North Dakota Preps

I don't know if this is old news or not, but I jus heard it not too long ago and Shaunna Knife is transferring to Botno on Monday i believe.  Botno loses one former Belcourt player in Mandee Keplin and gains another talented star. 

Nice. . .Go Shaunna Knife!!!!!!!!!!!

any recruitment going on there or what?  sounds a little fishy to me :)  :whisper:

Rumor around the State B Boys tourney was that Finley was also going to Bottineau.  She's got a class A state title and now wants a Class B.

Nah i don't think its recruitment at all.   It happens all the time around this area.  Usually a player doesn't get to start varsity or the playing time they deserve at Belcourt and transfer to a local class B school, usually St.John for boys.  Mandee Keplin did this as a freshmen, except she transferred to Dunseith along with another Belcourt girl and both of them saw good time and were impact players.  I guess Mandee decided to drive an extra 18 miles and play for a state championship at Botno and it paid off for her.  For Shaunna, obviously it isn't about playing time and rather about a state championship.  I don't know what the different times are in cross country and track as compared to class A, but she is a very good long distance runner also and Botno also has a good cross country team. 

This move is really hurting Belcourt Bravettes basketball, as the team has been continually improving and only lost one start to graduation with a good crop of underclassmen.  Good luck to Shaunna Knife, i know everyone around the area was proud of Mandee Kepling this year and the same will go to Shaunna if Botno wins another state title (which they definatley should).

 

I heard the Bottineau AD spends time recruiting players from that area when at the casino. shawna is a great addition to forsberg's team, but parents in town are already upset.

Scout46C wrote:I heard the Bottineau AD spends time recruiting players from that area when at the casino. shawna is a great addition to forsberg's team, but parents in town are already upset.

I have a hard time thinking this is true for two reasons.  #1-Forsberg would be extremely upset if this was being done.  He has too much of a stand up guy to allow it. 

#2-Bottineau's AD is too lazy to think of an idea like this let alone actually do it.  If you have ever seen his scheduling for jamobaree's, you would see what I mean.  He brings in less than elite teams in considering Bottineau's facilities and its status in Class B when compared to the jamboree's at the Minot Auditorium and Bismarck Civic Center.

Knife is going to Bottineau because she want to go there.  Her folks own land in Bottineau County so she has every right to go there if her and her family want her to.

Shaunna Knife isn't goin to botno because of recruitment, she's goin' to be on a championship team...like these rumors about her goin' to Mandan, if she wanted to go there she would've already been there...Shaunna wanted to succeed as being part of a team, not just individually...everyone wants to be apart of a championship team and thats what she's doing goin' to be on a chamionship team...

Boy, some guys are really sharp. Your right, forsberg would probably not put up with it if he knew recruiting was going on. Shaunna is coming to botno to improve herself, things sound bad over at the belcourt program for girls bb right now. forsberg does have good moral values to pass along by his leadership, hear some may not always like his coaching style, but they are lucky to have a well grounded person to head the program--they wont get it from the AD--that is why there is problems with football & boys basketball- no leadership at the top and no AD to help the coaches.. shaunna is a great person, a great student and an all around good person, she is an addition to botno they should all appreciate, but the conflicts are coming from the parents, I hope the gbb coaches can handle the pressures.

forsberg has won something like 400-plus games coaching girls and won something like 500-plus games in his career overall. i'm willing to bet this isn't the first time he has had to deal with upset 'rents. he'll be fine. :up:

Bismarcker wrote:

Scout46C wrote:I heard the Bottineau AD spends time recruiting players from that area when at the casino. shawna is a great addition to forsberg's team, but parents in town are already upset.

I have a hard time thinking this is true for two reasons.  #1-Forsberg would be extremely upset if this was being done.  He has too much of a stand up guy to allow it. 

#2-Bottineau's AD is too lazy to think of an idea like this let alone actually do it.  If you have ever seen his scheduling for jamobaree's, you would see what I mean.  He brings in less than elite teams in considering Bottineau's facilities and its status in Class B when compared to the jamboree's at the Minot Auditorium and Bismarck Civic Center.

Knife is going to Bottineau because she want to go there.  Her folks own land in Bottineau County so she has every right to go there if her and her family want her to.

Shaunna's family doesn't own land anywhere in the Turtle Mountains, i dont' know where you got that from, but shaunna really wanted to go to Bottineau and she loves it

rep wrote:forsberg has won something like 400-plus games coaching girls and won something like 500-plus games in his career overall. i'm willing to bet this isn't the first time he has had to deal with upset 'rents. he'll be fine. :up:

The Minot Daily News did an article before this last season started on Forsberg winning 600 total games, boys and girls combined. So, he's certainly on his way to 700 and got a pretty good start, considering what he won this year.

Wildcat wrote:

rep wrote:forsberg has won something like 400-plus games coaching girls and won something like 500-plus games in his career overall. i'm willing to bet this isn't the first time he has had to deal with upset 'rents. he'll be fine. :up:

The Minot Daily News did an article before this last season started on Forsberg winning 600 total games, boys and girls combined. So, he's certainly on his way to 700 and got a pretty good start, considering what he won this year.

he's been around the block. seriously...if you win 20 games a year, you are still looking at 30 years until you reach 600. and if you have a down cycle, that's only going to prolong it.

and so the free agency for schools begins. When will they put better restrictions on leting kids  move from school to school.

I was told that the Knife's own land in Botno County by someone that lives in the Dunseith/Belcourt area that said he was related to them.  I do not have a reason not to believe him. 

But they could be telling a story.  :?

Bismarcker wrote:I was told that the Knife's own land in Botno County by someone that lives in the Dunseith/Belcourt area that said he was related to them.  I do not have a reason not to believe him. 

But they could be telling a story.  :?

it's just a story, Shaunna's parents aren't even from the Belcourt so they have no connections to owning land anywhere in the Turtle Mountains or Bottineau County, Trust Me...

Bighammer wrote:and so the free agency for schools begins. When will they put better restrictions on leting kids  move from school to school.

Why does it matter, if kids want to leave to attend a better school then let them...who's it hurting, it's there choice...

cd - what really makes the difference if parents own land anywhere - this is called open enrollment and students are free to go anywhere.  It always gets called "recruiting"  when someone moves into a "championship" basketball town!  Believe me, we have been through this in Mandan - some "jealous" people from Bismarck area have been accusing Mandan of "recruiting" due to the fact that they had a transfer in student who played basketball and it just so happened she played on the team when Mandan took their 5th championship in a row.  It isn't like this student got the championship on her own - she was part of a team that worked together to accomplish this feat.

cd- I agree 100% that kids are free to go anywhere.  I wasn't trying to give the wrong impression about the owning land story (that turns out to be wrong) or that I think kids shouldn't change schools if they wish.  It is their own choice to make and that's fine with me.  I also agree that accusing Mandan of recruiting is wrong.  Being around Century and BHS people, I hear a lot of strange stories.

Being a Botno alum, I have already heard people in the area up there accuse them of recruiting going back to when Keplin and Peltier started school there, which is also wrong.  Shaunna will be a great addition to Botno's team and I'm sure she will improve as a player with getting to play there. 

That's a pretty even trade, keplin for knife. They should be pretty tough to stop again next year.

Mr. Me Too wrote:

Bighammer wrote:and so the free agency for schools begins. When will they put better restrictions on leting kids  move from school to school.

Why does it matter, if kids want to leave to attend a better school then let them...who's it hurting, it's there choice...

so big if your kid wanted to go to a school where they would at most likly or at least have a shot to make it to a state chamionship game your tellin me that you wouldnt let them...just wonder thats all

is this shaunna knife even that good? Lot of talk about her but really is she that what everyone talks about?

VolsFan3 wrote:is this shaunna knife even that good? Lot of talk about her but really is she that what everyone talks about?

She is a player....she will be dominant in the class B ranks.

Baller wrote:

VolsFan3 wrote:is this shaunna knife even that good? Lot of talk about her but really is she that what everyone talks about?

She is a player....she will be dominant in the class B ranks.

she has a few flaws to her game, but i see her getting better playing on a team where losing is uncommon...

A few flaws. she must be a good player..thats good to hear she got out of belcourt.wish her the best!