High school milestone numbers have changed over time . . .

By John Fragodt, Sports Reporter

First of all, let me say that Antoine Davis and his Detroit Mercy team were not invited to play in the College Basketball Invitational Tournament.  That means Pete Maravich still owns the college scoring record.  Thanks goodness!

But, I promised I’d talk more about milestones in high school sports and how they compare with players from the past.  Whereas it used to be 100 wins for wrestling and 1,000 points for girls and boys basketball were the major milestones (and they still are), I think it’s time that those numbers were a little adjusted.

High school basketball teams used to play 20 games at most three or four decades ago and then the number was upped to about 24 and currently, many teams play almost 30 games a season; even more if they reach the state tourney.  That in itself gives current players a chance to score 20-50 percent more points.

Basketball games also used to be four 8-minute quarters, but was switched to 18-minute halves a decade or two ago.  While that’s only four extra minutes, it ends up being a much bigger deal.  In the past, teams tended to hold the ball for the last 1-2 minutes of each quarter for a last shot.  When you do that four times in a game, it ends up cutting out a lot of actual playing time.  Add in the shot clock, which was used on a trial basis this year before becoming mandatory for 2023-24; no jump balls anymore; and the 3-point shot and you also have a chance to up the point totals currently compared to players of the past.

I remember when I played and there was a jump ball, the players would circle around the spot for the “jump” and a lot of times, there would be another jump ball needed right away when the players would try to grab the ball and end up having another jump ball situation.  There definitely was a lot of wasted time for jump balls back then.  Another reason for more and more players reaching career milestones is the fact that players seem to be starting on the varsity team at an earlier age.  In my days, not many sophomores had a chance to play on the varsity, although I will say that currently, the talent level of players has greatly improved and players are capable of scoring in so many different ways.

When I graduated in 1980, I had played two seasons on the varsity and scored about 600 career points while averaging about 15-18 points per game.  I used to think that was a lot of points, but currently, many players score that many points in one season.

Yes, I think 1,400 or 1,500 points is about the equivalent of 1,000 points from two to four decades ago and I think about 150 victories in wrestling is about equal to 100 wins from that time period.  Heck, one wrestler from KMS, who is just a freshman, won his 150th match this season and has a chance to finish with over 250 career victories.

And, there are two current freshman girls basketball players, who played in this year’s state tourney who already have over 2,000 career points.

•  Here are some additional examples from KMS and Benson High School, where I worked for 35 years.

KMS had nine wrestlers graduate with at least 100 wins as of 1999 and none of them had more than 131 career victories.  Since 2000, the list has grown by at least 30 wrestlers, including four who have gone over 200 career wins. Benson meanwhile, had five wrestlers with at least 100 wins as of 1999 with the top wrestler having 118 career wins, but has added 14 since that time, including two with over 170 career victories.

In addition, KMS had three boys and two girls with over 1,000 career points in basketball as of 1999, but has since added six boys and six girls over the last 23 years.  Benson meanwhile, had one girl and one boy (who did it in 1999) who had 1,000 career points as of 1999, but has since added five girls and eight boys in the last 20-plus seasons.  The Lakers had two boys and three girls with over 1,000 points as of 1999 but has added four boys and four girls in the last 23 years, including five of them in the past 10 seasons.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I still believe 100 wins in wrestling and 1,000 points in basketball is a big deal, but it’s becoming more and more commonplace.  Did you know that the MN state record for points in a career is over 5,000 points for boys and girls basketball . . . and, there are a couple of girls currently playing who have a chance to actually threaten that record.  

Suddenly, my 600 career point total doesn’t sound like much.  Wow!