ARCHIVES
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Several members of the Barnstormers
traveled to Indiana last weekend to participate in the annual Gym
Rats Fall Festival at Spiece Fieldhouse in Fort Wayne. The 'Stormers
finished 6-0 on the weekend, beating Fieldhouse Elite from
Indianapolis by 2 points in a competitive final.
Congratulations to players Will Artino, Nate Buss, Tanner
Cooke, Isaac Gardner, Kasey Semler,
Jarrod Uthoff, Andrew Wirth, Alex
Vogel, and Brandon Voss on the championship! |
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Josh Oglesby (Cedar Rapids
Washington, 2011) was recently featured in a recruiting story by
Antonio Curro of NY2LA Sports:
"On a national level, the state of
Iowa has not always received the respect it deserves when it comes
to hoops. With players surfacing in the NBA over the past few
years and even others exploding nationally at the Grassroots level,
high school prospects across the state are starting to see interest
at an earlier level and a level of respect that has been way past
due for its basketball. One talent who continues to see the
recruiting trail for him pick up is 6-5 2011 G Josh Oglesby of Cedar
Rapids Washington in Iowa."
Read Full Story HERE. |
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The Barnstormers 16U and 17U squads
travelled to Las Vegas, NV on July 22-26 for their season-ending
tournament, The Main Event. The 17s went 3-2 in Vegas, going
2-1 in pool play and losing in the 2nd round of tournament play.
The 17U 'Stormers finished with a season record of 26-16. The
16s went 3-1, going undefeated in pool play, but losing in the 2nd
round of the tournament. The 16U 'Stormers finished with an
outstanding record of 41-6!
After a few weeks off, the Barnstormers will begin the process of
selecting players for next year's teams with tryouts on August 22nd.
Congratulations on another great summer, 'Stormers! |
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Will Artino (Waukee, 2010) has
ended his recruiting process, committing to play
basketball at Creighton University next year.
Creighton is an NCAA Division I school in the Missouri Valley
Conference. Will has been a member of the Barnstormers family
for two years, joining in the fall of his sophomore year. Congratulations
Will!
A list of Barnstormers college
commitments and alumni in college can be found
here. |
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Tanner Ferguson (Sioux City
Heelan, 2009) has committed to play
basketball at Wayne State College this college season.
Wayne State, located in Wayne, Nebraska, is an NCAA Division II School in the
Northern Sun Conference. Tanner is a long-time member of the
Barnstormers family, joining the 'Stormers in 2005 before his
freshman year of high school. Congratulations and good luck, Tanner!
A list of Barnstormers college
commitments and alumni in college can be found
here. |
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17U Barnstormers players
Will Artino, Nathan Buss, Isaac Gardner, and Nick
Wilson, along with former Barnstormer and current Iowa Hawkeye
Brennan Cougill, took time out of their schedule to visit the
children at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital on Friday
afternoon. The players spent time with the children playing
video games, pool, and even shot hoops in the hospital's gymnasium.
Everyone involved had a great time, and they plan a return visit
soon. |
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Antonio Curro of
NY2LA Sports recently
published his national rankings for this summer, and three Barnstormers
were ranked in the top 150 players in the nation. Josh Oglesby (Cedar
Rapids Washington, 2011), Rasham Suarez (Findley Prep, 2011),
and Josh Weeber (pictured, Dubuque Senior, 2013) were all prominently
ranked. Curro also writes for SLAM magazine and Hoopscoop
Online.
Congratulations on the honor, guys, and keep working hard! |
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Nate Buss
(Charles City, 2010) decided to end the recruiting process early
this summer, accepting a scholarship offer over the weekend to play
basketball for the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.
The UNI Panthers are an NCAA Division I School in the Missouri
Valley Conference. Nate joins former Barnstormers alumni and
current Panthers Ali Farokhmanesh and Matt Morrison at
UNI. Congratulations and good luck Nate! |
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16U Barnstormers, 2009 Spiece Hensley
Memorial Semi-Finalists |
The high school 'Stormers
teams were in action again this weekend, at the Spiece Bill Hensley
Memorial in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The 15U team went 2-2,
earning a second seed in their pool but losing to a very good Grand
Rapids Storm team in the first round of tournament play. The
17U team went 3-2, winning their pool and advancing to the Sweet 16
before losing to an outstanding Boo Williams team with several ACC
commitments. The 16U team finished 6-1, winning their pool and
advancing to the Final 4, losing to the eventual champion, Indiana
Elite. Overall, the teams finished 11-6 for an outstanding
weekend at one of the biggest spring tournaments in the midwest.
Congrats guys! |
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The 15U, 16U, and 17U 'Stormers
played at the Pump 'N Run Spring Showcase last weekend in
Bloomington, MN. The 17s and 15s both went 4-1, winning their
pools and advancing to the semifinals. The 16s went 5-1,
advancing all the way to the championship game before losing to the
host Pump 'N Run team in the finals. Next up for the 'Stormers
high school teams is the Run 'N Slam All Star Classic at Spiece
Fieldhouse in Fort Wayne this weekend. |
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19U STATE CHAMPIONS!
The 17U Barnstormers team won
the 2009 19-and-Under Iowa AAU State Championship last weekend in
Des Moines. In a round-robin tournament with four teams, the
17U 'Stormers and 17U Martin Brothers teams each
went 2-1, but the 17s won the tie-breaker by defeating the Martin
Brothers head-to-head. Congratulations, guys! |
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16U STATE CHAMPIONS!
The 16U Barnstormers team won
the 2009 16-and-Under Iowa AAU State Championship last weekend in
Bondurant. The 'Stormers went 6-0 in the tournament, beating the
Martin Brothers Select 16s in the semifinals before defeating the
Dowling Maroons in the championship game. Josh Oglesby (pictured, Cedar
Rapids Washington) and
Josh Montague (Linn-Mar) were both placed on the all-tournament team,
while Oglesby was named the tournament MVP. Great job, guys! |
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MR.
BASKETBALL
The Iowa Newspaper
Association announced its 2009 All-State Boys Basketball teams
today, naming Barnstormer and Bishop Heelan High School senior
Brennan Cougill as Mr. Basketball.
The 6-9, 270 pound senior committed to
the University of Iowa before his junior season. He averaged
17.8 points and 13.4 rebounds this season for a team that finished
26-2 and won the Class 3A State Championship. For his career,
Cougill's 1602 points and 1033 rebounds have both shattered city
records in Sioux City. He was the eleventh player in Iowa
history to score more than 1500 points and collect 1000 rebounds.
Cougill is the first member of the Iowa
Barnstormers program to be selected as Iowa's Mr. Basketball.
Congratulations, Brennan! |
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Morrison named
Press-Citizen Player of the Year
Matt Morrison
(Solon, 2009) is the Iowa City Press-Citizen's boys' basketball
player of the year after leading his Solon Spartans team to it's
first state title in that sport. He was named captain of the Iowa
Class 2A all-tournament team, first-team all-state and was in
consideration for Mr. Basketball. In addition to leading his
basketball team to a state championship, Morrison was the
quarterback of his school's state championship football team last
fall. Morrison was a member of the Barnstormers for the past
four seasons, and has committed to play basketball at Northern Iowa.
For the full story from the Press-Citizen,
CLICK HERE. |
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2009 INA
All-State Selections Announced
20 current or former 'Stormers
were selected to the Iowa Newspaper Association's 2009 All-State
Teams that were named today:
First Team: Eli
Groenendyk (Pella Christian), Tucker Wentzien (Solon),
Matt Morrison (Solon), Cliff Warner (Solon), Trevor
Wolterstorff (Western Christian), Shawn Keizer (Western
Christian), Brennan Cougill (Bishop Heelan), Alex Dorr
(Norwalk), Amry Shelby (Marion), Tyler Putz (Forest
City), Chanse Creekmur (Marshalltown)
Second Team: Nick
Stromer (Garner Hayfield), Matt Huseman (East Sac),
Jake Hughes (Cedar Rapids Kennedy), Alex Walker (Sioux
City North)
Third Team: Alex Novak (Cleer Creek Amana),
Nathan Buss (Charles City), Blake Haluska (Carroll),
Sam Elgin (Center Point Urbana), Tayler Bontrager (Iowa
City West)
Congratulations, Guys! |
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We would like to congratulate the 23
current or former ‘Stormers and their coaches and teammates who made
it to the 2009 Iowa High School State Tournament this season. We wish you all the best in
your quest to win a state championship.
Jalen Barnes
(NU High), Cliff Warner, (Pella
Christian), Chase Carlson (Pella Christian), Kyle Nikkel
(Pella Christian), Bill Nolte (Pella Christian), Eli
Groenendyk (Pella Christian), Tyler Klyn (Pella
Christian), Jake Anderson (St. Albert), Ben Weeks
(Solon), Matt Morrison (Solon), Tucker Wentzien
(Solon), Trevor Wolterstorff (Western Christian), Shawn
Keizer (Western Christian), Tanner Ferguson ( Bishop
Heelan), Brennan Cougill (Bishop Heelan), Blake Haluska
(Carroll), Amry Shelby (Marion), Alex Dorr (Norwalk),
Tayler Bontrager (Iowa City West), Jake Gylten (Iowa
City West), Nick Wilson (Iowa City West), Jody Henton
(Linn Mar), and Will Roth (Linn Mar),
State Champs:
Ben Weeks, Matt Morrison, Tucker Wentzien, Tanner Ferguson, Brennan
Cougill.
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8th GRADE STATE CHAMPIONS!
The 14U Gold team won
the 2009 8th Grade Iowa AAU State Championship last weekend in
Ankeny. The 'Stormers went 5-0 in the tournament, beating the
All-Iowa Attack in the semifinals before defeating the Iowa Storm,
67-59, in the championship game. Dondre Alexander and
Josh Weeber were both placed on the all-tournament team,
while Dondre was named the tournament MVP. The 8th Grade Black
team also participated, and finished in 5th place by winning the
consolation bracket on Sunday. Great job, guys! |
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Since 1977, the top boys
high school basketball seniors nationwide have been selected to play
in the
McDonald's All-American Basketball Team. Nineteen players from
the Class of 2009 who played with the Barnstormers during their high
school careers were nominated for spots on this
year's team. Congratulations to Brennan Cougill,
Julian Dismute, Alex Dorr, Tanner Ferguson,
Kyle Fitch, Eli Groenendyk, Jake Hughes, Matt
Morrison, Jaron Nash, Alex Novak, Jon Puk,
Nick Stromer, Brett Van Sloten, Alex Walker,
Cliff Warner, Eric Washpun, Tucker Wentzien, and
Trevor Wolterstorff on the honor!
Click here for the
McDonald's All American Game Website |
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The middle school
Barnstormers teams all played in the USSSA Midwest Showdown this
weekend in Ankeny, Iowa. The 12U 'Stormers finished 3-1 for
3rd place in the tournament, and the 13U and 14U Black teams
competed hard, but came home empty handed. The 14U Gold team
went 2-1 in pool play, losing by 10 points to the Iowa Storm on
Saturday, but really clicked in the tournament, beating the All Iowa
Attack Red by 8 in the semi-finals before avenging their loss to the
Storm in the finals with an 18 point victory. The middle
school teams will all play again in the next few weeks at the Iowa
AAU State Tournaments. |
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Kaylon Williams
(Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 2008) hit a half-court buzzer-beater to win
the game for Evansville University against Drake University in a
Missouri Valley Conference basketball game on Thursday night.
It was selected as the #1 play of the night by ESPN. The game
recap and video from ESPN.com can be found
here. |
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The 14U Black, 13U, and
12U Stormers teams travelled to Indianola last weekend for the
annual Chris Street Memorial Tournament. Despite being the
second tournament of their 'Stormers careers, the 13U team came home
with a 3-0 record and the trophy. The 14U Black team competed
hard but finished with a 1-2 record, while the 12U team finished
with a 2-1 record in their first tournament. Congratulations,
guys! |
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Matt Morrison (Solon, 2009) has committed to play
basketball at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
The UNI Panthers are an NCAA Division I School in the
Missouri Valley Conference. Matt is a long-time member of the
Barnstormers family, joining the 'Stormers in 2005 before his
freshman year of high school. Congratulations and good luck, Matt!
A list of Barnstormers college
commitments and alumni in college can be found
here. |
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The 13U Gold team
played in their final tournament of the 2008 season over the
weekend, at MAYB Nationals in Wichita, Kansas. The 13s had a
great showing in Wichita, finishing in 7th place out of over 55
teams. The 13s finished their 2007-2008 season with a 54-20
record in tournament play, including an Elite 8 showing at AAU
Nationals and two championships. Congratulations, guys! |
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The 17U Black
team finished up a very successful summer last week with consecutive
trips to Florida and Kansas. After finishing 4-1 at the AAU
17U Super Showcase in Orlando, the 'Stormers headed to the PowerAde
Summer Classic in Kansas City. The 'Stormers finished their
17U season with a bang, winnning the championship of the PowerAde
tournament. The 17U Black team finished with an outstanding
record of 46-15 on the year! |
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The newest Barnstormers
team, the 13U Black squad, recently finished up a successful
summer. The young 'Stormers went 11-4 for the summer,
including a championship victory at the Iowa Games in the 8th grade
division. Congratulations, guys! |
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Tucker Wentzien (Solon, 2009) has committed to play
basketball at Upper Iowa University in Fayette, Iowa.
The Upper Iowa Peacocks are a NCAA Division II School in the
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Congratulations, Tucker!
A list of Barnstormers college
commitments and alumni in college can be found
here. |
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Going Camping... |
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University
of Iowa commitment Brennan Cougill (Bishop Heelan, 2009) has
landed invitations to both the NBA Players Association’s Top 100
Camp in June and the Reebok All-American Camp in July. The NBPA Top
100 Camp features instruction by current and former NBA stars to
work with and advise all campers on how they can make their
basketball goals a reality by teaching NBA moves and training
techniques. The Reebok All-American Camp provides a setting for many
of the nations top prospects to endure intense skill development
sessions and competitive team match-ups under the watchful eye of
every major college program, scouting service and national media
outlet that covers prep basketball in the country. Congrats,
Brennan! |
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The 17U Gold and 16U
Teams were in Columbia, MO last weekend, playing in the Nike
Show-Me Invitational at the University of Missouri. The 17U team finished 1-2 in the event,
losing both games by a total of 6 points and losing the the eventual
champion Athlete's First, who feature two of the top 10 players in
the 2009 class . The 16U team finished 3-2, losing
in pool play and in the tournament finals to the champion St. Louis
Eagles. Kannon Burrage (United Township, 2009), Isaac Gardner
(Washington, 20010), and
Josh Oglesby (Cedar Rapids Washington, 2011) were named to the all-tournament teams. |
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Kaylon Williams (Cedar
Rapids Kennedy, 2008) has committed to play
basketball at the University of Evansville in Evansville, Indiana.
The Purple Aces are an NCAA Division I School in the
Missouri Valley Conference. You can read their press release about
the signing
here. Congratulations, Kaylon! |
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The 'Stormers
sent a few teams into action over the weekend in Sioux Falls, SD at
the Dakota Schoolers Spring Jam. The 17U Gold team went a
perfect 5-0 to capture a championship. The 17U Black team also
had a strong showing, finishing 4-1 which was good for second
place in their division. The 16U squad finished second in
their pool with a 2-1 record and ended up finshing 3rd overall in
their division.
Congratulations, guys! |
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The middle-school aged
Barnstormers teams were in Milwaukee, Wisconsin last weekend,
playing in the NY2LA Swish 'N Dish. The 14U 'Stormers
went 1-1 in pool play, beating 43 Hoops out of Minnesota, and losing
to WI Playground Elite. The 14s exited early from the
tournament, though, after running into a tough Net Gain Sports team
in the first round. Kade Olson and Taylor Olson
were both selected to the All-Tournament team. The 13U Barnstormers went 2-0 in
their pool, and advanced through the first two rounds with wins over
the WI Wizards and MN Hustlers, before facing their rival All-Iowa
Attack in the semis. The 'Stormers advanced to the finals
after beating the Attack, but lost in the championship to a very
talented WI Blue Chips team. Jeremy Morgan, Jimmy
Roth, and Josh Weeber were selected to the All-Tournament
team. |
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The Barnstormers 17U Black
team was in Des Moines last weekend, playing "up" in the 19U State
AAU tournament. The 'Stormers had another nice showing,
beating Dowling and Capital City in to finish 2-0 and win their
pool. The Barnstormers beat the Corn Sharks in the first round of
tournament play, and then advanced to the championship by beating
the 19U Martin Brothers Select in the quarter-finals. The 'Stormers
eventually ran out of gas, losing to a tough 19U Des Moines Knicks
team in the finals to finish 2nd. Brennan Cougill
(Sioux City Heelan) was a member of the all-tournament team. |
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The Barnstormers 17U Black
team travelled to Las Vegas, NV over Easter Weekend for the Las
Vegas Easter Classic. The 'Stormers finished first in their
pool, going 3-0 in pool play against Eastside Aztecs (TX), Las Vegas
Athletics, and Branch West Academy (CA). They went on to win
another game in Platinum-bracket tournament play against FCA Perris
(CA), before losing to Houston Hoops in the Elite 8. The 17U
Black team will play again April 4-5 in Des Moines for the Iowa 19U
State Tournament. Congrats, Guys! |
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Congratulations to the 21 current or former 'Stormers
who received INA All-State recognition this year:
First Team: Kaylon Williams (CR Kennedy), Jordan Stoermer (IC
West), Eric Jorgensen (SC East), Grant Gibbs (Linn Mar), Brennan
Cougill (SC Heelan), Kirby Pettitt (Carroll), Kyle Haake (Harlan),
Brett Putz (Forest City), Brett Van Sloten (Decorah), Kurt Spomer
(Tri-Center), Cliff Warner (Pella Christian).
Second Team: Cimion George (CR Kennedy), Alex Walker (SC North),
Alex Dorr (Norwalk), Amry Shelby (Marion), Eli Groenendyk (Pella
Christian), Eric Hanson (BCIG), Shawn Keizer (Western Christian),
Matt Morrison (Solon), B.J. Hermsen (W. Delaware).
Third Team: Tyler Putz (Forest City). |
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We would like to congratulate the 27
current or former ‘Stormers and their coaches and teammates who made
it to the state tournament this season. We wish you all the best in
your quest to win a state championship.
Grant Gibbs (Linn Mar), Will
Roth (Linn Mar), Kaylon Williams (CR Kennedy), Walter
Loesch (CR Kennedy), Cimoin
George (CR Kennedy), Jake Hughes (CR Kennedy), Alex
Walker (SC North), Brennan Cougill (SC Heelan), Tanner
Ferguson (SC Heelan), John Daniels (SC Heelan), Eli
Groenendyk (Pella Christian), Cliff Warner (Pella
Christian), Bill Nolte (Pella Christian), Eric Hanson
(BCIG), Kurt Spomer (Tri-Center), Brett Putz (Forest
City), Tyler Putz (Forest City), Drew Davis (Dubuque
Wahlert), Zach Derby (IC High), AJ Derby (IC High),
Matt Morrison (Solon), Ben Weeks (Solon), Tucker
Wentzien (Solon), BJ Hermsen (W. Delaware), Kyle Haake
(Harlan), Seth Tuttle (SCMT), and Shawn Keizer
(Western Christian).
State Champs: Zach Derby, A.J. Derby, Drew Davis and Shawn
Keizer.
All-Tourney: Kaylon Williams,
Grant Gibbs, Brett Putz, Drew Davis, Kyle Haake, Matt Morrison and
Cliff Warner. |
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We recently added an
"Alumni" Section to the barnstormersbasketball.com website, listing
former players from the Barnstormers program who are current or
former college basketball players. Check it out! |
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Eric Jorgenson (Sioux
City East, 2008) has committed to play
basketball at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The Augustana Vikings are a NCAA Division II School in the Northern
Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Congratulations, Eric! |
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The 13U 'Stormers
traveled to Rock Island, IL, this weekend to compete in the
Thanksgiving Shootout at Augustana College. The team finished
pool-play with a perfect 3-0 record. In the championship game,
the team cruised to a 52-23 victory over Da Future to capture their
first title of the season. |
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Three-sport star, B.J.
Hermsen has long been a big time prospect in football, basketball,
and baseball. The all-state athlete recently spurned the
sports of football and basketball to follow his heart and play
baseball for the two-time defending National Champion Oregon St.
Beavers next year. B.J. is ranked as the #16 prospect in
the country and was selected to play in the AFLAC High School
All-America game in San Diego in August. He choose the Beavers
over programs like Miami, Texas, Arizona St, LSU, Iowa, etc.
Congrats B.J.! |
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For months now, Brett
Putz has
been pursued by a number of quality basketball programs in the
Midwest. He took some times to make some visits before
arriving at the decision that St. Cloud State University in
Minnesota was the right place for him. The Huskies compete in the
very tough North Central Conference. Last year they finished with a
19-11 record and for the second straight season advanced to the NCAA
Division II North Central Region tournament.
Congrats, Brett! |
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Brennan Cougill commits to the
Hawkeyes!
Brennan made the trip to Iowa
City for the homecoming festivities and picked up his sixth offer in
the last couple months. After spending a few hours on campus
with the offer in hand he knew Iowa City was where he wanted to be
and notified the staff of his commitment to sign with the Hawkeye's
next November and take the court in the winter of 2009. He chose the
Hawkeye's over offers from Southern Illinois, Missouri State,
Indiana State, Wisconsin-GreenBay, Loyola-Chicago, and mounting
interest from Creighton, Marquette, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa State,
Notre Dame, etc. Congrats, Brennan!!!
Articles on Brennan's commitment:
Scout.com
Hoopmasters.com |
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The 17U and 16U Gold and
Black teams recently traveled to Las Vegas to participate in the Rbk
Summer Championships and the Main Event. The 17U team finished
tied for 1st place in their pool and finished among the Top 32 out
of 224 teams at the Rbk Summer Championships. The 16U Gold team won
their pool and advanced to the Top 16 out of 104 teams in the
Platinum Division and the Black team finished in the Top 16 of the
Gold Division. This was a fantastic showing on such a huge national
stage. Congrats, guys! |
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Brennan Cougill (Heelan,
2009) was recently added to the Team USA roster for the 2007 USA
Basketball Men's Youth Development Festival, held June 20-24 at the
U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The
2007 Festival will feature three USA teams (Red, White and Blue)
competing against each other, as well as against a Brazil Junior
National Team in a round-robin format June 22-23. The semifinal
games will be played June 23 and the gold medal will be contested on
June 24. |
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Five of the 2007 'Stormers
were drafted this week on to teams in the 2007 Prime Time League.
Teams are made up of mostly college or former college players,
including all of the underclassmen from the University of Iowa's
men's basketball team and several from the University of Northern
Iowa. Games are played on Monday and Wednesday nights in June
and July. Congratulations to Brett Putz (2008),
Jordan Stoermer (2008), Kaylon Williams (2008), Matt
Morrison (2009), and Josh Oglesby (2011) on being
selected! For more information, go to
www.primetimeleague.com. |
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Matt Lesan
(Solon, 2007) was named MVP of the 2007 Goalsetter IBCA All-Star
tournament in Pella, Iowa. The Goalsetter tournament has been
a tradition in Iowa for several years, pitting All-Star teams of
seniors in 1A, 2A, 3A, and 4A classes in Iowa against each other in
a 4-team tournament setting. Lesan's 2A team defeated the 4A
team in the first round before defeating the 3A squad in the final.
Other Barnstormers playing in the Goalsetters tournament were
Dylan Diedrich (Northeast), Neil Gross (Harlan), Alex
Kramer (Nashua-Plainfield), and Stephen Kirschbaum
(Sheldon). |
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The Barnstormers were in
full force in Chicago last weekend, with their 12U, 13U, 14U Gold,
15U, 16U Gold, and 17U teams all playing in the adidas-sponsored
Chicago Shootout. The 'Stormers had a great weekend, finishing
with a record of 22-7 overall. The 14U Gold team won the 14U
division, while the 13U team finished second in their tournament.
The 15U and 17U 'Stormers each lost in the Final 4 of their
respective tournaments to the eventual champions.
Congratulations on a great weekend, guys! |
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Kurt Spomer
(Tri-Center, 2008) was recently named the Southwest Iowa Player of
the Year by the Council Bluffs newspaper The Daily Nonpareil.
This year, the 6'2" junior averaged 21 points per game, 10.9
rebounds, and 5.6 assists, including four triple-doubles, leading
his team to the final four of the Iowa High School State basketball
tournament. |
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The
16U Barnstormers
Black won the 2007 16 &
Under AAU State Championship over the weekend, defeating the the
16U Barnstormers
Gold in the semi-finals and the 16U
Martin Brothers in the championship game. The Gold 16s
defeated the All-Iowa Attack in the consolation game for third
place. Eli Groenendyk and Julian Dismute were named to the
16U All-Tournament Team, and Alex Walker
was named the tournament MVP. Congratulations, guys! |
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Neil Gross (Harlan, 2007) has committed to play
basketball at Upper Iowa University in Fayette, Iowa.
The Upper Iowa Peacocks are a NCAA Division II School in the
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
Neil joins fellow Barnstormers Matt Lesan and Alex Kramer
in committing to the Peacocks. Congratulations, Neil! |
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Fourteen Barnstormers
were selected this week to the Iowa Newspaper Association All-State
teams, based on their 2006-2007 school seasons:
1st Team: Kaylon Williams
(Kennedy), Kirby Pettitt (Carroll), BJ Hermsen (West
Delaware), Dylan Diedrich (Northeast), Matt Lesan
(Solon), Kurt Spomer (Tri-Center), Stephen Kirschbaum
(Sheldon), Jon Walburg (HMS).
2nd Team: Jordan Stoermer (Iowa City West), Eric
Jorgenson (Sioux City East), Brennan Cougill (Heelan).
3rd Team: Alex Walker (Sioux City North), Eric Hanson
(BCIG), Alex Kramer (Nashua-Plainfield). |
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The
15U Barnstormers won the 2007 15 &
Under AAU State Championship over the weekend, defeating the 15U
Martin Brothers 84-59 in the championship game. TrayVonn
Wright was named to the All-Tournament Team, and AJ Derby
was named the tournament MVP. Congratulations, guys! |
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Fourteen Barnstormers
will be playing next week in the Iowa High School State tournament
next week at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines:
Joe Ament (Dyersville Beckman),
Brennan Cougill (Sioux City
Heelan), AJ Derby (Iowa City West), Zach Derby (Iowa
City West), Dylan Diedrich (Northeast Goose Lake), Tanner
Ferguson (Sioux City Heelan), Neil Gross (Harlan),
Jake Hughes (Cedar Rapids Kennedy), Baley Johnson (Des
Moines Lincoln), Kirby Pettitt (Carroll High),
Kurt Spomer (Tri-Center), Jordan Stoermer (Iowa City
West), Alex Walker (Sioux City North), and Kaylon
Williams (Cedar Rapids Kennedy).
Good luck guys! |
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Alex Kramer (Nashua-Plainfield, 2007) has committed to play
basketball at Upper Iowa University in Fayette, Iowa.
The Upper Iowa Peacocks are a NCAA Division II School in the
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
Congratulations, Alex! |
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Since 1977, the top boys
high school basketball seniors nationwide have been selected to the
McDonald's All-American Basketball Team. Eight players from
the Class of 2007 Barnstormers were nominated for spots on this
year's team. Congratulations to Brad Burgus, Dylan
Diedrich, Neil Gross, Stephen Kirschbaum, Alex
Kramer, Matt Lesan, Woody Orne, and Jon Walburg
on the honor.
Click here for the
McDonald's All American Game Website |
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The 13U and 14U teams
were in action last weekend at the 13U and 8th grade AAU State
Championships. The 13s took third place in their tournament,
losing in the first round to the eventual champion Bulldogs.
In the 8th Grade tournament, the 14U Black lost in the second round
to a tough Martin Brother squad, while the 14U Gold finished in
second place after beating Martin Brothers in the semis and then
losing in the championship to the Attack Red by two points in the
final seconds. 'Stormers Nick Appleget and Jon
Getting were named to the all-tournament teams. |
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Eric Jorgensen (2008) scored
41 points for Sioux City East on Friday night, shooting 18-24 from the field in a 82-45 win over
Sioux City West. Jorgensen had 31 points after three quarters
and left the game for good after scoring his final basket with just
over four minutes remaining. His total was just six points shy of
East's school record of 47 by Gary Pettit in 1965.
Link to story from Sioux City Journal |
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Stephen Kirschbaum (Sheldon, 2007) has
accepted a full-ride scholarship to play
basketball at Minnesota State in Mankato, Minnesota.
The Minnesota State Mavericks are a NCAA Division II School in the
North Central Conference.
Congratulations, Stephen! |
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The
13U
Barnstormers team played their first tournament of
the season in Cedar Rapids at the Mid-Winter Jam. The 'Stormers
finished 4-1 in the tournament, taking second place after losing to
the Sports University Bulldogs in the finals. After taking a week
off,
the 'Stormers will be in action
again at the USSSA Midwest Showdown
in Ames on February 3-4. |
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The
14U
Barnstormers squad played their second tournament of
the year in Chicago at the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Shootout. The 'Stormers
went 2-2 in the tournament, losing to the eventual champion in pool
play, before losing by 1 in the last seconds of the semi-finals to
the host Illinois Heat. Next up, the 14U 'Stormers will take
two weeks off, then play at the USSSA Midwest Showdown in Ames on
February 3-4. |
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Matt Lesan (Solon, 2007) has committed to play
basketball at Upper Iowa University in Fayette, Iowa.
The Upper Iowa Peacocks are a NCAA Division II School in the
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
Congratulations, Matt! |
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Matt Lesan
(Class of 2007) was recently featured in an article in the Cedar
Rapids Gazette:
...With Lesan, fellow senior Michael May and sophomores Matt
Morrison and Ben Weeks leading the way, Solon has the aspirations of
a championship team. Lesan (22.3 ppg) teams
well with Morrison, who averages 11.1 ppg, and Weeks, who is
averaging 10.6 ppg since transferring from Highland. The three play
together for the Iowa Barnstormers AAU program during the summer.
‘‘We knew that chemistry would be huge,’’ Lesan said. ‘‘Ben and Matt
are really great ballplayers. My scoring is down a little this year
but that’s all right. Now (opposing teams) have to prepare for me,
Matt and Ben. We’re a lot more diverse.’’...
Click HERE
for the full article. |
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Woody Orne
(Fairfield, 2007) has committed to play
football at South Dakota State in Brookings, South Dakota. The
South Dakota State Jackrabbits are a NCAA Division I-AA football
program.
Congratulations, Woody!
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Brennan Cougill
(Heelan, 2009) was recently
interviewed for a story on the Kansas University recruiting site
Jayhawkslant.com: ..."Yes,
I took an unofficial visit to Kansas during the Rhode Island game,"
said Cougill. "It was a great visit. I watched the game, went to the
locker-room afterwards and then took a tour of the campus. It was a
nice atmosphere at the game and one of the better ones that I've
seen.
"I've also been to Iowa, Iowa State and UNI," he added. "I don't
have any leaders or favorites right now. I am interested in the
schools that I just mentioned. I plan to make it back to Kansas for
a game, but I don't know when that's going to happen. The coaching
staff told me to call when I have time in my schedule to make it
back."...
Click Here for the entire article
(subscription required). |
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The
14U
Barnstormers squad played their first tournament of
the year in Cedar Falls at the Panther Shootout. The 'Stormers
went 3-2 in the tournament, losing to the eventual champion All-Iowa
Attack Red in the semi-finals. After taking some
time off over the Christmas Break,
the 'Stormers will be in action
again at the Martin Luther King
Holiday Classic in Chicago, IL on
January 13-14. |
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Brett Putz (Forest
City, 2008)
scored 50 points on Friday night, shooting 20-34 from the field
(including 8-16 behind the three point line) in a 97-83 win over
Mason City Newman. Brett's little brother, freshman Tyler
Putz (2010) also scored 22 points in the victory.
Link to Story from the Forest City Summit |
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AJ Derby (Iowa
City West, 2010) was recently
profiled on the University of Iowa recruiting website HawkeyReport.com: ...Thus far
this year the 6-foot-4 and 205 pound West High freshman is averaging
13 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists a game, including a season high
22 against Davenport Central. In that game, Derby hit a three
pointer to send the game into overtime. "I am playing some
guard and forward and it has been a lot of fun playing varsity so
far, but it is also hard too. The coach is always on me, but it is
good experience," Derby said. "Playing against some of the top
players in the country all summer in AAU with the Barnstormers has
really helped my development as a player tremendously."...
Click Here for the entire article
(subscription required). |
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The Sioux City Journal posted an
article on Stephen Kirschbaum after naming him their Western
Iowa Athlete of the Week:
...The Sioux City Journal's Siouxland
Athlete of the Week scored a season-high 33 points in the Lakes
Conference victory over the Wolfpack. He followed up with two more
impressive outings, tallying 29 in Friday's 75-59 Lakes victory over
previously undefeated Spirit Lake and lit up the scoreboard for 31
in Monday's 81-66 win at Central Lyon.
Kirschbaum, who grabbed
12 rebounds in the win over Spirit Lake, has a team-leading 10.2
rebound average. He is shooting 47.3 percent (9 of 19) from
three-point range. Overall, he's shooting 51.6 percent. "He
can shoot the three, post up and score inside or outside," said
Sheldon coach Claude Struve. "If you put a big kid on him, he'll go
outside and it you put a smaller player on him, he'll go inside."...
Click Here for the entire article. |
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Jon Walburg (H-M-S, 2007) has committed to play
basketball at Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota.
The Winona State Warriors are the reigning NCAA Division II National
Champions, and are currently ranked #1 nationally.
Congratulations, Jon!
Click here for Winona State's Press Release. |
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The Barnstormers
15U,
16U, and
17U
teams played last weekend at the Hawkeye Classic in Iowa City, held
at the University of Iowa's Carver Hawkeye Arena and Fieldhouse.
The 16U team went 4-0 and won their division, while the 17U team
finished 3-2 and lost in the tournament final to the Indiana Elite. |
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The Iowa Defenders, last year's 15U
State Champions, announced this week that their players will be part
of the Barnstormers program in 2007. The Barnstormers will
field two teams in the 16U age group (Class of 2009) next year...
the players from last year's Barnstormers team will become the
"Barnstormers Gold", and the players from last year's Defenders team
will become "Barnstormers Black". |
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The
14U Barnstormers placed second at MAYB Nationals on August 3-6, finishing with a record of 8-2 over
the three day tournament. The 'Stormers beat the Arkansas
Hawks in double overtime to reach the finals of the tournament
before falling to the Colorado Hawks in the championship. |
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The
16U and
17U teams traveled to
Las Vegas for the Reebok BigTime and Nike's Main Event tournaments
on July 22-31. The 16U team played "up" in the 17U division of
the Main Event, losing in the second round of the bronze tournament
to the NW Idaho Cougars. The 17U team played in the open
division of the Big Time, losing in the first round to the Houston Hardballers by one at the buzzer. The Hardballers
never had a closer game until losing to the eventual champions, the
Southern Cal All-Stars, in the semi-finals. |
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The
15U
team played in the NCAA-approved Hoosier Showcase in Indianapolis on
July 6-8, winning the championship and finishing with a record of
5-0. 6'8" Center
Brennan Cougill was named the tournament's Most Valuable
Player. |
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Matt Lesan (17U) scored 24
points in Solon's win against West Branch, breaking the
Solon High School's all-time scoring record. Matt now has
1,206 career points. |
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Brett Putz (16U) had 21
points, 9 rebounds, and 8 steals in Forest City's recent win
against West Hancock, despite only playing three quarters.
Click here for story... |
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David
Currie (17U) scored 20 of his 22 points in the
second half as Odebolt-Arthur beat rival Galva-Holstein in
the semi-finals of their conference tournament.
Click here for story... |
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Stephen Kirschbaum (17U) hit a three to put
Sheldon ahead with 14 seconds left in their upset of Class
2A #7 Hull Western Christian, handing Western Christian
their first loss of the eyar. Kirschbaum finished with
26 points.
Click here for story...
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Woody Orne (17U) has
been nominated
for the Eastern Iowa "Athlete of the Week" after leading the
state in rebounding (15.7rpg) through the first month of the
season.
Click here to vote... |
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