Now that the brackets are set, whose everyone got? Unfortunate that BL and WS have to play in opener. Not a fan, but still like using Max Preps.
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Unknown member
Feb 17, 2023
As we near Boys state, Melba looks like the strong favorite. Can anyone upset them? I think their conference overall is a little weaker this year, but they have been beating everyone handily. They had one surprising close game with Nampa Christian a few weeks back after beating them by about 30 the first go around. I think Bear Lake could potentially give them a challenge. Part of me thinks they get it done back-to-back and complete an undefeated season, but the other part of me wouldn't be surprised if we see an upset at state. Speaking of Nampa Christian though, they have surprised me the most of anyone. I expected them to be contending for top 2 in their conference and for us to see them in state, but it looks like they couldn't ever figure out Ambrose (who is down this year) or New Plymouth (who they are 0-2 against and see next in their district tournament). Idk if it comes down to coaching from their new group, or just being a younger squad. It's just weird because most of those players had been competing for championships at the Freshman & JV levels, but they seem to have stalled out or hit a plateau. Seeing some of their games, I think they need more of a gameplan and a little bit of structure. Their point guard is a menace though... He basically scores at will. They just need to give him a little help.
Overall prediction: I am going to go against my better judgement and say Melba gets upset in the state title game. It would be cool to see both the girls and boys from melba both go undefeated and win state though. I'm not sure if that has ever happened before but they both seem like the favorites to get it done.
Don't sleep on Ririe. They seem to be peaking at the right time, they've been on a good run, culminating in the 6th district championship. They are a team full of shooters, if they are on, they can beat
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Unknown member
Mar 03, 2023
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Looks like Ririe's peak wasn't high enough. Im going to pick Kellogg over Bear Lake with a good shot to potentially upset Melba in the title game.
I am from the Magic Valley and for our three teams they aren’t as good as others. Declo is a young team that could possibly be good in some upcoming years but I see this year as a learning year. They might win the district. Wendell has a nice looking record at 10-4 but their schedule is not strong at all. They beat 5-11 Filer in a nail biter and proceeded to lose by 20+ the next time. SVCS is no where close to being in the mix, they have a star in Junior Beckett Gates, but he’s all alone. Wendell lost to Declo 53-45 in their one matchup so far. Diego Torres is Wendell’s star for sure as he is a double double machine. Declo has a lot of kids leading them in scoring but they are young and will hopefully grow. Wendell has a young talented core as well with JR Forward LeMoyne and Freshman twin Guards Jordon and Jonathan Swainston. I think Wendell and Declo will battle it out at the top.
Here's my take on 2A from an east idaho guy. In the North, someone will have to prove it's not St. Maries again. Don't see many of those teams play, but respect what they do. New additions to district, maybe more competition comes. In the Boise area, it's all Melba. They have experience, size, guard play and several year-round basketball players. They won many of the summer tournaments and just have that confidence and aura about them. Any team beating them will have to be really good at everything. Behind them is Cole Valley, Nampa Christian and New Plymouth. Nampa is very talented. Cole Valley has size and good skill. New Plymouth could be a sleeper there. Ambrose I think is behind those others for a change. Depth, size and experience is their issue. Marsing and the other charter schools will have a tough go in this district. Maybe beat each other, but none of the type 4-5 there. In the magic valley, it's between Declo and Wendell. Wendell off to a good start, but schedule strength is questionable and they don't have much returning experience either like Declo. Declo appears to have traveled all over and I heard dealt with a lot of illness early on. Watch out for Declo if they put it together. Guard play is very good. Bigs are young. We saw them playing everywhere in the spring/summer getting their guys experience and winning. In the end, best team playing at districts goes there. In the southeast, it's Bear Lake. Return everyone and have chemistry. State football champs. Up and down tough to handle. Maybe a little weak inside, but they'll have to disguise that with speed and athleticism which they can until they see a Melba type team. Aberdeen is your #2 in that conference. Return a ton and have been playing a lot in the spring and summer together. Saw them a lot playing around. Will be interesting to see how they handle Bear Lake pressure and just from a mental standpoint from losing to them in previous years. Have a new coach and it will come down to guard play handling pressure of Bear Lake and West Side. West Side rebuilds? Maybe. Not as many ballers and athletes as they've had in the past to make that happen this year. Soda and Malad will fight hard, but not sure how many ballers they have. Aberdeen has a slight edge for the #2 spot. District 6 is Ririe as the clear favorite. Great coach, culture and players. Great guard play and some bigger guys that fight hard. Really like what they have going on in their program right now. #2 is between Firth and WJ. WJ lacks size, but plays very hard. WJ will be weak on the boards against a good rebounding team and they love to play fast. Lots of 3's up and down. Fun style to watch. Can it translate to tight district games? Maybe, maybe not. Firth will do what Firth does. Grind and play hard. Tough out always. I think that's why I'd say Firth at #2 vs WJ. Better defensively and on the boards. North Fremont likely behind both of them. Very system oriented, but don't have the ballers like they used to have that could bail them out after they get scouted. Watched them play against a zone defense this summer and they passed the ball for 4 minutes passing up good shots for most guards and then missed taking a 10 foot shot and the coach pulled the kid. They'll have to change culture for the shot clock era coming. Ririe is far ahead of them basketball skill wise. Salmon will have a tough go. I think you have Melba, Ririe and Bear Lake as the top 3. Beyond that, should be exciting to watch across the board. Who comes together as a team? Schedules are all over the map right now. Some playing tough road games on back to backs, traveling far distances and other teams taking it much more easy and safe. Some of the less experienced teams will be very different come the end of the year than at the beginning. Your most experienced teams will play much more predictable and consistent. Should be a fun couple of months here now. Kind of wish we could just seed the top 16 with Max Preps and play single elimination like college basketball. That Saturday morning 9:00 a.m. state consolation is not nearly as exciting as 4 days of loser out games could be.
What a turnaround last year for Ririe and they have continued the momentum this year. I pick them at 1. N Fremont lost a lot of personnel and their record doesn’t jump out So far. But they have played a tough schedule and until someone proves otherwise, I will take them next. Firth would be third. West Jeff is 4, but I think they are that team who could upset someone on a given night. Salmon is 5th.
Bear Lake looks like top dog in their league despite a recent loss to Fremont. I am predicting Aberdeen to take second and West Side to fall to third. West Side has been up there for a while and this seems like the rebuilding year. Aberdeen seems like they have been building up for the last couple of years. Malad and then Soda seem like the clear 4,5 to me.
The north looks like maybe St. Maries again. I will be keeping an eye on newcomer Kellogg to challenge them though. Priest River is probably 3. Orofino and Grangeville have finally swapped places. Orofino looks like they finally have some upward momentum and Grangeville is headed down.
Wendell looks like the clear favorite in their league. Declo is rebuilding and Sun Valley just made a huge jump from D2. It would be nice if Valley could stick in that league and give them 4.
Melba is a really well rounded team. The development of the second Beus kid is nothing short of amazing. He doesn’t even look like the same guy this year. Volkers is outstanding at the point. Lowber is a great spot shooter. They have great size In both Beus kids and Gray. Their guards are all threats to score and play tough. They have depth down to about 10 without terrible fall off. They will be a tough out. Cole Valley is also very good. They should finish second in the west. New Plymouth should be 3 and have a tough kid in the post if he keeps his head on straight. It gets murky at 4. Nampa Christian probably has the most talent, but have virtually no returning varsity players and very inexperienced coaching staff. Still can’t believe what they did to their coach last season. Might end up costing them. Ambrose has solid pieces and a good coaching staff, but might end up being to thin on depth and short on size. Marsing is improving but very young. They might make noise next year. North Star and Compass should fight for the bottom spot.
Yes. They fired him in season, which you never really see unless there is a scandal. But there was none. But someone over there just decided that he wasn’t going to get them over the hump I guess, and pulled the trigger mid season…and they still didn’t get over the hump. He had lead them to a couple of really good regular seasons and they were off to a decent start last year. But that administration mettles and think that they know better than their coaches. I think they let a good young coaching prospect walk. He will have a good career somewhere else.
Lots of teams seemed to graduate their best players. Melba appears to be head and shoulders above most teams bringing back almost all their team. It is still a Jr heavy team and has 3 or 4 players 6'5" or taller. They have great outside shooting with Volkers and Lober and the paint is dominated by the Beus boys.
Bear Lake is probably next with a very athletic team that obviously knows how to win after winning the football title.
That’s a good point about losing people. North Fremont is definitely in that category losing Lens And others. it Looks like there are a couple other solid teams in the Boise area. Then in the other conferences it looks like Bear Lake, Ririe and Wendell have the advantage right now. Seems like a strong 2A division overall thoug.
Now that the brackets are set, whose everyone got? Unfortunate that BL and WS have to play in opener. Not a fan, but still like using Max Preps.
As we near Boys state, Melba looks like the strong favorite. Can anyone upset them? I think their conference overall is a little weaker this year, but they have been beating everyone handily. They had one surprising close game with Nampa Christian a few weeks back after beating them by about 30 the first go around. I think Bear Lake could potentially give them a challenge. Part of me thinks they get it done back-to-back and complete an undefeated season, but the other part of me wouldn't be surprised if we see an upset at state. Speaking of Nampa Christian though, they have surprised me the most of anyone. I expected them to be contending for top 2 in their conference and for us to see them in state, but it looks like they couldn't ever figure out Ambrose (who is down this year) or New Plymouth (who they are 0-2 against and see next in their district tournament). Idk if it comes down to coaching from their new group, or just being a younger squad. It's just weird because most of those players had been competing for championships at the Freshman & JV levels, but they seem to have stalled out or hit a plateau. Seeing some of their games, I think they need more of a gameplan and a little bit of structure. Their point guard is a menace though... He basically scores at will. They just need to give him a little help.
Overall prediction: I am going to go against my better judgement and say Melba gets upset in the state title game. It would be cool to see both the girls and boys from melba both go undefeated and win state though. I'm not sure if that has ever happened before but they both seem like the favorites to get it done.
I am from the Magic Valley and for our three teams they aren’t as good as others. Declo is a young team that could possibly be good in some upcoming years but I see this year as a learning year. They might win the district. Wendell has a nice looking record at 10-4 but their schedule is not strong at all. They beat 5-11 Filer in a nail biter and proceeded to lose by 20+ the next time. SVCS is no where close to being in the mix, they have a star in Junior Beckett Gates, but he’s all alone. Wendell lost to Declo 53-45 in their one matchup so far. Diego Torres is Wendell’s star for sure as he is a double double machine. Declo has a lot of kids leading them in scoring but they are young and will hopefully grow. Wendell has a young talented core as well with JR Forward LeMoyne and Freshman twin Guards Jordon and Jonathan Swainston. I think Wendell and Declo will battle it out at the top.
Here's my take on 2A from an east idaho guy. In the North, someone will have to prove it's not St. Maries again. Don't see many of those teams play, but respect what they do. New additions to district, maybe more competition comes. In the Boise area, it's all Melba. They have experience, size, guard play and several year-round basketball players. They won many of the summer tournaments and just have that confidence and aura about them. Any team beating them will have to be really good at everything. Behind them is Cole Valley, Nampa Christian and New Plymouth. Nampa is very talented. Cole Valley has size and good skill. New Plymouth could be a sleeper there. Ambrose I think is behind those others for a change. Depth, size and experience is their issue. Marsing and the other charter schools will have a tough go in this district. Maybe beat each other, but none of the type 4-5 there. In the magic valley, it's between Declo and Wendell. Wendell off to a good start, but schedule strength is questionable and they don't have much returning experience either like Declo. Declo appears to have traveled all over and I heard dealt with a lot of illness early on. Watch out for Declo if they put it together. Guard play is very good. Bigs are young. We saw them playing everywhere in the spring/summer getting their guys experience and winning. In the end, best team playing at districts goes there. In the southeast, it's Bear Lake. Return everyone and have chemistry. State football champs. Up and down tough to handle. Maybe a little weak inside, but they'll have to disguise that with speed and athleticism which they can until they see a Melba type team. Aberdeen is your #2 in that conference. Return a ton and have been playing a lot in the spring and summer together. Saw them a lot playing around. Will be interesting to see how they handle Bear Lake pressure and just from a mental standpoint from losing to them in previous years. Have a new coach and it will come down to guard play handling pressure of Bear Lake and West Side. West Side rebuilds? Maybe. Not as many ballers and athletes as they've had in the past to make that happen this year. Soda and Malad will fight hard, but not sure how many ballers they have. Aberdeen has a slight edge for the #2 spot. District 6 is Ririe as the clear favorite. Great coach, culture and players. Great guard play and some bigger guys that fight hard. Really like what they have going on in their program right now. #2 is between Firth and WJ. WJ lacks size, but plays very hard. WJ will be weak on the boards against a good rebounding team and they love to play fast. Lots of 3's up and down. Fun style to watch. Can it translate to tight district games? Maybe, maybe not. Firth will do what Firth does. Grind and play hard. Tough out always. I think that's why I'd say Firth at #2 vs WJ. Better defensively and on the boards. North Fremont likely behind both of them. Very system oriented, but don't have the ballers like they used to have that could bail them out after they get scouted. Watched them play against a zone defense this summer and they passed the ball for 4 minutes passing up good shots for most guards and then missed taking a 10 foot shot and the coach pulled the kid. They'll have to change culture for the shot clock era coming. Ririe is far ahead of them basketball skill wise. Salmon will have a tough go. I think you have Melba, Ririe and Bear Lake as the top 3. Beyond that, should be exciting to watch across the board. Who comes together as a team? Schedules are all over the map right now. Some playing tough road games on back to backs, traveling far distances and other teams taking it much more easy and safe. Some of the less experienced teams will be very different come the end of the year than at the beginning. Your most experienced teams will play much more predictable and consistent. Should be a fun couple of months here now. Kind of wish we could just seed the top 16 with Max Preps and play single elimination like college basketball. That Saturday morning 9:00 a.m. state consolation is not nearly as exciting as 4 days of loser out games could be.
What a turnaround last year for Ririe and they have continued the momentum this year. I pick them at 1. N Fremont lost a lot of personnel and their record doesn’t jump out So far. But they have played a tough schedule and until someone proves otherwise, I will take them next. Firth would be third. West Jeff is 4, but I think they are that team who could upset someone on a given night. Salmon is 5th.
Bear Lake looks like top dog in their league despite a recent loss to Fremont. I am predicting Aberdeen to take second and West Side to fall to third. West Side has been up there for a while and this seems like the rebuilding year. Aberdeen seems like they have been building up for the last couple of years. Malad and then Soda seem like the clear 4,5 to me.
The north looks like maybe St. Maries again. I will be keeping an eye on newcomer Kellogg to challenge them though. Priest River is probably 3. Orofino and Grangeville have finally swapped places. Orofino looks like they finally have some upward momentum and Grangeville is headed down.
Wendell looks like the clear favorite in their league. Declo is rebuilding and Sun Valley just made a huge jump from D2. It would be nice if Valley could stick in that league and give them 4.
Melba is a really well rounded team. The development of the second Beus kid is nothing short of amazing. He doesn’t even look like the same guy this year. Volkers is outstanding at the point. Lowber is a great spot shooter. They have great size In both Beus kids and Gray. Their guards are all threats to score and play tough. They have depth down to about 10 without terrible fall off. They will be a tough out. Cole Valley is also very good. They should finish second in the west. New Plymouth should be 3 and have a tough kid in the post if he keeps his head on straight. It gets murky at 4. Nampa Christian probably has the most talent, but have virtually no returning varsity players and very inexperienced coaching staff. Still can’t believe what they did to their coach last season. Might end up costing them. Ambrose has solid pieces and a good coaching staff, but might end up being to thin on depth and short on size. Marsing is improving but very young. They might make noise next year. North Star and Compass should fight for the bottom spot.
Lots of teams seemed to graduate their best players. Melba appears to be head and shoulders above most teams bringing back almost all their team. It is still a Jr heavy team and has 3 or 4 players 6'5" or taller. They have great outside shooting with Volkers and Lober and the paint is dominated by the Beus boys.
Bear Lake is probably next with a very athletic team that obviously knows how to win after winning the football title.