WI Blizzard Blog

I want to thank Midwest Ballers Ryan Ellerbusch for coming for coming into practice and filming some of our guys this past week. Here is the link, as Ryan did a fantastic job!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qlmrRZL32w

This past weekend we attended NY2LA Invitational May 20th weekend. My 16/u team played early on Friday vs Illinois Old School. We came out of the game extremely sluggish, as we failed to score in the first three minutes of the game. Adam Pohlman and Jordan Shea got our team going early in the first half as we raced out to a 10 point lead by half time. Once Shea and Pohlman got it going, the rest of the team followed suit and we wound up winning by 14 points. It was great to see big Evan Runkel out there for the first time this year following his injury. Adam Pohlman led all scorers with 17, followed by Shea and multiple other players with roughly 7-10 points.

The 17/u team started out vs a very talented NLP team. Jordan Johnson from NLP is ultra talented and came out of the gates swinging. He connected on his first five shots, and put our team in a quick hole. Ethan Guske got hot during the first half to keep us in the game connecting on multiple three’s. During the half we talked about help-side defense and making other guys beat us and we slowly chipped into their lead. Guske continued his hot shooting ways, and Joe Burbach hit some shots as well. Following an and1 three by Joe Burbach, we took a small lead late in the game, but put backs on two straight possessions put us in a hole again. Still, we had the ball down 1 with 20 seconds left, and an unfortunate travel call was made. NLP then hit both free throws and we had a chance to tie with under 10 seconds left. However, we ran the play wrong and turned it over, which resulted in game over. Austin Mecca was effective down low, and all three (including Burbach) finished in double digits with Guske leading the way with 6 three’s in the game.

On Saturday, my 17′s played an 8am game vs Illinois Attack. We came out flat, and it was clear we weren’t ready to play. Attack got us in a huge hole early as their lead would get to 18 points in the first half. Kris Seffrood had a tremendous game off the bench for us, and willed our team to a comeback. Kris connected on contested lay ups, a couple threes, and handled the ball exceptionally well. In the second half Guske got a good feel, and we made it a game. However, we consumed to much energy trying to fight back and we wound up losing a close game to the Attack. Following the Attack game, we played the MN Select squad in the first round of Plat. Bracket play. There was some scheduling conflicts, and teams got switched around due to how the brackets were set up as we would have played the same team twice. We came into the game short handed as Josiah Vervelde, Joe Burbach and Nate Pronschinske could not make it due to prior commitments. With seven guys, we got out to a large lead thanks in part to a strong first half from Jake Verhagen. Jake played like a scholarship level player as he attacked the rim, connected on jumpers and flashed a little back to the basket game. Jake showed his true potential in this game, and I hope he continues to build on this game for the future. Ethan Guske also got a good feel going as he connected on multiple shots as well. We took a large lead in the first half, but MN Select slowly chipped into it with tremendous play from their PG. The second half was a seesaw battle as both teams took leads late. Following a turnover, which allowed MN Select to take a one point lead with 5.5 seconds left, we set up a play to go full court. Ethan inbounded the ball, got it back quickly and using a ball screen from Mecca got just enough room to go by his guy. Still, he had a highly contested shot on the baseline at the buzzer as it fell through the net. It was a huge shot for Ethan, and the guys battled the entire game with seven guys. Guske led all scorers, with Verhagen next along with Austin Mecca. Jacob Haag had his most active game as he connected on a variety of post moves in the paint while blocking shots. *I was not able to attend Sunday*

My 16′s played Illinois Celtics Saturday Morning and we came out hot. The Celtics didn’t score a point in the first 6 minutes of the game as we built a large lead. Doug Fabry played exceptional in the first half, and got the scoring started connecting on put backs and a three early in the first half. The game wound up being ended by mercy rule, but a few players really excelled. Evan Runkel played his best game so far with us as he scored 6 points, had a block and altered some shots. Evan still needs to work on boxing out with his big frame, but he showed some promise during this game. Jared Dudley had a terrific second half, connecting on a couple three’s, and lay ups off slips. Following our game, we realized we would have to play at 10 pm that night. We played a very athletic DTA team, in what was a close game throughout. We wound up having the same refs I had at 8am, so I knew it was going to be interesting. Even so, we got down by 10 early as the pressure really affected us. We continually backed off, were not aggressive, and allowed them to control the tempo of the game until Luke VanLenan checked in. Luke changed the entire momentum of the game by himself in the first half as he scored on multiple shots. He connected on a jumper, post up moves and drives to the basket. He finished the first half with 16 points, and really propelled us to claw back into the game. Mike Lukas followed his path and had, in my opinion, his best game of the summer. He was aggressive with the ball and was not intimidated by DTA. Mike had tremendous takes, good shot selection and led our team in the second half to a lead late. The biggest sequence of the game came when we missed three consecutive lay ups with roughly 2-3 minutes left. DTA would come down after each miss and connect on shots leaving us with a small deficit we couldn’t overcome. I was very happy with how hard the kids played, but we have a lot of improvement to make. I am looking forward to the challenge of pushing the kids harder than they have been pushed and seeing how they respond in Mankato/Sioux Falls in June.

Blizzard Kellett ended Day one with a convincing victory over West Michigan Lakers, and followed that up with two good games vs Waterloo and Fieldhouse Elite. We came out of the gates at 8am with a good team victory against Waterloo. Joe Burbach set the pace with 28 points as he connected on a couple three’s, hit free throws and got to the rim. Ethan Guske played a terrific floor game and finished with 21 points. Our lead ballooned up to 20 points before Waterloo made a furious comeback to cut the lead to 10 before free throws by Guske and Burbach put the game away. Austin Mecca was very impressive in the second half scoring in double digits. Game two came against Fieldhouse elite, in what was a good game to the end. Fieldhouse Elite was a very well coached, and unselfish team that would not go away. Multiple times we extended the lead to double digits, but they would rally. Josiah VerVelde scored in double figures as he was a fixture in our offense. Jake Verhagen had an individual 8 point spurt that helped us put the game away. Joe Burbach, Ethan Guske, Vervelde, Verhagen and Mecca all finished with double digit scoring in a 3 point victory.

Then things got chippy in our first round game VS Wisconsin Starz Elite. They picked us up and hounded our guards the entire game, but we got out to an early 12 point lead. Eventually, they would cut into the lead and come withing 3 points on multiple occasions. The Game turned on an ugly intentional foul on a dunk attempt by Joe Burbach, as he got undercut on the play. Austin Mecca played tremendous, with Jake Verhagen chipping in. Both Austin and Jake scored in double figures, as well as Ethan Guske on the game. We wound up winning by around 8-10 points in a tough, physical game.

We ended the night with a challenging game Vs Mac Irvin Fire. Mac Irvin believed it would be a cake walk, but we got out to a hot start to take an 8-2 lead early. We were able to get multiple threes throughout the first half which kept us in the game. Eventually, Mac Irvin would lead at half by six. Then things got interesting, as the crowd slowly was shifting in our favor, along with the refs allowing us to be physical on their bigs. They decided to stall with a 6 point lead and two minutes to go in the third quarter. I was all for shortening the game, and we allowed it to happen, and they eventually took a bad shot and we got the ball back. Ethan Guske broke through the defense and found Austin Berlick for a three to cut the lead to 3 at the end of the third, however, we had six guys on the floor. The refs noticed it 30 seconds later, and did not count our bucket, but they would later apologize as by rule they were supposed to. Our deficit went from 3 going into the fourth, to 5. Starting the fourth they stalled again. This time the crowd starting booing them, we began getting cheers, and it became a laughing stock. I am not sure anyone understood why a team so talented would stall, but from my view I wanted to shorten the game up and then anything could happen. I told my guys to wait until the 4-5 minute mark and then we would come out and pressure some. Following that time, Mac Irvin started to play and it became a game again. We were down 6-8 the rest of the way and ended up losing by 10. After the game, our team got compliments from other teams, other teams parents, and people working the tournament. Our kids really appreciated it as we clearly earned respect from everyone. Was great to get some publicity and recognition as ESPN asked for a few of our kids names, starting with Austin Berlick.

Against Mac Irvin, we knocked down 14 three’s as a team and really could have had more. We went cold for a full quarter when Mac extended the lead. Ethan Guske, Joe Burbach, Jake Verhagen, Austin Berlick and Josiah Vervelde all hit multiple three pointers.

Throughout the tournament we had some tremendous performances. Coming off of a poor showing in Minnesota, Joe Burbach really played well all weekend. He led us in scoring on multiple occasions, hit jumpers from outside and finished in transition. Ethan Guske was a tremendous player for us as he connected on multiple threes in each game and played TREMENDOUS defense. Austin Mecca played Big against the bigger teams, and showed why scholarship schools are looking at him. His best game came against Mac Irvin as he finished over the bigs on multiple occasions. An Unsung hero was Adam Pohlman who did not score much for us, but handled the point guard duties and rarely turned it over. He had a great weekend playing up a grade this weekend. Jake Verhagen had some extremely bright moments where he carried our team by himself. He had spurts in three of our five games where he would score 9-10 points straight. Was very pleased with his rebounding, and his energy. Austin Berlick came out strong the first game and then cooled off. However, he played extremely well against Mac Irvin and opened the eyes of many with his aggressive play. Austin has a very very bright future ahead of him. Steve Street always plays tremendous defense, but his back was giving him problems. Still, he attacked people all weekend and really played solid. He didnt hit the scoring column hard, but he contributed in every other area and I was pleased with his performance. Finally, it was great to see Josiah play well this weekend. He really played exceptional in our close “pool” game, and also showed more energy on the weekend. If he chooses to play hard, he will have a change to obtain a scholarship D1-D2.

Overall, it was a great weekend and I truly believe multiple guys opened the eyes of some scouts. Finished 4-1, must improve and get better and see where the next tournaments take us.

Blizzard Kellett went to Indiana with a mixed squad of 16/u and 17/u players. Both Adam Pohlman and Austin Berlick joined the likes of Ethan Guske, Joe Burbach, Jake Verhagen, Austin Mecca, Steve Street and Josiah Vervelde. The first game came against a very well coached team in Michigan Lakers. They played exceptionally well as a team, and it was a battle up to halftime. Joe Burbach came out strong in the second half and got us out to an early double digit lead that we would not relinquish. Burbach played well in every facet of the game as he assisted on plays, rebounded and scored in a variety of ways. Ethan Guske hit some clutch three’s for us and kept us out in front. I was very pleased with the play of the two sophomores, who got their first taste of playing up. Austin Berlick scored 10 points in todays contest in limited minutes due to foul trouble. All three, Guske, Burbach and Berlick scored in double figures. Steve Street made some nice plays in the paint as well.

Tomorrow we play at 8am and 12:30. Updates to follow.

The PumpNRun tournament has come and gone. Each Blizzard team (Pronschinske, Kellett-16, Kellett-17) fared well. First, The 17′s wound up in a battle with eventual champion Minnesota PumpnRun in the Platinum bracket. The Blizzard got off to a hot start as Ethan Guske drained multiple three pointers in the opening minutes. Austin Mecca also contributed baskets on multiple occasions in the first half as he continually finished over bigger defenders down low. Pump had a hard time scoring against the 1/3/1 length of the Blizzard. At halftime, the Blizzard held a four point lead. The wheels began to fall off at the start of the second half. Pump came out and knocked down their first 4 shots in the second half, which were all three pointers. Ethan Guske then started to get hot and kept the Blizzard in the game. It was a spirited game, but eventually PumpnRun pulled away for a 5 point win. We had a good look from 3 with 30 seconds left, but it was wide left. Ethan Guske led us in scoring, with Austin Mecca also chipping in double figures.

The 16′s won their pool play with tremendous teamwork and defense. Multiple players scored in double figures in each game, which lead us into the first round of the platinum bracket. We matched up with EOTO, and Jordan Shea came out hot. He scored multiple times and in a variety of ways in the opening minutes. He set the tone for the team, and everyone eventually joined in. Adam Pohlman collected double digit assists in the contest. In the final four we were matched up against Minnesota Fury. The Fury had a nice squad led by a tremendous point guard. Like most AAU games, we were by far the shorter team, and the Fury took advantage. To start the game, both teams missed multiple layups, wide open looks and seemed to be pressing. Eventually, we pulled ahead for a small lead but the Fury clawed back. Austin Berlick carried our team throughout the entire game. The second half started the same way the first half ended. It was a physical, football like, basketball game. Fury went into a 2/3 zone, and the blizzard could not connect on any jumpers the entire second half. Blizzard managed to keep the game close as it was a four point game with 1:30 left. Thats when things got weird. A ref came over after a blatant push off and made it known I shouldn’t say another word to him. Sounds good, was perfectly fine, but on the following possession Austin Berlick made a terrific no-look pass to Luke Vanlenan for a lay up. I yelled “good”, which led the ref to give me a technical. Following a few minutes of meeting with the refs, the other teams coach, all signs pointed to the ref for being wrong, but it couldnt be taken away. Fury got the ball and made the two free throws, which ruined any rally we would have had. It was a terrible way to lose a game, and the ref was later replaced. Tom Krosschell was a very classy guy and handled the situation tremendously. This was a first for me, our kids were stunned, the parents were stunned and even I was.

*Ethan Guske, Jake Verhagen, Austin Mecca for the 17/s, Austin Berlick, Adam Pohlman, Mike Lukas and Jordan Shea played extremely well for the 16′s.

Overall, this was a tremendous weekend for our program. I was unable to watch much of Blizzard Pronschinske’s 15/u team, but they lost in the championship to PumpnRun. All three Blizzard teams lost close games to the eventual champs, and we look forward to improving the rest of the summer.

Day one has come and gone. Blizzard Kellett came out strong out of the gates vs Kansas City Premiere. Jake Verhagen had himself a terrific game with multiple three’s, dunks, and rebounds. Verhagen led us to an early lead that we would not let go. Many scouts were impressed with the overall game of Jake tonight. Austin Mecca played like a scholarship player once again. He controlled the paint, scored and passed well out of the post. Blizzard led by as many as 20 points, but Kansas City wouldnt go away. They gradually clawed back into the game and cut it to 10 with 5 minutes left. At that time, multiple guys stepped up. Street, Guske, Seffrood, Verhagen had lay ups on continuous occasions. Mark, Ethan, Kris and Nathan handled pressure the entire game which really allowed our offense to take control. This was the best our team played as a whole, and I am excited to see what we can do tomorrow.

This was a great team win. We won 81-70, and play tomorrow at 12:00.

Congrats to TJ Hemauer on his decision to attend UW Parkside as a walk-on. Tj had a tremendous summer for Wisconsin Blizzard Kellett last year, and fared very well at exposure camps. TJ won the dunk contest, three point contest and also the 3/3 tournament at Viterbo yearbook camp last year. Tj is the third player from Blizzard-Kellett to commit to a scholarship school. (Matt Iverson and Mike Fisher)

It was a spirited and exciting day at the Blizzard Battle. Blizzard Mielke and Blizzard Hawley squared off in the game to go to the championship to face Blizzard Kellett. The game was back and forth, with Mielkes team coming back for a great team win.

The championship game featured Blizzard Kellett vs Mielke. It was a seesaw battle from the get go. Eric Kittel came out on fire, as he knocked down multiple shots early for Coach Mielke. Ethan Guske, Josiah Vervelde and Austin Mecca contributed early baskets for Coach Kellett. In the second half, Mielkes squad played exceptionally well and cut the deficit to 1 at one point. Koch and Kittel hit key baskets during that stretch. However, that is when Austin Mecca took over. Austin was a force down low, as he scored on multiple occasions and was sent to the free throw line. The rest of Blizzard Kellett made sure to feed the big man. Austin led all scorers in the championship game, as he led Blizzard Kellett to a 4 point victory.

Many players played well on the weekend, as it was the first live action for Blizzard Kellett. Ethan Guske, Austin Mecca, Jake Verhagen and Joey Burbach led us in scoring on the day. Jacob Haag, Steve Street played with tremendous energy altered shots and played terrific defense. Josiah Vervelde got it going in the championship game, and gave us a spark off the bench. Mark Gryz really handled the ball and was very smooth. Nate Pronschinske played a good all around game, his shot wasnt falling, but he battled, rebounded and played smart.

The Wisconsin Blizzard 16/u team finished up the Swish and Dish strong. On day two, we battled with the Iowa Barnstormers, which came down to the last moments of the game. Iowa, which starts 4 players over 6’6, played a 1/3/1 most the game and really challenged our shots. Mike Lukas really stepped up and dug the team out of a hole. Mike had a 30 second spurt where he had 10 points. We took a brief lead with two minutes to play before consecutive put backs ended the game.

The next day, we got placed in the Silver bracket, even though the team we beat earlier got placed in Gold. We started the morning out by beating Team Supreme by mercy rule. Austin Berlick knocked down five three’s in the first 10 minutes of the game. Each player scored in the game, and the unselfishness was a beautiful thing. Next, we played a very athletic King of the Court team. We got out to an early double digit lead and it stayed that way the entire first half. To close the half, a player from King of the Court nailed a 3 quarter court shot. With that momentum, they eventually tied the game up in the second half. Thats when Jordan Shea, Jason Precia and Doug Fabry took over. We would up winning by eight. The Running Rebels came in next and we led from start to finish. The lead ballooned up to 35 points,  before the Rebels made a short run and cut it to 17. Once again, each player scored which helped us into the championship game.

In the championship game we faced a VERY talented Illinois Wolves team, which had multiple Division 1 players. Austin Berlick really came to play. He carried our team offensively, with Doug Fabry and Jordan Shea chipping in. We had an unfortunate turnover late, missed free throw and eventually the Wolves hit a shot at the buzzer to win.

Overall, this was a great weekend. I was really impressed with the heady play of Jordan Shea. Shea took care of the basketball, hit open shots, and continually got rebounds over bigger opponents. Austin Berlick would be our team MVP, as he led us in scoring on the weekend. He is a player that will attract the attention of D2 schools this summer. Austin is long armed, athletic, and does a little bit of everything. Adam Nelson also had spurts where he played extremely well. Nelson used his body for positioning, rebounded and had some big shots. Finally, Doug Fabry and Adam Pohlman were the tough, glue guys. Rarely outworked, they got to lose balls, rebounds and converted lay ups.

Wiscosin Blizzard Kellett came into this game without Matt Reader and Evan Runkel. One would guess size would be an issue against a longer, athletic Chicago Magic squad. The Blizzard led from tip to finish, and wound up with a 7 point win. Jordan Shea played exceptional defense on Paul Turner all night, hounding him to take tough shots. Austin Berlick was all over the floor collecting rebounds, leading the fast break and converting crucial baskets. Doug Fabry led us in rebounding and scoring. He benefitted from great passing from Adam Pohlman and converted over taller players.

This was a great way to start the year, a great team effort. The Blizzard play tomorrow at 12:40 vs Iowa Barnstormers