The Grafton Baseball Fraternity from 2010-2020

After attending the 4th Pitch for Matt Cornhole tournament this weekend, I was doing some thinking as to what has made this event and fundraiser so successful?

There were many different things that came to my mind throughout my drive back to the UP but one constant theme I came up with was the connection and brotherhood that Grafton Baseball has had in the last 10+ years. 

Other people and organizations like Mel's Charities (Check out this previous blog about the impact they can have) have done a lot for this cause as well and that will not be forgotten. Mel's Charities and Ansay have done so much to help with the building of Mattie's Field of Dreams which will have it's opening on Saturday, June 13th!

• Other people I thought to thank for the wonderful fraternity that has become Grafton Baseball go back to my days playing and then helping out with Grafton Little League:
• Corey Esselman, Mark Koehler, Mike Donahue, Tony Lukas, Tim Chopp, Jim and Deb Mayer, Dan Wade, Dee Ward, Jerry Faust, and all other volunteers who have helped grow Grafton Little League and Grafton Baseball to what it is today.

Now what has truly made Grafton Baseball a fraternity in recent years and allowed me to be at a fundraiser 10 years after Mattie's car accident and talk to players I played with, players I coached against and players who have just graduated. It all comes back to we are a part of the Grafton Baseball family and we would do anything to help each other out. That is what brings us all together every year at Pitch for Matt, and that is what will bring us together on June 13th this year and long into the future as well. 

For those who are unfamiliar with Grafton Baseball, I will just say it was a program that had struggled and was building during the 2000's. In my freshman and sophomore years in 2008 and 2009 we had finished with a 5-20 (2-16 conference) and a 4-23 (1-17) records. While I will say winning and success does not necessarily build a fraternity, in this case the turnaround of the Grafton Baseball program has been co-existent with the fraternity that has been built. The program has created a family culture for all baseball players in and from the community of Grafton that we can always go back to. 

How the turnaround happened so fast and the impact it has had on so many people's lives is astounding. It all started in 2010 when we lost our left fielder and senior teammate Matt Malkowski a month before the season started. It was devastating but led to a miraculous season and something we will never forget as we went 21-10 and went to the first State Tournament for Grafton Baseball in over 20 years. (Here is a quick link to a story on that wonderful season)

Since that 2010 season there has just been one season where Grafton Baseball has finished with less than 10 wins. If you told people in 2009 that the next 10 years of Grafton Baseball would consist of only 1 season WITHOUT 10 wins, they would have called you absolutely crazy. So now while this turnaround has led to a connection for all the players, it all goes back to the Malkowski family and their continued and unwavering support for the program in the years since 2010. To see them still at games on the left field line, even as an opposing coach it was heartwarming.

So as I was driving and thinking about all the connections I have created through playing, watching, and coaching against Grafton Baseball, I realized the game of baseball has not left a lot of us and thought I would just share names I remembered and how they continued in baseball after High School:

• 2008 Graduate: Miles Mayer- Current Head Coach at North Port High School in Florida (Special shout out to Miles for hosting our Finlandia team in Florida for a practice)
• 2010 Graduates: Skyler Bohn- Played and currently coaches at UW-Oshkosh, Dylan Mayer- former assistant coach at Grafton, Conor Fisk- Current AAA pitcher for the Blue Jays
• 2011 Graduates: BJ Weisflog- Played at Concordia Chicago, CJ Koehler- Current assistant coach at Finlandia University
• 2012 Graduates: Robbie Doring- Played at University of Dayton, Kevin Scholz- Currently attending Umpiring school as he works up the ranks as an umpire
• 2013 Graduate: Al Nenning- Played at Dennison University
• 2014 Graduates: Nate Lukas- Played at Truman State and current assistant coach at Wisconsin Lutheran College, Choo Weisflog- Played at Carthage and coached at Grafton, Beau Benzschawel- Current Detroit Lion (I know it is football but that is an NFL athlete)
• 2015 Graduates- Brad Parsons- Played at St. Joseph's College and current assistant coach at Whitefish Bay High School, Bryan Sternig- Played at Madison Edgewood, Adam Cibulka- Played at University of St. Francis, Nathan Koehler- former assistant coach at Port Washington
• 2016 Graduates- Adam Lukas- Currently in minor league system with Kansas City Royals
• 2017 Graduate- Ryan Hogan- Current manager for the UW-Whitewater Baseball team
• 2018 Graduate- Haden Fisk and Zach Brandenburg- Current players for MATC and Lucas Gosewehr- played at Western Technical College
• 2020 Graduate- Tommy Lamb- Committed to play at the University of Oklahoma

When you look at this list, you see the impact baseball has had on so many lives and I believe that is what ties all Grafton Baseball players together and allows us to be there for one another at any given moment. We owe a lot of this brotherhood and success to one individual who has been a part of Grafton Baseball through this all and that is Head Coach, Brian Durst. 

As an opposing coach for 7 of the next 10 years, I got to see the continued and sustained growth of Grafton Baseball behind one of my mentors and true friends, Coach Brian Durst. I could not be more happy for him and what Grafton Baseball has turned into under him and all the success he has had. Even when losing a Regional Championship to him last year, he made sure to give our players credit and won with class and dignity. He is the true person behind the Grafton Baseball Fraternity and someone who has molded us all in so many ways. On that note, Thank you Coach!

24

"Remember kid, there's heroes and there's legends; heroes get remembered, but legends never die. Follow your heart, kid, and you'll never go wrong."

This quote from The Sandlot is what immediately popped into my head when hearing the news of Kobe Bryant's death and has stayed with me for the last 24 hours. 

It is with a really heavy heart that I write this. Yesterday we lost a legend not just in the sports world but in society. The impact Kobe has had on the game of basketball is immeasurable. Not only did he win 5 NBA Titles with the Los Angeles Lakers but he created and brought to light the mentality and work ethic needed to succeed at the highest level. After hearing and watching plenty of thoughts and recollections of Kobe in the last 24 hours, it is obvious that his Mamba Mentality and work ethic is what resonated with not only basketball players but so many athletes and people around the world.

While it has been a crazy 24 hours and emotions have gone back and forth from sadness to admiration, I cannot write this without thinking about his family and all those families involved in this tragedy. Not only was a legend lost in the basketball world but a highly successful JUCO Baseball coach and his daughter was lost in this accident along with 5 others. Please keep all of their families and those affected by this tragedy in your thoughts and prayers.

I have been thinking about why this has affected me so much as someone who did not grow up a Lakers fan or even a Kobe Bryant fan when I was younger. I remember seeing Kobe Bryant play in Milwaukee in probably the early 2000's. It was after he had won titles with the Lakers and as a young fan of the game, I did not like Kobe. He played for the Lakers and was the best player in the league, it was easy not to like him. Then on this night against the Bucks that dislike grew as he hit a game winning shot as time expired and he grabbed his croch for the crowd to see. I remember talking with my dad on the drive home about how that was classless and my respect for Kobe had diminished even more.

So now again I ask why has this loss affected me and why did I find it hard to go to our first official college baseball practice last night? For me I think it all comes back to his Mamba mentality. As I got older and went through high school, college and now as an adult and being able to continue to watch the impact Kobe was having on the world, my respect for him grew. By the time Kobe won his next two titles with the Lakers, I remember my view on him was changing and I was respecting him more and more and that continued to this day. As someone who believes in working hard and earning everything that is given to you, Kobe and the Mamba mentality embraced that mantra. I remember seeing videos or pictures of him working on his craft at unforsaken hours, but you know what, Kobe was not going to let anyone say that they were out working him.

Lastly, I saw the way he interacted with fans, with opponents, and how he was a mentor for so many young athletes and he embraced that role. That is how I am always going to remember Kobe now. You look at any of these videos, articles, stories that are surfacing now and how Kobe impacted not just professional athletes but youth, high school and college athletes everywhere, you see how genuine he was in trying to help and care for others.

The one video I have seen that I think sums up Kobe the best is from Lebron's post game interview after passing Kobe in points the night before the accident.

My one lasting takeaway from Kobe is this: You have 24 hours a day to get better, how are you using that time?

Kobe you were more than a hero, you were a legend that will never die. 

Embrace Every Day

Well since moving to the UP and taking on a new challenge in life, I have debated on when and what to write a new blog about. Today it hit me as it is Jimmy V week and I watched the classic Jim Valvano ESPY speech and then I see a video on twitter about a student-athlete at Madison College who battled through Cancer, that I need to share what I have seen and this is a great time to write my next blog.

Just this week I was asked by a student at the school I teach at, what is your favorite quote. While I enjoy quotes and believe in the impact they have, this question made me realize I have never truly thought about my favorite quote and the impact it has on me. After just a couple minutes of thought, I realized it was an easier question than I originally thought. I went straight towards the Jim Valvano ESPY speech and a quote that I will never forget and will always be with me. Jimmy V during his 1993 ESPY speech said these profound words that have always stuck with me,

"There are three things we all should do every day. No. 1 is laugh. You should laugh every day. No. 2 is think. You should spend some time in thought. No. 3 is you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it, if you laugh, you think and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heckuva day." 

I remember the first time I heard Jimmy V's speech I was in high school and I saw it on ESPN. Ever since that day I think it is a shame that ESPN just shares it once a year on its network as it is something that really resonated with me. That being said it is something I look forward to watching every year on ESPN and provides perspective for not only me but the thousands of viewers, so thank you ESPN for never forgetting Jimmy V and the impact his words can have.

While that speech has had an impact on me for years, tonight I was able to see another video and speech thanks to the world of Twitter that impacted me and inspired this blog post. While I do not know Pierson Gibis, his story is one that needs to be told and shared. Pierson is a current Madison College baseball player who has battled through Cancer. I urge you to watch his speech and video below. I do not feel I can do his story justice so I will just pull out a couple quotes that really impacted me. Pierson stated,

"You don't know the meaning of a grind until surviving every day is a battle in itself." Later on he went on to say, "Each day is a gift and an opportunity in itself, that people need to learn to appreciate more." 

Tonight, while watching Jimmy V and having the privilege to hear Pierson Gibis story, it inspired to write this blog and to urge people to embrace every day. Another very important piece to this post for me is that while watching these two speeches tonight, I could not help but notice and think about the letter and picture I have on my desk. I personally have lost one family member to Cancer and it has had an impact on me ever since he passed away when I was in 6th grade. My grandpa was one of the biggest people who inspired my love for baseball as any time I saw him we would always talk about the game and the horrendous 1990 Brewers teams. And every time I saw him he would have to tell me his stories about seeing Ted Williams play Minor League baseball. These are images and stories that I will never forget. As I have moved to the UP and tried to take another step in the game of baseball by coaching college baseball, I know my grandpa is here with me and would be proud of how the game has impacted my life.

The two speeches below share how precious life is and how people need to be thankful for every opportunity they are given. So Jimmy V and Pierson Gibis, I want to thank you for the motivation and reminder to embrace every day to it's fullest.

For anyone that has been inspired or feels the need to support Cancer research do not hesitate to do so at Jimmy V's website or any other local or national foundation. Remember any amount can help and to "Embrace every day!"

Youth Sports... What is it about?!

I have been wanting to write on this topic for a while and as I sit and hope for a snow day tomorrow, I thought this might be the perfect time.

While I have only coached youth sports the past 2 years as a 5th grade and 8th grade basketball coach, I have been around youth sports my whole life and think it is an epidemic across our county, state and country right now.

When I first think about this topic, I think about what is the point of youth sports? I think if you ask myself, most High School coaches and even most parents they will say it is to develop the children's ability and also for them to have an enjoyable childhood while playing sports.

Sports teach us so much and I think I am as much a product of that than anyone. I was fortunate enough to grow up with parents (especially a father) who valued youth sports possibly more than anything else. One of the lifelong lessons I will take from my dad during his days of running Grafton Little League, being a board member of the Grafton Basketball Club, Grafton Booster Club and organizations at church is to put others before yourself and family. While that may sound bad at first, he showed me that while providing for my family, he had a greater responsibility than to just coach a team that his son was on. He gave that up to help 300+ kids in Grafton Little League. When being involved in youth sports is it more valuable to help 10-12 kids who your child is friends with or be someone who everyone in the organization knows and create positive relationships with countless children and adults. I think the ability to create positive relationships with more than just his kid and his kid's team showed me that my dad valued everyone else as much as he did me. And isn't that what kids and people want? To be valued and to have someone who cares for them. While I always knew my dad cared for me, I also knew that he put plenty of others before me and would always do what is best for the organization and not his kid!

One of the reasons for me wanting to write this post was a recent experience I had at a youth event I was coaching in. While I know coaching 8th graders is close to High School and what everyone wants athletes to be ready for, I was shocked and taken back at some actions I see out of youth coaches. While I hate throwing opposing coaches under a bus I have seen more than once during this past season where all coaches care about is winning in 8th grade. Whether it is a coach playing 7-8 players in order to win instead of the 12-14 on their team or if it is a coach putting his starters in to press a team when their bench is in and they are winning. After seeing this happen multiple times this season, I explained to my 8th grade team that my job is to develop all 12 players, not 5 after a heartbreaking loss where I let our "bench" players stay in the game and experience late game pressure, that they otherwise would have never experienced before High School. Yes the emotion of losing the game hurt but it was a learning experience for all of my players on what they can do to get better to prepare themselves for high school. Isn't that what the point of youth sports is? To get better and get ready to High School. I also told my team one of my favorite quotes from a couple of my other high school coaches, "Our games are not in the paper". Meaning who cares if we win or lose, my job is to get everyone ready for high school athletics. While it may have been a disappointing season for some of the players as we may have lost more games than we thought we would before the season, I would not change a thing as I know I did my job to develop not just 3-4-5 or 6 players on the team, I did my best to develop all 12 and give them experiences that will help them in the future. Who cares about winning in youth sports! Anytime I ask youth sports coaches "how is it going" and they immediately respond with some type of win loss record or if they won or loss the most recent game, that is always alarming to me. I don't care if 9-10-11 years old won a game or lost a game against there so called rivals, I care about are the kids learning the game and are they all developing and experiencing difficult situations within the game.

While this thought and ideas may be common, I have noticed it is a lot harder to act on  then what I originally thought. Growing up around my dad and Tony Lukas, Mike Donahue, Corey Esselman, Tim Chopp and others who always put Grafton Little League before whatever team they were coaching, I just always thought that's how it was, but I am sadly mistaken. Youth sports is in a trying time in our country and I hope more and more people realize that winning doesn't matter at the youth level, while I know keeping score and such is good as it builds competitiveness in kids, teaching them how to win and lose is also just as important. For anyone who has not read Mike Matheny's book The Matheny Manifesto I would highly suggest it as it starts out with a letter he wrote to parents as he was beginning to coach his son's youth baseball team. To say it lightly, Mike Matheny gets it!

I will leave you with some of my favorite excerpts from Matheny's letter to the parents:

"I'm asking you to grab the concept that this going to be ALL about the boys. if anything in this is about you, we need a change of plans. My main goals are to: 

1. Teach these boys how to play baseball the right way.
2. Make a positive impact on them as young men
3. Do all this with class"

"We may not win every game game, but we will be the classiest coaches, players, and parents at every game we play. The boys are going to show respect for their teammates, the opposition, and for the umpires-- no matter what."

"I believe the biggest role a parent can play is to be a silent source of encouragement. If you ask most boys what they want their parents to do during a game, they'll say "nothing." Again this is ALL about the boys. I know youth league parents fell they must cheer and shout, "Come on, let's go, you can do it!" but even that just adds more pressure."

"Let me go on record right now that we will not have good umpiring. The sooner we all understand and accept that, the better off we will be... But at no time will our boys be allowed to show any emotion whatsoever toward the umpire."

"Along with where he hits in the lineup and his amount of playing time, which position a kid plays is one of the most complained about issues. I need you to know that I am trying to develop each boy individually."

"One of the greatest lessons my father taught me was that my coach was always right--even when he was wrong. That principle is a great life lesson about how things really work. Our culture has lost respect for authority, because kids hear their parents complain about teachers and coaches."

These are just some of the key points hit on throughout Matheny's book that I feel very fortunate that my parents instilled in me as well. 

So as I conclude this post, just remember youth sports is about developing and having fun for all kids involved, not winning!

South Carolina and Coaching

This past week I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in a rare opportunity for a high school basketball team from Wisconsin. As a member of the Port Washington High School Basketball coaching staff I was able to go along on a Varsity trip to South Carolina for a 3 day tournament. Not only was it a great experience on the court but any time you can get away from the snow you will always take it!

Being part of an out-of-state trip like that is something that not a lot of high school programs get to experience for any sport. To be able to do it with a special senior class and a basketball program that I have had the privilege of helping out the last 3 years was truly a memorable experience. These types of trips often do more for the players and coaches off the court than it does on the court. While a 14 hour bus ride might be grueling it is a time to grow relationships and become closer as a group. Not to mention the games in the hotel rooms, the going out to eat and just enjoying each other's company all week. All of these things were true on our trip to South Carolina and I do not think it is a coincidence that we played some of the best basketball we have all year on our way to a Claw Classic Championship.

As far as the on-court experience, our players got to enjoy 3 consecutive victories against teams we had little knowledge or scouting for. One of the things that sticks out the most to me about our 3 consecutive victories was the fact that it came 3 days in a row after driving 14 hours on a bus. That is tough for professional athletes to do as NBA players hate back to backs but our player's gutted out a long bus ride and some long days to win on back to back to back nights. Hopefully there is more to come from the Pirates this year as they continue to grow as a team on and off the court.

Two moments that stick out to me from the last week that brings me back to why I coach go back to one of my first blog posts about "Every Kid Needs a Champion". On the bus ride a player I have had the privilege of coaching the last couple years came up and just wanted to talk. While this may not be a big "AHA" moment, it shows me the relationship and trust that this player has in me and that they know I truly care about them as a player, student and person. This player also shows me the respect and reminds me that they care about me as well. That is something that was evident again yesterday as I was out and about and had a former player come up and give me a hug and spend time talking with me about what is going on in life. The ability and willingness that players show to communicate with me gets me back to the "Why I coach". Creating these relationships with young adults where they are willing to trust me and show that they value our relationship is the real reason I am a coach. While winning Championships and traveling to the #ABCA2019 Clinic this weekend in Dallas are great experiences, the relationships with the players is the real reason why I am a coach.

I have included some pictures from our trip to South Carolina and you can see in one of the videos how much the players enjoy the head coach, Brian Hebein as they were waiting for him in the locker room to celebrate the Championship. What a great moment that everyone who was involved will never forget. Continue to make memories as an athlete, scholar, coach, and help those around you!

We were able to hold a shoot around before our first game thanks to a 1000 win coach in South Carolina. 5 time State Champion, Tim Whipple, thanks again Coach!

The boys after the Championship!

Port boys taking a picture with the team from Australia who was there supporting us in the Championship game!

Best Wisconsin High School Basketball Teams since 2000

This is a topic that stems from me watching some of the best regular season basketball I have ever seen in this state yesterday. Watching Brookfield Central beat the #2 team in Division 2 by 25 points and doing so handily while also seeing the quote unquote Game of the Year with Sussex Hamilton vs. Nicolet. The star power in this state may never have been higher and this was evident yesterday as these 3 teams just blew me away. That makes for the conversation to see where these teams rank compared to previous top teams from this state since 2000. Now I do want to warn you that teams that I have seen with my own eyes may be advantaged in these rankings but again these are just my opinions on the top teams this state has seen in recent years.

Honorable Mentions: Wauwatosa East (26-1) 2008 Division 1 State Champions, DePere (25-3) 2011 Division 1 runner-up (lost title game in 3 OT), Onalaska (27-1) 2012 Division 2 State Champions, Appleton Xavier (28-0) undefeated Division 3 State Champions, Oshkosh North (27-1) 2018 Division 1 State Champions, Manitowac Roncalli for their 7 State appearances since 2005, and the 2011 Grafton Black Hawks for stopping a 69 game conference losing streak against eventual Division 2 State Champions Whitefish Bay Blue Dukes.

Alright back to the rankings. I did not take multiple teams from 1 school for this as I choose what I thought was the best team from a certain school since 2000. That way Germantown, SPASH, etc. eat up all the rankings.

Alright so I couldn't decide with just a top 10 so we will go with the top 11 and count down.

11. Racine St. Catherine's (25-2) 2009 Division 3 State Champions. I chose the 2009 team over the undefeated team from 2005 mainly because I saw them play and again was very impressed with how good they were defensively. They also had two future college players who could score in Steve McWhorter and Jake Thomas. McWhorter was an athlete that the smaller schools could not compete with.

10. Randolph (26-0) 2004 Division 4 State Champions. Complain what you may that they were in Division 4 but this was the best of the Randolph run as they won titles from 2002-2005. The '04 Randolph team was led by 6'11" senior Greg Stiemsma (later played at Wisconsin and in the NBA) and 6' 7" junior Ryan Tillema (later played at UWM). This size and ability to shoot would be tough for any team to defend and Randolph during the season went and beat bigger basketball schools such as Madison Edgewood and Monroe.

9- La Crosse Aquinas (25-1) 2011 Division 3 State Champions. While this team did not have the full on star power that some of these other teams had, they were led by 2 very players. Mike Conway was not a scholarship player but he was a very solid high school basketball player who could hit the open shot which was perfect since he had one of the best High School passers I have ever seen in Bronson Koenig. Koenig's feel for the game and ability to pass and score was very difficult for any school to stop. While he went on to play at Wisconsin he was a top recruit offered by Duke and North Carolina.

8. New Berlin West (26-0) 2000 Division 2 undefeated State Champions. I remember watching this team because my cousin was going to New Berlin West. They were ginormous. As a 7 year old watching them on TV playing at the Kohl Center, I just remember thinking they are huge. They started 6' 10", 6' 8", and 6' 5" with no starter smaller than 6' 2". They were led by two future college players in the Chappell brothers (Jason played at Madison). That size alone made them difficult covers in the state at that time.

7. Oshkosh West (26-0) 2006 undefeated Division 1 State Champions. While this team does not impress you with any names other than future Badger role player, Tim Jarmusz, this was a team that I remember watching and just admiring the way they played basketball. Being led by Lance Randall they played methodical basketball and played very strong defense on their way to beating a star-studed Madison Memorial team in the championship game 52-40. 

6. Milwaukee King (26-0) 2002-2003 Division 1 undefeated State Champions. This King team was not filled with star power like the Milwaukee Vincent teams of the early 2000's but being led by Jim Gosz you knew they would get after you defensively. They were led by Dupree Fletcher who went on to play at Evansville than UW-Whitewater. They won their 3 games at the State Tournament by scores of 55-48, 39-27, and winning the Championship against a Brian Butch led Appleton West team 57-46.

5. Madison Memorial (26-1) 2009 Division 1 State Champions. This Madison Memorial team was chosen over the 2005 team with Wesley Matthews and a young Keaton Nankivil because this 2009 team was stronger, deeper and had more star power. Led by future Golden Eagle, Vander Blue and Tennessee Volunteer, Jeronne Maymon, this team was athletic, strong and could shoot. Then you add a Cleveland State, Providence and Western Kentucky future point guard in Junior Lombomba (who by the way best name ever announced at the State Tournament) and this Spartan team was very difficult to stop. 

4- Whitefish Bay Dominican (27-1) 2012 Division 4 State Champions. I chose the first team of Dominican's 4 straight years of State Championships. This 2012 team had two of the best kids to ever come through that school in Duane Wilson (future Golden Eagle) and Diamond Stone (future Maryland Terrapin). It's amazing to think that these 2 did not even lead their team in scoring as future South Dakota School of Mines player, Jamall Taylor led this team in scoring. 3 different types of scoring weapons and players that can affect the game in multiple ways. 

3. Milwaukee Vincent (25-2) 2000-2001 Division 1 State Champions. This team was led by five future college players that made their name inside and outside of the state. At this time Vincent was on quite the run as they had won State Championships in 1997, 1998, 2000, and 2001. I chose the 2001 team as the best due to all the star power they had. Maurice "Boo" Wade (who later played at Wisconsin and Marquette) was not even the best player on his team and neither was a young Carl Landry (later played at Purdue. This team was carried by Boo Wade's cousin, Dejuante Wade (later played at UWGB) and Deonte Tatum (Played at Hawaii) who was the MVP at the State Tournament in 2001. This team was also joined by Greg Brown who in 2002 won Mr. Basketball over Steve Novak. This Vincent team finished 11th in the country and was something to be reckoned with.

2- SPASH (26-0) 2016 undefeated Division 1 State Champions. If you want to talk about a team with star-power that played unselfish basketball, this SPASH team has to be near the top of the list. They were so fun to watch with so many weapons on the court including future Badger Trevor Anderson and future Golden Eagles in Sam and Joey Hauser. SPASH ran through the state this year in the middle of their 3 year run as Division 1 State Champs. At state in 2016 they beat their competition by scores of 75-48 and 89-64. 

1- Germantown (28-0) 2013 undefeated Division 1 State Champions. This was by far the toughest decision on this list choosing between their 2012 team led by Seniors Zak Showalter and Josh Mongan or the 2013 team led by transfer Lamonte Bearden. I went with the 2013 team as Luke Fisher (Indiana Hoosier) was a much different and better player in '13 and Lamonte Bearden provided something that this team did not have previously. He was the quickest player on the court every night with the ability to dish and hit deep 3's as he did at state in 2013. The 2013 team won their games at state by scores of 80-60 and 57-28. This 2013 team also had future South Dakota State players in Evan Wesenburg and Jake Showalter along with D2 player Jon Averkamp. Combining 5 college players with the assertiveness of Coach Steve Showalter, this Germantown team was arguably the best this state has seen since 2000.

Now last night I watched 3 teams who I think could potentially end up on this list but we will see if they can live up to the hype. Brookfield Central always has 5 guys on the court who can score including 4 future college players and they move the ball like the SPASH and Germantown teams. Sussex Hamilton has the #1 sophomore in the country and he lived up to the hype and can carry any team he is on to stardom. Nicolet as everyone knows has all the talent in the world with 3 Power 5 college players including the #4 junior in the country who dropped a triple double last night. Only time will tell if they can leave their mark as one of the best teams this state has ever seen.

I will leave a highlight from one of the most impressive dunks I have ever seen at State from the 2012 Germantown team. They knew how to set the tone early in the game including their students chanting "Thanks for practice" at tip off against Grafton in 2010.

Learning in the Classroom

My last blog post talked about the power of student choice and some things I was trying in my classroom. This blog post I want to focus on one of the reasons why I started this blog and that was to broadcast all the amazing things that go in in a classroom over the course of a year.

This past week if you would have came into my classroom you would have seen something you may not be used to. I almost gave up my role as a teacher and the students guided their own learning. I was there to help facilitate and guide some of their learning but it was all student initiated. While I was not giving direct instruction every day it was amazing how tired I would be after these days as well. The students working throughout the room asked such great questions and really wanted to discover their own learning. This was the true definition of flipping your classroom and allowing the students to lead the learning.

The students at the end of the week completed a survey for me and all 48 of my students said that they enjoyed this type of learning more than taking notes or reading a book. Can I blame them? They were excited that they were able to learn about what they want and that they could learn at their own pace. I also allowed the students different options to present their information to the class. Some did a skit, some made a poster, some made a Google Slides presentation, and some made a video. It was such a powerful week for me as an educator as I got to see the students truly enjoy learning and strive for more.

I have now asked my students what they want to learn about our next unit which is water. Some of the questions the students created once again were amazing and will continue to guide the learning that goes on in our classroom. The students also in math solved various real-world problems all week and below is some pictures of student work and engagement. I have also included a link to more photos so you can see the true engagement in our classroom last week.

Photos from my classroom this week.