The last of the previews puts a light on the back-to-back State finalists from West Fargo as coach Adam Palczewski shared about the upcoming season and a bit more.
For the second year in a row your team advanced to the state championship game. How was the experience different the second time, beyond the outcome?
"We had a great group of young men who put everything they had into becoming better players and better men and I will be forever grateful for what they gave to me and to each other during their careers. I think our younger players saw the dedication and competitiveness and it will make them better this year."
What other memories from last season stand out for you?
"The leadership of our seniors stands out, especially Brett Limke and Carson Hegerle. Both young men took care to compete every day and lead by example. The addition of Foday Sheriff was also special as he took advantage of his opportunities to have a great year."
Did your team participate in any camps this past Summer? Did any players surprise you with what they showed during workouts?
"We don’t do much in the summer and I think that is an advantage for us. Our players rarely burn out or lose enthusiasm during the season. I tell them that I’d rather have 100% of what they have for 4 months than 75% for 12 months. There are a lot of players who will have a great year for us. We had a lot of guys get better in the weight room including guys like Cole Teideman and Payton McGregor who also starred for us on the football field."
Have you already had players in the gym working on their game this Fall?
"We did a little bit in the fall but most of my varsity players are multi-sport athletes, including senior Isaac Fitz and Bonfas Loria who won a state title in soccer this year. Competing is more important in my mind that just getting up mindless shots."
Who do you anticipate will be the top players for you this Winter? How have you seen them improve?
"I have 8 players who are ready to go day 1: Seniors Isaac Fitz, Max Pfau, Nick Parries, Cole Teideman, Payton McGregor, and Max Shell; Junior Tony Leal; and Sophomore Bonfas Loria."
"All of them dedicated themselves to the weight room and have become better shooters."
How might they continue to progress?
"I am hoping they can raise their level defensively and, also, become great decision makers on offense and defense with the speed of the varsity game."
Which other players do you think will help fill-in for Carson Hegerle, Foday Sheriff & the rest of the departures? What do they bring to the roster?
"It will be hard to replace those guys. The leadership, experience, and talent is gone but we have some hungry kids that I mentioned above who will continue to get better throughout the year and hopefully we will be a tough team to play in February and March but it will be a long journey until then. We have no returning varsity players so the scoring will have to sort itself out. We will focus on being solid defensively and let our offense be created from our defense." Is there a certain aspect of the game that you think will be the strength of your team?
"This team’s competitiveness and team speed will be an advantage. We are undersized so effort will be paramount as well as a continued emphasis on communication on both ends of the court." To boil it down, what would make the upcoming season a successful one?
"This season will be successful if we strive to get better every day and enjoy the game and our teammates. Wins and losses are not the measuring stick of our program but the caliber of young man who emerges from it is. We use the vehicle of basketball to teach life and this team is going to be successful in life." There's been a lot of talk about the proposed three-class division. Do you have a comment about that?
"I am a fan of it. I hope it passes. We want to compete against the best. Some schools in class A or the private class B schools may not have the same “Bring on the Competition” attitude as we have but we want to play teams that require us to bring our best every night. For that to happen 3 classes needs to pass." Is there anything else you would like people to know about your program or players?
"We have a fantastic group of young men throughout our program and I am proud of who they are every day. Can’t wait to show the state the caliber of people they are."