCG was the best is that they were the most TALENTED team I had ever seen. 6 of these 7 individuals went on to play D-1 Basketball, football or D-2 or NAIA basketball. They were the most athletically gifted TEAM I have ever seen. I think the Lamoure team of 76 or 77 I forget which year - That would have been the most dominant.

I believe Minot Ryan was undefeated state champ in 94, not 92.  They beat a pretty tough Tolna team that year.  Champ in 1992 was Munich, they beat Leeds in the final.  I'd have to agree and say a few teams in the early 90's were pretty close to the 97 MPCG team.  Munich, Watford City, and Leeds all had stacked teams and went to state in 91 and 92, Minot Ryan had that great team in 94, and Carrington and Grenora in 95.  The early 90's were great years for Class B basketball.

Does anyone remember the Minn team from the late 80's, I barely remember them, my older brother played for FW.  But I remember the 87 or 88 team. they were dominant.  I thought Sear's was the tallest man alive when I was young, turns out I am taller than he is.  ahaha, but just asking if anyone remembers those guys, they come to mind, I don't know if they went to state but they were a heck of a ball club, under coach Carlson

[ndlionsfan]

I think the Minn club you're talking about was from 84.  I know this Sears you're talking about and I think he has told me he graduated in 84.  I know he was a heck of a player and they had a great team, but never made it to the big dance.  I think Sears got hurt one year and they got upset another.

[Indians Alumni]

I think the Minn club you're talking about was from 84.  I know this Sears you're talking about and I think he has told me he graduated in 84.  I know he was a heck of a player and they had a great team, but never made it to the big dance.  I think Sears got hurt one year and they got upset another.

That dude can ball.  ANother that played on that team is reffing now, Corey Ploium.  He was a sound player. 

[ndlionsfan]

I agree, I know both men and have talked to them about their playing days and have heard stories from others.  They must have been great players and a great team.  I know Jerry can still put it down, too - pretty impressive...

[The Schwab]

wasnt there a Jerry Cook on that team that was all state?

[Diamond D]

I know Ryan was undefeated in 94, but they were not the calibur of the 1992 team.  the Henry boys would have eaten the two guards up,   Pankratz started as a sophomore in 92 and was a senior in 94 (if my memory is correct.).  Obviously he was better as a senior than sophomore.

In 1992, the two Regions that played in Minot were extremely strong.  Anyone in that region could have gone onto state. 

I had forgotten about Leeds,  they were also tough that year as well.

Just my humble opinion though.

[Indians Alumni]

How about Munich, I remember Marty McDonald, a heck of a baseball player for Jamestown College.  Infact, I think he was Mr Basketball if my memory serves me correct.  They were a tough team too! 

[ndlionsfan]

Did the 92 Ryan team go to state?  What did they finish?  I just don't remember them.  Yeah Munich had Marty McDonald (Mr. Bball), Leeds had Jason Haagenson, and Watford had Fred Fridley....all three went on to great college careers, too.  Each team also had a very talented supporting cast to go along with the superstars.

[Indians Alumni]

Did the 92 Ryan team go to state?  What did they finish?  I just don't remember them.  Yeah Munich had Marty McDonald (Mr. Bball), Leeds had Jason Haagenson, and Watford had Fred Fridley....all three went on to great college careers, too.  Each team also had a very talented supporting cast to go along with the superstars.

Had the pleasure of playing Legion ball with Haagenson and also played college football with the guy.  He was a tough as nails guy.  I just saw him when FW played in GF against NB.  Guys still looks like he can play.  They also had Erik Engstrome.  and Later they co-oped with Wolford and brought Wolfe, that guy was tough too, had a nice shot from about 15 feet.  Tough to block. 

Tolna was tough too in 93-94, Scott Hanson, Kevin Forde.  Region was tough then.  We had the 3rd seed. behind Tolna and Carrington.  That was probably the toughest region to play out of that year. 

FW that year had a tough Fred Longie, the guy had a 4 inch verticle but had a way of hanging in the air.  They had the Late Kenroy Rainbow.  He was tough off the dribble and he could pull up from anywhere and drain it.  I remember a game he shook up Derrick Sunderland from Petersberg.  (He was supposed to be the toughest defender then) Another shooter Jason Feather.  That guy could drain from the hash, wasn't very big but could somehow shoot over guys twice his size. 


 

[ndlionsfan]

Did the 92 Ryan team go to state?  What did they finish?  I just don't remember them.  Yeah Munich had Marty McDonald (Mr. Bball), Leeds had Jason Haagenson, and Watford had Fred Fridley....all three went on to great college careers, too.  Each team also had a very talented supporting cast to go along with the superstars.

Had the pleasure of playing Legion ball with Haagenson and also played college football with the guy.  He was a tough as nails guy.  I just saw him when FW played in GF against NB.  Guys still looks like he can play.  They also had Erik Engstrome.  and Later they co-oped with Wolford and brought Wolfe, that guy was tough too, had a nice shot from about 15 feet.  Tough to block. 

Tolna was tough too in 93-94, Scott Hanson, Kevin Forde.  Region was tough then.  We had the 3rd seed. behind Tolna and Carrington.  That was probably the toughest region to play out of that year. 

The guy can still play.  I started an alumni bball tourney in Leeds last year and he came back and played and pretty much schooled everyone.  Alot of those guys from back in those years can still play ball well.  Yeah, I'd have to say the 94 region was as tough as they come.  Tolna, Carrington, Mwkn/Shey, Leeds/Wolf, and FW all had stacked teams. 

By the way, I think I have you pegged Indian Alum......I know who you are and remember your playing days pretty well.

[Indians Alumni]

Did the 92 Ryan team go to state?  What did they finish?  I just don't remember them.  Yeah Munich had Marty McDonald (Mr. Bball), Leeds had Jason Haagenson, and Watford had Fred Fridley....all three went on to great college careers, too.  Each team also had a very talented supporting cast to go along with the superstars.

Had the pleasure of playing Legion ball with Haagenson and also played college football with the guy.  He was a tough as nails guy.  I just saw him when FW played in GF against NB.  Guys still looks like he can play.  They also had Erik Engstrome.  and Later they co-oped with Wolford and brought Wolfe, that guy was tough too, had a nice shot from about 15 feet.  Tough to block. 

Tolna was tough too in 93-94, Scott Hanson, Kevin Forde.  Region was tough then.  We had the 3rd seed. behind Tolna and Carrington.  That was probably the toughest region to play out of that year. 

The guy can still play.  I started an alumni bball tourney in Leeds last year and he came back and played and pretty much schooled everyone.  Alot of those guys from back in those years can still play ball well.  Yeah, I'd have to say the 94 region was as tough as they come.  Tolna, Carrington, Mwkn/Shey, Leeds/Wolf, and FW all had stacked teams. 

By the way, I think I have you pegged Indian Alum......I know who you are and remember your playing days pretty well.

:aaa:Oops!!

[hoop_fan1]

how bout the undefeated mpcg team with craig nelson.  i can never find out if it is a fact but i heard he had 5 turnovers the whole year at point guard.  if its true that is the most impressive stat i have ever heard.

That team doesnt even come close to the 97 team, or the 96 team, or maybe even the 95 team that didnt even win it all (That tournament was STACKED!). Just no comparison of athleticism, height, skill level, and not to mention the level of competition that they played. Kraft was comming of the bench as a Soph even. He would have been the leading scorer for every other team in the state and he couldnt even crack the starting lineup (if i remember right).

95, 96, 97 was  a blurr they won by a lot -lots of times....    ya i think kraft came off the bench cus he was young.  kraft graduated in 99?  dont remem

98 i thought

I remember listening to the state tournament, and the commentators said he had 7 turnovers the entire year.  I would guess he took good care of the ball the rest of that tournament, and ended the year with 7.   I agree, one of the most staggering statistics I've heard for ND basketball.  Can anyone else comment on whether this is fact?

[Diamond D]

Did the 92 Ryan team go to state?  What did they finish?  I just don't remember them.  Yeah Munich had Marty McDonald (Mr. Bball), Leeds had Jason Haagenson, and Watford had Fred Fridley

 

Fridley and Co. stopped them from coming to state.  They were in the same Region that year.

As I stated, that region was highly competitive as was the other region that played in Minot in 1992 (one played at the Dome, the other at the Auditorium).  Mohall was stacked, Del Lacs, Watford, Trenton, Ray, Grenora, Kenmare, Underwood, etc..

IMHO I just don't think the quality of basketball was as good in 1994 as it was in 1992.  But that is just my humble opinion.

[thundastruck.]

[user=26]point/center[/user] wrote:

i think there was a little bit of consternation with Chuck and Leah...I think they were in the Finley Sharon dist.? but Chuck went to Mayville for hoops? Not 100% sure on that.

Chuck and Darren Klabo went to elementary school in Finley and then high school in MPCG - there were some people that weren't happy about that. Also Travis Kraft's dad got a job in MPCG I believe when Travis was a 7th or 8th grader - they were previously at Central Valley.
And obviously Leclair's moved in when Andy was in elementary as his dad got the head coach job at MSU for football.
So not a lot of May-Port natives on that team - which leaves the conspirators to believe in the recruiting stories.

and later on nelson got hired with his talented kid and then steve trudeau moves in and...

and i think kyle nelson actually had a buxton (central valley) address...

and i thought the baldwins are from out of town also, i could be wrong....

and im sure theres a few more, help anybody??

[The Schwab]

would you get off the whole "mayville recruits finley people".....