Friday, December 20, 2024

12/19/24: Moose Lake-Willow River

Varsity: L (53-74)

JV: L

C-Squad: L

Highlights:

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

7th + 8th Grade Tournament

Memebers of our 7th and 8th graders who have been part of the optional C-Squad opportunity so far this season got to go up to Duluth East for a tournament over the weekend. Pictured below are some of those members. They got to play against much larger schools including Duluth East, Cloquet, and Cambridge-Isanti!

12/14/24: Youth Camp

12/14/24: Duluth Marshall

Varsity: L (73-67)

JV: L

C-Squad: L

Highlights: https://www.hudl.com/video/2/421951/675f07d6f20bc0734c2a5036

Boys Basketball loses in close games

By Heidi Burger

Dec 18, 2024

Marshall 73, Pine City 67

It again was a close game at the end. The Dragons knew they were up against a tough player as Marshall had a 6 foot 6 inch player who already has a full-ride to a Division II college. The defenders did a great job of guarding him. But again, the boys’ shooting percentage was low, which resulted in not enough baskets made to win the game.

“Ostenson had a good game with six rebounds, four assists, and two huge charges,” said coach Allen. “We are still in the process of taking every game, and we’re giving it the right amount of respect.”

Ostenson contributed a whopping 28 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 2 charges. McDaniel earned 14 points for the team, along with 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Wiener had 11 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. Ausmus had 5 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist. Larson earned 5 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Skluzacek had 2 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist. Jace Peterson had 2 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist. Tanner Fix had 1 rebound. Fromm had 5 rebounds and 1 charge. Milliman had 2 rebounds and 1 steal. Johnson had 1 rebound.

The boys will be playing at the Target Center on Friday, December 20. The game tickets can also be used to get into a future Timberwolves game!

There will be a PCHS Alumni boys game on Saturday, December 21 at 9 a.m. This is a great way to connect former alumni and current alumni/players! It’s free, and there will be pizza following the game.

Monday, December 16, 2024

Target Center Game + YOUTH HALFTIME

Exciting news!

On Friday, December 20th, the Pine City JV and Varsity teams will be playing at The Target Center.

ALL 3rd-6th grade youth hoops players are invited to come and play on The Target Center floor during halftime of the games! We will plan on having the floor available for the JV and Varsity halftimes!

Want to participate? Wear your hoops jersey and buy a ticket. All people entering the facility need a ticket. Ticket information is listed below.

On December 20th, Pine City will take on LILA at The Target Center.

JV @ 515PM and Varsity @ 7PM

Tickets must be purchased ahead of time through this link:

https://www.nba.com/timberwolves/youth-basketball/pine-city-lila

Tickets are $35 each. Your ticket gets you into the Pine City games as well as a future Timberwolves game.

All players, coaches, managers, and fans must have a ticket.

Friday, December 13, 2024

12/12/24: @Rush City

Varsity: L (48-43)

JV: L

C-Squad: W

Highlights: https://www.hudl.com/video/2/421951/675c8b97dc277025b41701fe

Boys Basketball loses in close games

By Heidi Burger

Dec 18, 2024

Rush City 49, Pine City 42

It was a close game for the Dragons, and although they racked up the rebounds, their shots were not falling. Allen said, “I thought the shots we took were good. Although it was a physical game, we continued to fight. But we put ourselves into a hole, and we didn’t have enough time to get ourselves out of that hole.”

Wiener contributed 12 points, along with 13 rebounds and 2 assists. Ostenson contributed 11 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 1 block. Willert had 5 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Skluzacek had 3 points and 1 rebound. McDaniel had 5 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist. Fromm contributed 4 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Milliman had 2 points, 1 rebound, and 3 steals. Larson had 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. Ausmus had 1 rebound.

12/10/24: Mora

Varsity: L (77-48)

JV: L

C-Squad: L

Highlights: https://www.hudl.com/video/2/421951/675a0b30821590a5b8b80bed

Boys Basketball loses in close games

By Heidi Burger

Dec 18, 2024

“We did really well in the first half,” said Pine City Boys Varsity Basketball Coach Kyle Allen. “We showed that we could be on the floor and compete with them.” Despite the gap in the final score, there were good things seen on the court by the Dragons when they played the Mora Mustangs on December 10. The Mustansg came out with a win.

Mora 77, Pine City 48

Grant Skluzacek was leading scorer with 9 points and contributed 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal. Bryer Willert contributed 6 points, 4 rebounds and 1 charge. Jace Peterson had 6 points and 1 steal. AJ Ostenson had 5 points, 1 rebound and 1 steal. Colson Berglund earned 5 points, along with 4 rebounds and 1 block. Austin Wiener also contributed 4 points, along with 3 rebounds and 1 assist. Sawyer McDaniel had 3 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals. Charlie Ausmus had 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 charge. Eli Fromm had 3 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist. Grant Larson had 2 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Kevon Williams put up 2 points. Daniel Milliman had 2 assists and 3 steals. And Samuel Johnson had 2 rebounds.

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

12/7/24: Youth Camp

12/15/24: Youth Basketball (7th and 8th Grade) @Duluth East

Information for the upcoming youth 7th and 8th grade basketball tournament on Sunday Dec. 15th at Duluth East High School.

All 7th graders will be on the "7th grade team".

All 7th and 8th graders will be on the "8th grade team".

Monday, December 9, 2024

12/6/24: Aitkin

Varsity: W (74-56)

JV: W

C-Squad: W

Highlights: https://www.hudl.com/video/2/421951/6754940d1c6c21aab9801991

Dragon Boys Basketball starts season off with big wins!

By Heidi Burger Pine City Pioneer

Dec 11, 2024

The Dragon Boys Varsity team traveled to Ogilvie on Tuesday, December 3 for their first game of the season. It was a great game to start the season with all the eligible varsity players able to see equal court time.

Coach Kyle Allen has been talking the last year or so about rebuilding, about going back to the foundation of the program. Last season was a reset season, a chance for the boys players to take a step back and focus on the foundation, to make mistakes not often seen in a varsity game, and to correct those mistakes for the future of the program. Those steps backwards, as Coach Allen said, were made so this season’s Dragons could develop players to play at the varsity level.

Pine City 74, Aitkin 58

The boys then hosted the Aitkin Gobblers on Friday, December 6. Allen was proud of the team for sticking to the system and what the system calls for. “The boys continued to really focus on that and I think they were rewarded for it as the game progressed,” reported Allen.

Going into half-time, it was a one point game. The first half was a grind, with the Gobblers being bigger in size than the Dragons. So the Dragons knew they would have to work extremely hard against those bigger players. Coming out the second half, the Dragons took a step ahead and went on a 10-0 run. From there, they were able to capitalize and take it away. They ended the game with a final score of 74-58.

The Dragon Boys Varsity Basketball team will also have a busy week this week. They hosted Mora on Tuesday, December 10 (no score available as of press time). Then on Thursday, they will travel to Rush City to play the Tigers. The boys will finish out their week with a game on Saturday at home against Duluth Marshall at 1:30 p.m.

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

12/3/24: @Ogilvie

Varsity: W (104-16)

JV: W

Highlights: https://www.hudl.com/video/2/421951/675033a93738464375308e13

Dragon Boys Basketball starts season off with big wins!

By Heidi Burger Pine City Pioneer

Dec 11, 2024

Pine City 104, Ogilvie 16

“The standards were changed, in the hope that we would see success and more consistency,” said Allen. The Ogilvie game was a good starting point. The boys came out ready to play, and they played through their errors, staying up. “I really liked how the boys stayed with the principles in this game.”

The majority of the team was able to see playing time and even see double-digits for playing time which was a great game for experience. Coach Allen also commented on how “everyone really played well in terms of the execution of what we were asking them to do.” Sophomore Grant Larson had a great game, senior Austin Wiener led the team with 12 rebounds and senior Eli Fromm showed his tenacity on both sides of the court.

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Program Information

Program Purpose:

Educational

Program Goal:

Win Games

Program Information:

Our coaching philosophy for Boys Basketball at Pine City encompasses the betterment and success of our student athletes. Our program’s and school’s purpose is educational; that all of our student-athletes will be successful in the classroom to better prepare them for life outside of the classroom. Our goal as both a program and a school for athletics is to win. Life lessons, attitude, discipline, effort, commitment, hard-work, skill, time management, communication, collective and individual responsibility, accountability, evaluation, collaboration, and love are some of the concepts that are implemented and taught by our program. Just like the classroom setting, not everyone will have the same results, but it is our hope that all student-athletes will “get out of it what they put into it”. In both the classroom and on the court, student-athletes have different levels of motivation, effort, prior knowledge, work habits, skills, natural abilities, growth, and interest which lead to different “grades” or “results”. Everyone will be given the same FAIR opportunities but it may not be an EQUAL result; that is up to each individual athlete. We have high purposes and goals and therefore need equally high expectations that are equivalent to our purpose and goals.

JV/C Attending Varsity Games:

JV and C-Squad players in attendance at varsity games are expected to sit behind the varsity bench for the varsity games after their games. It creates a better atmosphere for our team, more support for the team playing, and is a bonding experience. Other 7th and 8th grade players, along with any youth basketball players, are welcome to join in this as well in this.

Missing School:

By school rule if an athlete is absent from school, tardy to school, or are removed from class they are ineligible to participate after school in a practice or an event. Athletes are still expected to come to the practice or event but cannot participate.

Equipment/Inventory

Your son will be issued out equipment, uniforms, and other items that belong to the school and/or the basketball program. A detailed list will be kept of which players have what equipment. This equipment is expected to be returned in the same fashion and condition it is given out in. If equipment is lost or damaged, it will be your responsibility to replace it.

Technology in the Locker Room

Electronic devices that have picture-taking capabilities will not be permitted in locker rooms for any MSHSL-sponsored competition. The use of any type of picture-taking devices in a locker room is a violation of the student code of conduct and will be dealt with.

Game Day Attire

We ask that all athletes “dress up” on game days. This includes but is not limited to: shirt and tie and/or collared shirt, dress shoes, and khakis or slacks. If there is any issues, please see your coach or Coach Allen.

Basketball Shoes

We ask that shoes worn by our players at games be predominantly green, and white. Varsity players who do not get the team shoes must have their shoes approved by Coach Allen. Please see your coach with any questions or problems.

Missing Practice:

If an athlete misses a practice before a contest, they are still eligible to play in the next event but is up to the discretion of each coach. An athlete may miss out on some or all playing time and/or have to make up the time for missing practice even if it is excused. If a player is going to be gone for an extended period of time, please set up a meeting with the coach to determine eligibility when they return. This decision is done on a case by case basis as many factors go into these decisions.

Non-School Day Practices:

At different levels, we will have practice on Saturdays, over holidays, before school, etc. These are treated like any other practice and attendance is mandatory. If there is a reason why an athlete cannot come, they should inform their coach. Family and academics always come before sports.

Morning/Saturday Workouts (Unified Athletic Program)

There will be mandatory workouts happening throughout the year that are held before school and/or Saturdays for all C-Squad, JV, and Varsity players. Players are expected to attend an assigned number of workouts per week. The workouts will be M-Th from 615-715AM (Doors open at 6AM) and Saturdays (Times/Location Vary). It is highly suggested to not attend the workouts on game days and schedule it so you can go on non-game days. We suggest to attend two of the following three days: Monday mornings, Wednesday mornings, or Saturday mornings. If these days do not work, you can go other days instead.

Although it is not required. this is also highly suggested to be utilized by Junior High athletes as well. These workouts are supported by Pine City Athletics, Pine City High School, Pine City Boys Basketball and are run year round.

Wednesday Practices:

For Wednesday practices we will follow the District's Policy for all athletes in regards to Church Activities. Grades 7-8 will be done by 5 PM and grades 9-12 will be done by 630 PM.

Coming Out To Play After The Season Has Started:

If an athlete were to come out for basketball after the beginning of the season, they would need to make up all work that has already been done by the other athletes before being allowed to participate. This would be up to the discretion of the coaching staff.

Move-Ups:

Move-ups will be completed when there is a need for numbers and/or the skill of the player involved matches the level of move-up. All move-ups will require the agreement of the player, parent, current coach, new coach, AD, and Principal.

7th and 8th playing C-Squad

Before the start of the junior high season, all 7th and 8th grade players are invited to participate with the C-Squad until the start of their season. Junior High starts Jan. 2 and ends Feb. 22. All 7th and 8th graders wanting to play with the C-Squad before their season must participate in the tryouts starting the week of Nov. 19. This is a completely optional opportunity for all 7th and 8th graders. There is no guarantee of any playing time in games or practice, however, those players choosing to participate must attend all practices and games.

Lettering Policy:

All players that make the Varsity roster and volunteer 10 minimum hours will letter as well as managers. There is a Varsity roster limit from the MSHSL, because of this, not everyone on the Varsity roster is guaranteed a jersey, but could still letter.

Captains:

To be a captain, a player must fill out the captaincy sheet. The players will then vote on who will be a captain. This is a privilege, not a right, and can be revoked or denied based on actions detrimental to the team by the coaching staff.

Communication:

Pine City Boys Basketball is adopting John. E. Tufte’s “Academic First” Guidelines.

Pine City Boys Basketball is serious about creating and maintaining healthy academic and extracurricular environments for its students. While extracurricular activities play an important, sometimes essential role in the education of our children, we believe our passion for these activities must coincide harmoniously with the academic opportunities and obligations within our school district. Pine City Boys Basketball is striving for healthy relationships and communication practices with students and families, and we are committed to our priority of “academic first”. With these ideals in mind, the following guidelines will be followed concerning conflicts with extracurricular activities:

Regarding extracurricular conflicts, parents and guardians must have knowledge of the involved student’s academic schedule, the teachers of these classes, and the current grade for each of the involved student’s courses.
For an extracurricular conflict to be discussed, the involved student must have no current grade lower than a C.
If the involved student in an extracurricular conflict has a current grade lower than a C, a plan of action will be offered to improve the academic performance of the student.Extracurricular concerns will not become a priority until academic performance is satisfactory.

Pine City Boys Basketball is striving for healthy relationships and communication practices between and among school officials, students, and families with the goal of both keeping academics a priority in our school district and ensuring that everyone is treated fairly with their concerns. With these ideals in mind, the following guidelines will be followed concerning extracurricular related conflict resolution:

Communication regarding extracurricular conflicts will initiate with the student and the activity supervisor/coach.
If conflicts continue, the student, the activity supervisor/coach, and the parent/guardian can meet to discuss the issue.
If conflicts continue, the student, the activity supervisor/coach, the parent/guardian, and the school district activities direction can meet to discuss the issue.
All meetings regarding extracurricular conflict will include both the involved student and the activity supervisor/coach. This includes conflicts discussed over email or the telephone.
Extracurricular conflicts involving parents or guardians will not be discussed until and unless our “academic first” guidelines have been met.
Playing time issues can only involve the student and his activity supervisory/coach
Vulgarity, rude behavior, and/or threats will terminate all meetings
School officials will not guarantee a resolution for all extracurricular concerns, nor will every issue be given a meeting for discussion.

Playing Time:

One of the most common communication misunderstandings in basketball is playing time. Unlike other sports, basketball can only have five athletes in play at a time and they are limited based on position and situation. All athletes at sub-varsity levels will play in competitions, although not evenly and up to the discretion of their coach (with the exception of allowing our 7th and 8th graders to play up at C-Squad for one half of the season). Once an athlete reaches the varsity level, their playing time is up to the discretion of the coaching staff and are not guaranteed playing time. We will decide on our lineups and rotations based on eligibility, ability, consistency, effort, attitude, and how well we feel that player gives us a chance to win based on position and situation. We have also adopted a “try-out” philosophy that is already implemented by many sports at Pine City High School. Players will no longer be put on a specific team based on their age/grade alone. All 9-12 grade student-athletes will be invited to try-out for specific teams. They are eligible to play on either the C, B, or A teams. Try-outs will be held during the first week of practice. The entire coaching staff will be involved in evaluating players. All players will make a team; there will be no cuts, everyone will be invited to be apart of the program. Sometimes the best long term opportunity for an athlete who is not ready for JV/V is to have another year of skill development at a lower level in preparation to play varsity later in their career. We do not want to stifle the improvement growth of an athlete by having them play at a level they are not ready for. Move-ups will be completed when there is a need for numbers and/or the skill of the player involved matches the level of move-up. All move-ups will require the agreement of the player, parent, current coach, new coach, AD, and Principal per district policy.

Returning To Play After Being Removed:

If a player is removed from the program, they are allowed to return in a future year(s) under an individual contract between player and Coach Allen. Because the player was unable to adhere to the rules/goals, the consequence is an individual contract for a future year(s). If a player is removed from the program twice, they will not be allowed back into the program.

Supervision

Please respect the time of the coaching staff ensuring that you are picking up your son promptly after a practice or a game. If this becomes an issue, Coach Allen and/or the AD will contact you to ensure this does not continue. On days that our activity does not start immediately, players may stay in Coach Allen’s classroom as long as Coach Allen is present. If he is not, you must leave school grounds and return later.

Coach's Goals:

1. Teach life lessons, build great relationships, and prepare athletes for life outside of basketball.

2. Prepare athletes to play at the Varsity level at Pine City High School.

3. Be competitive and win games.

4. Have fun.

Coach Allen's Profile

PLAYING CAREER:

3 year varsity letter winner at Black River Falls High School

-2X Conference Champion

-Member of a top 10 ranked team in the state of Wisconsin (2004-05)

4 year varsity member at The College of St. Scholastica

-2X UMAC Regular Season Conference Champion

-3X UMAC Conference Tournament Champion

-Most Improved Player Award (2006-07)

-Saints Award Recipient (2008-09)

-Highest Field Goal Percentage (2008-09)

-2X National Association of Basketball Coaches Honor Court

-Academic All Conference (2008-09)

-Selected as team captain for the 2008-2009 season

COACHING CAREER:

Assistant Men's Basketball Coach-The College of St. Scholastica

Head Boy's Basketball Coach, Assistant Football/Track-League City Intermediate School

Head Assistant Boy's Basketball Coach-South Houston High School

-Conference Champion 2010-2011

-Conference Coaching Staff of the Year

Head Boys Basketball Coach-Pine City High School

-36 All-Conference Players

-9 All-Section Players

-Five 1,000 Point Scorers

-3 All-Wood City Classic Players

-3 Academic All-State Players

-Coached Program's #1-4, #6 All-Time Leading Scorers

-2X Conference Coach Of The Year

-Five 20+ Win Seasons

-4 Conference Championships

-7 players went on to college basketball programs, 16 total players went on to college athletics

MSHSL State Records Leaderboard:

-Assists/Season

2017-2018: 505 (#3)

2018-2019: 539 (#2)

2019-2020: 504 (#4)

-Three-Point Field Goals Attempted/Season

2015-2016: 1113 (#2)

2016-2017: 1007 (#8)

2017-2018: 1043 (#5)

2018-2019: 1108 (#3)

2019-2020: 998 (#9)

-Three-Point Field Goals Made/Season

2015-2016: 348 (#5)

2016-2017: 324 (#10)

2017-2018: 360 (#3)

2018-2019: 368 (#2)

2019-2020: 330 (#9)

-Steals/Game

2017: 34 (#7)

-Three-Point Field Goals Attempted/Game

2016: 61 (#4)

2017: 60 (#5)

2019: 61 (#4)

2020: 63 (#3)

-Three-Point Field Goals Made/Game

2016: 21 (#5)

2017: 21 (#5)

2019: 23 (#3)

2019: 27 (#1)

2020: 24 (#2)

National Records Leaderboard:

-Three-Point Field Goals Attempted/Season

2015-2016: 1113 (#16)

2016-2017: 1007 (#28)

2017-2018: 1043 (#23)

2018-2019: 1108 (#18)

2019-2020: 998 (#29)

-Three-Point Field Goals Made/Season

2015-2016: 348 (#17)

2016-2017: 324 (#27)

2017-2018: 360 (#14)

2018-2019: 368 (#12)

2019-2020: 330 (#24)

-Three-Point Field Goals Made/Game

2019: 27 (#6)

2020: 24 (#10)

Other

-The Supreme Coach Competition (Top 4 Finish, Mentored by George Karl and Bruce Parkhill)

-Offensive philosophy featured in The Wall Street Journal

-Game-planning and statistical analysis featured on Fox 9

-Minnesota Public Radio

-Bring Me The News

-Offensive philosophy featured on Basketball Talk Pro

-Program featured on MSHSL's John's Journal

-Program philosophy featured on MNSPN

-Dr. Dish

-Presenter at The Great Lakes Analytics in Sports Conference and Featured on their Podcast

-Guest Speaker/Presenter for Radius Athletics on their monthly webinar

-Presenter at The Midwest Sports Analytics Meeting

-Minnesota Basketball Coaching Podcast

-Book: The Hot Hand

-ClutchPoints Mini-Documentary

PINE CITY BOYS BASKETBALL

Calendar

2022-23 Basketball Poster

Fan Text Updates

Friday, December 20, 2024

12/19/24: Moose Lake-Willow River

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

7th + 8th Grade Tournament

12/14/24: Youth Camp

12/14/24: Duluth Marshall

Boys Basketball loses in close games

Monday, December 16, 2024

Target Center Game + YOUTH HALFTIME

Friday, December 13, 2024

12/12/24: @Rush City

Boys Basketball loses in close games

12/10/24: Mora

Boys Basketball loses in close games

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

12/7/24: Youth Camp

12/15/24: Youth Basketball (7th and 8th Grade) @Duluth East

Monday, December 9, 2024

12/6/24: Aitkin

Dragon Boys Basketball starts season off with big wins!

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

12/3/24: @Ogilvie

Dragon Boys Basketball starts season off with big wins!