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My own opinion:

1. Rice Lake

They return some key pieces. They will be the team with the most size, also probably the most skilled. Hard to stop a team that has that going for them. I think Henry Ellensen will show this year what level he deserves to be looking at as far as collegiate basketball. We will have to wait and see.

2. River Falls

Always a tough team. River Falls is also a very tough place to play and to get a win. A couple returners who are all-around players. They also have some talented height.

3. Hudson

One player cannot win a conference title, but they can win some games for you. I see this as the story in Hudson. Herink is a solid player but they are looking for more people to step up. I think they will get enough to be in the hunt for 2nd-4th in the conference.

4. North

I think North is on the right track to becoming legitimate in this conference again. I believe that they will again improve on their record and take a step in the right direction.

5. Memorial

Honestly, I'm not too familiar with this team. The past couple years they've been about average in the conference. I wouldn't be surprised to see this as an "up and down" team. They could have a shot to take anywhere from 3rd-6th in the conference.

6. Menomonie

They were improving up until this year. I just don't know if they will have the talent to compete night in and night out in the big rivers. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if they stole a couple games from better opponents.

7. Chippewa Falls

First time in 6-7 years that the team doesn't have the go-to guy. Also, Coach Luke Madsen is not with the team this year. It will be a "rebuilding" year for this team. Look for a lot of underclassmen playing for them.


If a player is reading this, and doesn't like where their team falls, go out and prove me wrong! Good luck to all athletes and teams this year!

Season is coming to an end here shortly...
Thoughts on who you think the all-conference team will consist of?
Player of the year thoughts?

5 players on first team
5 players on second team

Also, you could possibly put a couple young men that could be left off this list but possibly deserving (honorable mention)

I was just wondering what people's thoughts are on the upcoming basketball season now that practice has started?

These are my preseason picks for the year:

1) Rice Lake
The athleticism of this team with their up-tempo style of play is going to give their opponents a lot to think about and to deal with once the season gets going. They are a talented group of kids. Wally Ellenson, their leading scorer from last year, returns with about a 20 ppg average last year. I believe their second option will be Henry Ellenson, a very talented 6'6 wing player. They are also surrounded by a skilled point guard in West, and have an experienced role player in Alex Cuskey.

2) Chippewa Falls
I almost put them at #1. They return the conference's best player and leading scorer in Tyson Kalien (22 ppg). He demands the defense's attention at all times. They also return starting point guard Zandy Stowell, along with CD Wright. Stowell (5 ppg) is very good on the defensive end, while Wright (5 ppg) will be only entering his sophomore season after receiving minutes as a freshman. Opponents will have to watch out for the always streaky shooting of Chippewa.

3) River Falls
While losing their number one scorer, River Falls always seems to have a balance attack on the offensive end of the floor. They will be a well coached team and will mix up their defensive schemes to confuse the defense. I see them being in the middle to upper half of the conference this year.

4)Hudson
Hudson should rely on their defense to win. They are a tough group of kids who will need to play hard on that part of the floor if they want to compete. They might not beat many teams with overall skill, but will outwork a team on both ends to get great looks at the basket.

5) Memorial
Loses their leading scorer Blake Hartl. With not a lot of major contributors returning, Memorial looks to keep their program at the top with new players contributing this year. If the right players step up in big games, Memorial should be able to win a couple games against the top of the conference while playing at EC Memorial is always a hard place to get a win.

6) Menomonie
Menomonie is finally getting some players that will be able to compete against the rest of the conference. They have always played defense well, but team are now respecting their offensive game much more. Although I don't see Menomonie finishing with a lot of wins, they can be a spoiler team for teams that are in the conference title race.

7) North
They might not be the most talented team, but I do see them getting a couple wins this year, even if it will be non-conference. I'm saying it now, somebody on North will have to be the go-to guy and come out of a shell that nobody saw coming or else EC North may be in some trouble for another season.


Good luck to all BRC teams!

River Falls won the Big Rivers this year with only one loss. The teams behind them were all battling for position. Rice lake came in second with Chippewa Falls in third with the tiebreaker against Eau Claire Memorial. Rice Lake is lead in scoring by Wally Ellenson but with also good point guard play from West. Chippewa has a good team lead in scoring by Tyson Kalien, but have other players who can make a play in Justin Jaquish, Shaun Miller, and Zandy Stowell. Memorial had a speedy point guard in Ricky, while their other playmaker was Blake Hartl (sp?). Hudson sort of struggled this year but had some good wins led by senior Matt Krier. Menomonie struggled again this year, while both them and North were at the bottom. Congrats to the North's seniors and their coach for getting a couple wins here at the end, and for also taking their first playoff game after a rough start to the season.

Good luck to all the BRC teams in the tournament!

Bradley Huempfner
Running Back
Chippewa Falls

The first team looks good. I think those guys are a lock. The second team I might play around with though. Keegan Meier and Eric Gilbertson are about the only locks there. I think Cole Zwiefelhofer from Chippewa Falls deserves to be on this list. Also, you could make a case for Ben Gresmer from Hudson also. All great players, but Zwiefelhofer might be one of the better ones. Congrats to all the players!

This starting 5 looks good to me...

Culy
Mazur
Kalien
Rau
Heuer

Kalien is more of a guard. Bauer will prolly come off the bench for Rau and Heuer, because it looks like they have no more post players after that. Bauer should come in for them, with Pax coming in at the point. They will have no weakness. They have those two great backups.

never heard of him
height?
grade?
prolly post because you said behing brown and anderson

Could somebody please clarify when the seeding meeting is?

North pretty much shut down Mattison, and they won by a good margin. This might not be fully true, but it deffinately helps to shut down those two.