The Minnewaska Area boys basketball team should have an improved season in 2023-24 after going 1-25 last year.  The Lakers’ only win was a 67-45 victory over Hope Academy in the opening game of the HLWW Tourney.

Other closes losses were to NLS (65-54), HLWW (72-66), BOLD (69-59), BBE (72-64), Benson (59-56) and EVW (54-41).  In fact, the Lakers played some of their best basketball against the stronger teams in the area.

Minnewaska Area, which was also 0-14 in the WCC, ended the season with a 65-38 loss at Morris Area-CA in the Section 3AA opener.  EV-Watkins went on to earn the Section 3AA title with a 75-72 win over Redwood before going 0-2 at state.

Sauk Centre won last year’s WCC title with an 12-2 league mark, followed by West Central Area (10-4), Morris Area (9-4), Melrose Area (9-5), BOLD (7-6), Montevideo (6-8), Benson (2-12) and Minnewaska Area (0-14).

Taking over as the new coach of the Lakers this winter will be Zach Traphagen, who also is the head coach of the Minnewaska Area boys track team.

Traphagen takes over for Hunter Salathe.  He will be assisted by Nick Danielson, Brian Walker and Gabe Eisenbacher.

The Lakers were set to open up the season Saturday afternoon at home against Redwood Valley.  Minnewaska Area is also set to open up conference play, Tuesday, Dec. 5 at Montevideo followed by a game at home, Friday, Dec. 8 versus Sauk Centre.

The Lakers lost four players from last year’s team to graduation; PJ Johnson, James Ward,  Noah Palmer and Hunter Kloos.  However, the team does return at least 10 other players who saw action for the Lakers last season and hit the scoring column.

•  In the postseason this winter, the Lakers will stay in Section 3AA, but KMS was added this winter to the section while ACGC and West Central Area have moved out.

A look at last year

Hunter Kloos led the Lakers in scoring last season and was selected as the Most Valuable Player of last year’s team.  He scored 339 points, averaging 14.1 points per game and also had team-highs of 14 blocks and 37 steals, while pulling down 95 rebounds and handing out 30 assists.

He had three games of 20 or more points last season, including 21 late in the season during losses to WCA and Osakis.

Earning the Best Defender Award last season was Dylan Alexander, while senior PJ Johnson was named the winner of the Laker Award.

Alexander led the Lakers with 87 assists and was second with 121 rebounds while also recording 28 steals and scoring 104 points.

Johnson scored 169 points, averaging 6.5 points per game.  He also had a second-best 83 assists, 90 rebounds and 28 steals last season.

In addition, senior James Ward earned the Practice MVP Award.

Tenzin Dahl was the second-leading scorer last winter with 273 total points, averaging 10.5 points per game.  He also had a team-high 124 rebounds, a second-best 29 steals, 24 assists and 8 blocks.

And Alex Panitzke had 169 points and averaged 6.8 points per game, giving the Lakers five players with at least 100 points last year.  He also had 68 boards, 28 steals and 55 assists.  

•  Earning All-Conference for the team last year was senior Hunter Kloos, while senior Paul Johnson, Jr., earned placement on the WCC honorable mention team.

Scoring will be a key to the Lakers’ success this season as Minnewaska Area scored 60 or more points only five times last year, while giving up 59 or more points in all but two games all year.

In fact, the Lakers were held under 50 points in 13 of their 26 games last season and opponents scored 70 or more points 14 times in 26 games.

•  The Lakers shot 35 percent as a team on field goals last year, including 27 percent (190-for-689) on three-pointers.  Minnewaska was also 61 percent on free-throws, making 139-of-225.

•  Hunter Kloos led or tied for the team lead in scoring in 16 of 26 games last winter, while sophomore Tenzin Dahl led the team seven times, senior PJ Johnson led the team three times and junior Alex Panitzke led the team in scoring twice.

Dylan Alexander led or tied for the team lead in rebounding 11 times, while Dahl led the team eight times, Kloos led the Lakers in rebounding seven times, PJ Johnson was the leading rebounder four times, and Panitzke led the team twice.