HS Record

[uffdapete]

Along with about 700-800 other fans and media in a gym that would probably struggle to hold 500, I had the privelege of watching Katie Ohm break the MN high school BB scoring record last night. There's a good chance she'll add another 350+ pts. to it before she's done too.

This team is really a real life female version of "Hoosiers". Very fun stuff.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I dont know the story.. has she signed anywhere yet?

[honker23]

I thought it was with the gophers. Saw he two years ago and she was tough then, can't imagine her know!

[uffdapete]

Katie signed with the Gophers last year, towards the end of BB season if I remember correctly. Borton recruited her the first day she could legally do so.

It will be interesting to see how she makes the transition.

Yes, she's from a small school but has played against most of the better talent in the state for the last 7-8 years in holiday and state tournaments and AAU ball. I think she'll do fine.

She's a fantastic young lady off the court too.

And not a one player show either - they have 4 players who've scored over a 1,000 pts. It would really be a shame if they don't win a state title this year but there's no guarantees.

The last 4-5 years will become legendary for the little towns of Elgin and Millville for sure. Ya gotta love small town basketball.

[JohnnyC77]

Katie is a wonderful player, yes, but I don't know how well she will fare with the gophers. I have seen her on several occasions and she doesn't seem to flow very well and isn't very quick. She is also not tall enough to be a post at the D1 level. She is a great scorer and a good ball player, but just not quick or tall enough. Also, they are not a hooshiers story, the hooshiers over achieved and I don't think that team overachieves or underachieves. They have a GREAT team!!

[lots of luck]

Quote:

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had the privelege of watching Katie Ohm break the MN high school BB scoring record last night. There's a good chance she'll add another 350+ pts. to it before she's done too.

This team is really a real life female version of "Hoosiers". Very fun stuff.

---

Well from what I hear it sounds like a shame in how her coach coordinated the games leading up to this one. Her team was destroying far lesser teams, to set her up for a scoring record at home. At this point most coaches would "call off the dogs", allowing some of the other kids to play, maybe gain some experience for the future seasons. But this coach had his superstar play on so that she could achieve the record at home. How about allowing a record like this happen naturally, not forced onto some inferior team, just my thoughts on what I have heard. Correct me if I am wrong please.

"Gopher signee Katie Ohm, a high school senior at Elgin-Millville, scored 41 points in her team's 108-28 victory over Southland on Tuesday. She then became the leading scorer in Minnesota high school basketball history (boys and girls) with 25 points in a victory over Kingsland Thursday."

"I know we probably offended the last couple teams we played. It was very inappropriate to run up the score on the last couple teams, and we did," said Watchmen coach Clark Olstad, whose team is ranked No. 1 in Class 1A. "But our goal was to give Katie her points [here] so she didn't have to get the record in Caledonia. We felt we owed it to her."

By the way I am a Hoosier by birth, and this is not a story of Hickory beating South Bend Central as in the movie. That was about an underdog defeating a powerhouse.

[uffdapete]

At this point they play inferior teams just about all season. I have mixed feelings about the timing of the record. When you have worked as hard as she and this team have, you ought to be able to do a few things you'd like to do like setting a scoring record in your home gym. If she and the rest of the starters were only to play when they are needed, they'd rarely play more than a half. That likely wouldn't bring good results at tournament time. I saw a previous record holder, Janet Karvonen play a few games too about 28 years ago, and she also played many minutes more than was needed for the win.

No it isn't a story about Hickory beating South Bend, but it is a story of a very small school that has a team that comes along once in a lifetime beating perennial powerhouses, as well as much larger schools like Lourdes, Eastview, etc.

I've lived most of my life in small towns and know just how difficult it is for them just to get to a state tournament. There are exceptions like Rushford-Peterson for example, who has an excellent coach that loves coaching in a small town. I used to live to see towns like Wells, Melrose, Edgerton, etc. make it down to the barn and beat schools 10-20 times their size back in the 60's when it was a one class tournament.

[Eric_Sieve]

I think that going back to a 1 class format would be a trajety. The big schools would always win and the little ones would never be able to compete. I have been going to the state tournament for the last decade and I remember when the tried the "Sweet 16" format. What a disgrace. Every year Minneapolis North spanked some little team from east podunk. True there were a few good upsets, but I like to be able to watch all those teams, now that they have the 4 classes.

Also, I played my freshmen and sophmore years in highschool under Vix and Reinhardt (football). They are not just good coaches, but they built a PROGRAM. Especially football, that is why they were state champs 2 of the last three years. THey have tradition and hard work engrained into every one of their ball players. It is no mistake that these guys are winners. They don't just get lucky and have a once in a lifetime team....their skill as coaches gives them many once in a lifetime teams!

[uffdapete]

I'm not in favor of going to a one class tournament in anything, although I'd like to see Braham play a few more 4 A schools this year in boys BB. This is a new era of growing specialization in one sport that an athlete plays year around and it's simply a different ball game than 40 years ago. I still like to see good athletes play more than one sport but realize some of these kids are just doing what the next level requires.

Eric - your point about people like Vix and Reinhardt being more than simply good coaches is right on. (I wish Byron would have had a coach of the Vix/Reinhardt caliber the last 5 years.) EM - they're good because of the players they have and I believe just how good will be evident after this year.

[hawkeye43]

Those girls may have been playing togetter since the 4 grade too. Its got to help if that many girls have all those points. looks like team play to me, not just on superstar.

[Eric_Sieve]

I have to agree. I had a step sister that played for rushford-peterson last year. R-P had a hell of a team and cam close of few times but E-M just has TOO MANY GUNS!! They are a great team...I can't deny that!

[lots of luck]

It is a double edged sword. Tradition vs. New Ideals

Like I mentioned in an earlier post I am from IN. Well IN went to the class form for basketball in the late 1990's. There was a ton of opposition about this also, most of it was about Tradition and a true "Champion" Attendance did suffer at first, but i think people came back to the state finals event. First of all it was no longer played in the RCA dome(Colts)terrible venue for HS basketball. Now it is played at Conseco Field House (Pacers), one of the best B-Ball facilities in the NBA. I agree this worked decades ago, when the game was played differently, but before it was class it was often the same few Indianapolis teams dominating the rest of the state. I went to a school of 1600+, and there were many of them around in our conference. Well we went to State finals pre class in 1995, and got smoked by one of the Indianapolis Suburb teams. Did see Courtney James play in the finals that year, for all you Gopher B-Ball fans, he was dominant.

[Big Pine Walleye]

I saw in the last issue of sports illustrated that Katie Ohm was highlighted in the "Faces in the Crowd" section of the magazine! It talked about her breaking the school record for scoring!

[honker23]

Let's not kid ourselves about the class system. It waters down the meaning of a state tourney birth and it makes more money for the state, which is the main reason for it. If you guys have been to the state tourney, check out how many fans a small school from a town of 2 or 3000 has compared to a large metro school. The state wants the fans to come up and spend money, and they don't make any money off the metro schools.

I played in the sweet 16 format and I thought it was great, two classes that play within your class in the opening round and then mix in the quarters. The next year we went to a four class system and Mpls North had to win 2 games to go to state.

What means more to a kid, to go to "state" in a 4 or 5 class system and take 5th in your own conference, or make a great run with a great team in a 2 class system, and have a chance at a true state championship.

[Granny]

I agree it does water it down a little but "state" is now a more realistic goal for very small schools.

honker,

What year did you play in the sweet 16? We were there in 96 and I don't remember if we played Jamesville or Janesville-Waldorf-Pembertin (sp)? in the first round. I think that was the last year they had the Sweet 16.

Later,

Granny

[honker23]

I played in the sweet 16 in 96 and then in the four class in 97. We played Cromwell, Fertile-Beltrami, and Eden Prairie in 96

[Granny]

I played against you then in 96 (Cromwell). What number were you? I might have to dig up the old dusty tapes and give them a view again.

Later,

Granny

[honker23]

I believe it was 20 or 21, played PG. You guys had a 7 footer if I remember right. Good times!

[Granny]

Our center was 6'11" but he got in foul trouble right away. Kind of changed the game that we were used to playing. Yea, the good old days How did you guys end up doing in 96?

It was our schools first/only time down in the state tourney. It would have been nice to play at least 2 games. Oh well, we got to watch some awesome games that year.

Granny

[Eric_Sieve]

Watched both of you guys at some point I believe. At least the J-W-P fellow. I have gone to the state tourney for the last decade...and I am only 18. Seen a LOT of great games and players: Khalid, Pryz, Lane, god....highschool basketball is GREAT!! I never went to state, nor did I really play to much. I am envious of you two for making it, congrats to you both!

[honker23]

We lost two close games with Fertile Beltrami and Eden Prairie. The north vs st thomas game was sure a good one that year.