Minnesota Xplosion

Wildcat National Summer Classic

2008-08-17T12:34:00.006-05:00

Minnesota Xplosion close out the season with one last tournament in Rockford, IL. Short on players, Xplosion picked up a few extra's.

Jesse Briggity (#5) from Blaine High School and Fury North.
TJ Okafor (#33) from Champlin Park High School and Team Minnesota (15U)
Kyle Zimmermann (#50) from Champlin Park High School and TNL Express

Xplosion finished 3-3. The three losses came from teams that finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd. The two teams that were in Xplosion's pool finishing 2nd and 3rd and the team knocking Xplosion out of bracket play, Velocity, won the tournament. Xplosion beat the consolation champion, Lakeside Scholars, in the first round of the championship bracket.

Game 1

Minnesota Xplosion 67 - Future Stars Magic (IL) 54
Jordan Reibling 20, Michael Rovansek 13, Jesse Briggity 9, Kyle Zimmermann 9
Other game notes: Kyle Zimmermann just missed a double double in his first game with Xplosion pulling down 11 rebounds. Jordan Reibling had 4 steals.

Game 2

Minnesota Xplosion 60 - Quad City Select (IL) 47
Kyle Zimmermann 18, Josh Pella 13, Steve Bailey 10
Other game notes: TJ Okafor with 8 rebounds, Kyle Zimmermann with 7 boards

Game 3

Minnesota Xplosion 56 - Full Court Express (IL) 61
Josh Pella 20, Jordan Reibling 13, Michael Rovansek 8, Kyle Zimmermann 8.

Game 4

Minnesota Xplosion 50 - Showtime (IL) 71
Steve Bailey 16, Jordan Reibling 13, Kyle Zimmermann 6

Game 5

(Sweet Sixteen)

Minnesota Xplosion 78 - Lakeside Scholars (WI) 67
Steve Bailey 26, Jesse Briggity 19, Michael Rovansek 14

Game 6

(Elite 8)

Minnesota Xplosion 53 - Velocity (IL) 63
Jordan Reibling 13, Jesse Briggity 11, Michael Rovansek 8

Click for Final Results of Tournament

AAU Nationals - Orlando, FL

2008-08-17T12:26:00.006-05:00

2008 National Championships-16U-
July 24-30, 2008

Orlando, FL
Participants from Minnesota:
Minnesota Magic Elite

Minnesota Xplosion

P articipants

Orlando Venue Locations

Pool Play

Championship Bracket (1st & 2nd place finishes in pool play)

1st & 2nd Round Consolation

3rd & 4th Round Consolation

Classic Bracket (3rd & 4th place finishes in pool play)
Results and More

Game 1

Minnesota Xplosion 74 - Team Renegade (MD) 42
Jordan Reibling 19, Dillon Hager 9, Josh Pella 8, Michael Rovansek 8
Other game notes: Josh Pella and Anthony Webber each had 9 rebounds

Game 2

Minnesota Xplosion 46 - Elite Red (FL) 57
Michael Rovansek 13, Josh Pella 11, Dillon Hager 6, Rick Starck 6

Game 3

Minnesota Xplosion 67 - CT Basketball Academy 71
Josh Pella 22, Dillon Hager 11, Michael Rovansek 9
Other game notes: Josh Pella had 11 rebounds and giving him his 11th double double of the season. Pella also had 5 steals in the game. Rick Starck pulled down 7 rebounds. Jordan Reibling had 6 boards and 4 steals.

Game 4

Minnesota Xplosion 63 - Atlanta Select (GA) 71
Steve Bailey 17, Jordan Reibling 16, Michael Rovansek 12
Other game notes: Josh Pella had 7 rebounds. Michael Rovansek pulled down 6 rebounds.

Twin Cities Summer Classic

2008-07-16T10:57:00.003-05:00

TWIN CITIES SUMMER CLASSIC

July 12-15, 2008
Minneapolis, MN

Pool Assignments

Pool Play

Bracket

Competing Teams
MPLS Redhawks
43 Hoops Harris
Elite Sports Select
Minnesota Heat Black
MSB Roadrunners
MN Comets Elite
Minnesota Xplosion
94 Feet of Game
Minnesota Magic Black
Terry Porter Elite
Hoop Masters
Big Game Sports
43 Hoops Gameli
Mac Irvine Fire
Upstate Elite

Full Monday Recap by TC Hoops Czar

Full Sunday Recap by TC Hoops Czar

Full Saturday Recap by TC Hoops Czar

--Game 1

Minnesota Xplosion 63 - Magic Black 75

Jack Ghizoni 17, Steve Bailey 16, Jordan Reibling 8

By: The TC Hoops Czar

This session is all about the 16U pool of death. Kevin Noreen joined the Magic Black squad for their game with the MN Xplosion. As the Xplosion struggle on the glass, Noreen makes his first appearance at 12:25 with Josh Pella guarding him in a entertaining matchup. The Magic get out to a 14-8 lead after Deron Murphy finds Noreen for a layup with 10 minutes left in the half. The rest of the half is back and forth and a Magic 3 at the horn makes it 37-36 Magic Black at the half. A 9-2 run out of halftime topped off by a Steve Bailey 3 gives the Xplosion a 45-39 lead with 14 minutes left. With the score 52-50 and about 10 minutes left, Noreen makes 1 of 2 FTs and then gets 2 straight layups on postups to give the Magic a 57-50 lead with 7 minutes to play and they won't look back. Magic-Black wins 75-63. Kevin Noreen with 14 points and Deron Murphy with 10 points for the Magic. Jack Ghizoni with 17 points to lead the Xplosion.

--Game 2

Minnesota Xplosion 77 - Upstate Elite (MI) 68

Jordan Reibling 22, Josh Pella 17, Steve Bailey 11

The second pool game was against Upstate Elite from Michigan. Upstate got off to a quick start taking a 14-4 lead over Xplosion in the first few minutes. As most games have momentum swings, Xplosion's was just around the corner. After getting down 10 points early, Xplosion came alive, pulling down rebounds, getting quick transition baskets and picking pockets relentlessly. A flurry of points came from Josh Pella and Jordan Reibling as they combined for 21 first half points. Defense stepped up also as Xplosion was able to hold the Upstate Elite to only 13 additional points. Halftime score was Xplosion by 11, 38-27. Second half continued much like the first half with Xplosion withstanding a small Upstate comeback attempt. Upstate was able to cut the lead to 8 a few times but the "X" was able to stop the runs each time. Final score was 77-68.

--Game 3

Minnesota Xplosion 59 - Minneapolis Redhawks 60

Jack Ghizoni 16, Rick Starck 12, Jordan Reibling 11, Josh Pella 10

Final game of pool play would be against a very athletic Redhawks team. Redhawks have played most tournaments this season at the 17U level. John Rowland (Osseo) and Dalton Graff (Osseo) are just a few of the players that are big contributors for the Redhawks. Xplosion came out in a man to man putting ball pressure everywhere and forcing the Redhawks to take bad shots. Josh Pella continued to go strong to the basket early and was able to get to the line on 4 separate occasions in the first half alone. Halftime score was Xplosion up 27-25. Second half would be a defensive battle as the Redhawks tightened it up a bit. With both teams trying to get to the basket Redhawks finally go up by 1 with :30 left in the game. After a missed shot by the Xplosion, Redhawks get the rebound and are bringing it down court. A pass is made at half court and Rick Starck dives to intercept it. With a tip of the ball he is able to stay on his feet, he stumbles but is able to control the ball as he brings it down court. Redhawks are able to cover the basket and Xplosion pulls it back out. Redhawks have 4 fouls to give and there is only :20 seconds on the clock. The fouls are given just as Xplosion tries to make a move to score, eating up the clock. With :04 seconds left, Xplosion inbounds the ball to Reibling in the corner, Redhawks had him covered with 3 players and Reibling passes it to Rick Starck at the top of the 3 point line. Starck has already hit one three pointer in the game and with :01 second on the clock he shoots another. The shot was straight as can be but had just a tiny bit too much on it as it came off the back of the rim. Minneapolis Redhawks win 60-59. Josh Pella collected his 10th double double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

--Game 4

Minnesota Xplosion 68 - MN Heat 55

Jack Ghizoni 18, Josh Pella 14, Jordan Reibling 10

First round of the Championship bracket would have the #3 seed, Minnesota Xplosion, against the #2 seed, Minnesota Heat. Minnesota Heat is a tremendous program ran by Willie Vang with teams at every age level. Xplosion comes out quick both hitting outside shots and getting to the rim. Jack Ghizoni has 14 points in the first half and Xplosion lead by 13 by a score of 39-26. In the second half the Heat would not go away getting to within 4 points on 2 occasions, one of which was with 4:22 left in the game. Xplosion was able to answer each Heat run with some big shots from Jordan Reibling and Josh Pella. Xplosion go on a nice run of their own to win, 68-55.

--Game 5 (Quarter Finals)

Minnesota Xplosion 46 - Comets Elite 69

Josh Pella 12, Rick Starck 12, Jordan Reibling 6

With the win against Minnesota Heat, Minnesota Xplosion advance to the elite 8 and would face the Comets Elite. In the previous 3 meetings, Xplosion won the first meeting at the Magic Super Regional. Comets Elite won at the Jayhawk Invitational and at the AAU district championships when Xplosion blew a huge lead. Additions to the Comets Elite team that stand out for the weekend is Taylor Filipek of the Minnesota Magic Elite. Right out of the gate, Jordan Reibling drops two 3 pointers but Comets regroup quickly and go on a 12-0 run. Halftime score was 25-38. Second half was again a display of pure athleticism by the Comets Elite as they played a great game and would advance to the semi-final game against the Redhawks. Final score was 46-69.

Michael Rovansek joins Magic Elite 17's for Chicago Summer Classic

2008-07-08T19:51:00.003-05:00

Michael Rovansek's services have been requested as he will participate with the Minnesota Magic Elite 17's at the Chicago Summer Classic. Stay tuned for daily updates as the tournament begins on July 9th and continues thru July 11th.

Josh Pella Joins TNL Express for Mr. Basketball Tourney

2008-07-05T23:15:00.005-05:00

Josh Pella traveled with TNL Express to the Mister Basketball Tournament over the fourth of July weekend as a fill in. Pella was top scorer with 23 points in their first pool game against KC Heat helping TNL to a 97-62 win. The second pool game against Colorado Shining Stars II, Pella scored 7 points helping lift his team to a 2-0 record by a score of 76-65. The final pool game against the Tulsa Dream was a record setting game in the history of the tournament. The team won, 120-69. This broke the "most points scored by a team" record previously held by Team Iowa in 1995. Pella contributed 13 points in the win.

Bracket play started Saturday as TNL Express beat Step Off Lightning by 3 and then was eliminated from the tournament in the sweet sixteen by All Iowa Elite.

Bracket Results

Pool Standings

Individual Scoring Leaders

Team Scoring Leaders

Star of the North Games '08

2008-06-29T21:48:00.003-05:00

Minnesota Xplosion go 4-1 and finish in 2nd place

Full Tournament Results

Xplosion 80 Farmington 75
Reibling 21, Ghizoni 17, Starck 14, Hager 11

Xplosion 68 Rochester Shock 58
Starck 20, Pella 12, Reibling 12, Ghizoni 11

Xplosion 55 Elk River 33
Reibling 25, Pella 9, Dittrich 8

Xplosion 75 Mustangs 70
Ghizoni 22, Reibling 22, Pella 14

Xplosion 78 Centennial 83
Pella 24, Ghizoni 16, Starck 14, Reibling 12, Dittrich 10

The Star of the North Games '08 got underway Friday night. Minnesota Xplosion would be playing the entire weekend shorthanded. Michael Rovansek and Steve Bailey would be unavailable all weekend, Brent Walker out in the Friday night game with a knee injury not to return all weekend, Starck and Ghizoni missing the Saturday night game, Kuledge and Webber missing both Sunday games. With Xplosion having two full weekends off, the team was very anxious to hit the hardwood.

Xplosion 80 Farmington 75

First up would be Farmington. Xplosion got out to a quick start gaining a 10 point lead and maintaining it and more thru halftime. Josh Pella was the assist man in this game having a total of 10. Halftime score was 44-27 behind 13 first half points from Jordan Reibling. Farmington made a few runs in the second half and at one point came within 4 points but the Xplosion defense was too much as they were able to hang on for a 80-75 win. Jordan Reibling picked up his first double double of the season with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Jack Ghizoni had 17 points, Rick Starck with 14 and Dillon Hager chipped in 11.

Xplosion 68 Rochester Shock 58

The second pool game was played on Saturday against Rochester Shock. Xplosion picked up right where they left off on Friday night. Rick Starck played a tough game underneath making post moves and finishing strong all game. Xplosion up by 13 at the half, 38-25. All game steals were plentiful as the team racked up 13 total in the game to go with 27 boards. A small rally by the Shock pulled them to with 4 points but again, defense prevailed as Xplosion was able to go on a run of their own, stopping the ball at the defensive end and converting on the offensive end. Final score, 68-58. Rick Starck finished with 20, Josh Pella and Jordan Reibling each with 12 and Jack Ghizoni had 11.

Xplosion 55 Elk River 33

With the two previous wins, Xplosion takes first in their pool and advances to the championship bracket. Quarter finals game would be against Elk River. Xplosion got off to a slow start allowing uncontested baskets and found themselves down 2-10 right out of the gate. A quick timeout for regrouping was called and defensive adjustments were made. Out of the timeout, Xplosion worked hard at both ends of the court. Blair Dittrich worked the post working the ball inside scoring 8 points in the first half helping lead the charge. Josh Pella dropped all 9 of his points in the first half also. After a nice push, halftime score was 34-25 Xplosion. The rout continued in the second half as Jordan Reibling scored 17 of the teams 21 points closing out Elk River 55-33. Jordan Reibling lead all scorers with 25, Josh Pella had 9 and Blair Dittrich finished with 8.

Xplosion 75 Mustangs 70

Minnesota Xplosion advanced to the semi-final game with the win over Elk River and would have to play the Mustangs. A very fast and strong team comprised of all-stars from the Hiawatha Valley Conference. The Mustangs beat Tartan by 2 in the previous game. This game was back and forth the entire game with runs by both teams. Jack Ghizoni played very tough at both ends of the court. Ghizoni, Pella and Reibling combined for 32 of Xplosion's 38 first half points while Rick Starck worked the boards. Jordan Reibling hit a three off an inbounds play right before the end of the half giving the Xplosion a 38-35 lead. Second half was a very physical battle. Rick Starck and Josh Pella continued to crash the boards as Ghizoni and Reibling worked their offensive game in the second half. Xplosion built a 12 point lead but the Mustangs had one more run in them. Between some turnovers and nice transition buckets, Mustangs were able to pull to within 4 with 1:30 on the clock. With the win at their fingertips, Xplosion would be determined to not let the game get away and was able to hold on for a 75-50 win. Jack Ghizoni and Jordan Reibling each had 22 points. Josh Pella had 14 points and 13 rebounds, another double double. Rick Starck pulled down 9 rebounds.

Xplosion 78 Centennial 83

Championship game would be against the 4-0 Centennial Cougars. Centennial would be playing with their entire varsity squad which includes super soph Tony Gerding of the 43 Hoops. The Cougars had a 17 point win over White Bear Lake and Spencer Cummings of Howard Pulley and a 2 point win over P-E-M Bulldogs in the semi's. Centennial came out running, pushing the ball up the court and hitting all their shots. Xplosion worked hard for the buckets they could get and would give up easy baskets at the other end. Halftime score was 41-52. Not giving up, Xplosion put it all on the line. Josh Pella and Rick Starck worked the glass and pushing the ball up the court to the open man. Slowly over the course of the second half, Xplosion chipped away at the Cougar lead narrowing it to a 4 point game with 1:45 in the game. With no other option but to foul, in an attempt to get the ball back, Centennial made their free throws and baskets were traded. Xplosion outscored the Cougars 37-31 in the second half but that wouldn't be enough. Final score was 78-83 with 5 of 7 players scoring in double digits. Josh Pella had a fabulous game with 24 point and 12 rebounds giving him his 9th double double of the season. Jack Ghizoni finished with 16, Rick Stark with 14 points and 7 rebounds, Jordan Reibling had 12 and Blair Dittrich 10.

On a side note: Mustangs beat P-E-M Bulldogs 68-64 showing that all of the final 4 teams were very competitive and played very well.

Next up for the Minnesota Xplosion is the Best Buy Twin Cities Summer Classic. With over 20 teams from around the country coming to Minnesota for the "Live" period, the tournament should be very solid.

Jordan Reibling Returns from the Reebok Underclass Camp

2008-06-25T22:50:00.005-05:00

Anthony Ray
ArizonaPreps.com

Sunday morning saw the completion to this year's 2008 Reebok Breakout Underclass Camp held in Chicago, Illinois (June 20-22).

With five spots available for the top campers from this year's event, Tournament Director Chris Rivers organized an exciting competitive playoff match for the players to compete and earn an invite to the prestigious Reebok U All-American Camp held in Philadelphia, PA (July 5-10). Never before has there been a playoff match organized such as this one, where camp participants desiring to earn a camp invitation simply compete against one another for the right to earn their place in Reebok U (formerly known as ABCD Camp).

Throughout the many years of the camp's existence, Rivers has been flooded daily with phone calls, emails and gestures by high school and AAU/club coaches, as well as parents and players themselves to receive an invitation to the annual camp. This year's playoff format created by Rivers and the Reebok Breakout Camp staff created loads of excitement by both the campers involved, as well as the scouts and fans in attendance witnessing the action.

With all 105 of the campers seated at center court, Rivers called out the top 20 prospects from this year's camp (selected by the Reebok Breakout camp staff). With each name called out, the players were divided amongst two teams to compete against one another in a 25-minute game format. With the game set and the players divided, the only thing left was to determine who would be receiving their invitation to play in Reebok U in July.

Players selected to compete in the exciting playoff game were as follows: Perry Ellis 6-8 JR W. Chita, KS; Nino Williams 6-6 SOPH Lansing, KS; George Marshall 5-11 SOPH Chicago, IL; Kyan Anderson 5-11 SOPH Fort Worth, TX; Phillip Taylor 6-0 JR Marietta, GA; Denzel Brito 6-2 JR Wareham, MA; Lenzelle Smith Jr. 6-4 JR Zion, IL; Andre Henley 6-5 SOPH Chicago, IL; Rashad Perkins 6-6 JR Starksville, MS; John Bailey 6-8 JR Mesa, AZ; Jalen Courtney 6-8 JR Madison, MS; Chris Coleman 6-9 SOPH Buffalo, NY; Admir Sahbegovic 6-8 JR Jacksonville, FL; Cole Dickerson 6-7 JR Seattle, WA; Blake Mclimans 6-10 SR Orchard Park, NY; Jordan Treloff 6-10 JR Dekarh, IL; Dre Evans 5-10 JR Dallas, TX; Stephen Holt 6-3 JR Beaverton, OR; George Fant 6-6 SOPH Bowling Green, KY; Marvin Jordan 6-0 JR Peoria, IL.

With the players each competing at a high level for the right to earn their respective camp invites, players gasped for air and pushed themselves throughout the game, as each camper looked exhausted from the weekend's action.

AAU coaches for a few of the campers involved in the game stood by on the sidelines shouting out there desired opinions to Reebok camp coaches on the opposite side of the floor, hoping gain an advantage for their respective players.

Mark Irvin of Mac Irvin's Fire, a local-based AAU/club team in the Chicago area, stood out among the crowd of onlookers, attempting to gain favor for his star performer, Andre Henley. While Henley had definitely been a top performer throughout the weekend's camp, his play was superb in the playoff match-up, as he connected on several contested three-point bombs and scored on dribble drives to the basket.

At the completion of the game, the Reebok coaches and staff organized one last time to collect their thoughts and deliberate about their proposed selections for the camp invites to Reebok U.

As Rivers, once again, spoke to the large group of campers in attendance, this time he announced this year's camp invitees, but not before addressing one camper in particular. While Andre Henley would become one of the selected participants to gain an invitation to this year's Reebok U, Rivers addressed his displease with Henley's attitude throughout the camp, as well as his lack of defensive effort.

It was a pleasant surprise to see Rivers call out the camper in front of his peers, especially in a basketball world today where kids and parents often feel a sense of entitlement for being a top basketball prospect. Rivers clearly sent the message to everyone involved in this year's camp that such behavior would no longer be tolerated. NO MORE.

This year's camp was a tremendous opportunity for those involved to develop an understanding for the hard work involved in becoming a player, and an even better understanding about the limited amount of opportunity there is available to those desiring to be the best. Each of the players selected for this year's invitations to Reebok U earned them through sheer hard work, effort and a willingness to compete at a high level.

While we began with five invites to this year's camp, 8 campers finally emerged from the field. Here are this year's selections from the 2008 Reebok Breakout Underclass Camp that will move on to the ultra-talented field of players at this year's Reebok U . . .

2008 Reebok U All-American Camp Invitees
Perry Ellis 6-8 FR 2012 W. Chita, KS

Kyan Anderson 5-11 SOPH 2011 Fort Worth, TX

*Rashad Perkins 6-6 JR 2010 Starksville, MS

Lenzelle Smith 6-4 JR 2010 Zion, IL

Jalen Courtney 6-8 JR 2010 Madison, MS

Chris Coleman 6-9 SOPH 2011 Buffalo, NY

*Denzel Brito 6-2 JR 2010 Wareham, MA

Andre Henley 6-5 SOPH 2011 Chicago, IL

Congratulations to each of this year's recipients of invitations to Reebok U, but also we would like to thank each of the campers that participated and helped in making this year's 5th annual camp another tremendous success!

As Reported Here

*Teammates of Jordan Reibling at the camp

AAU MN District Championships

2008-06-09T23:23:00.003-05:00

MN AAU DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIPS
June 6-8
Bloomington Jefferson High School - Bloomington, MN
Bracket

Xplosion 64 - Fury South 72
Steve Bailey 13pts, 6 boards and 3 assists. Jack Ghizoni 12 pts. Jordan Reibling 12 pts. Brent Walker also scored in double digits chipping in 10 points with 3 assists. Josh Pella with 12 rebounds and 8 points, just missing another double double.

Xplosion 83 - Fury North 91
Jordan Reibling was high scorer with 22, 6 from beyond the arc. Steve Bailey with 13 pts and 6 assists. Anthony Webber 12 pts, 14 rebounds and 5 blocked shots, another double double for the big. Josh Pella pulled down 10 rebounds and had 3 blocks to go with 9 pts.

Xplosion 49 - Comets Elite 55
Game Review By TC Hoops Czar
#4 MN Comets Elite vs #5 MN Xplosion. These teams split 2 games earlier in the summer so this should be quite interesting.

Fun up and down game, but no pressing from the Xplosion to my surprise. Xplosion gets out to a 15-4 lead after 1 quarter.

The Comets close to 18-16 but Xplosion gets 8 of the last 9 to lead 26-17 at the break.

35-28 Xplosion halfway thru quarter #3 when the Comets go on a 11-0 run thanks to 9 straight points from Luke Januschka (St. Cloud Cathedral). 39-37 Comets at the end of the 3rd quarter.

Jack Ghizoni (Burnsville) hits 2 FTs for Xplosion with 3 minutes left to make it 46-45 Comets. The teams trade a couple of buckets in the next 2 minutes. With 42 seconds left, Cody Meyer makes the 1st FT but misses the 2nd and gets his own rebound. The Comets get 2 layups after this and they go on to win 55-49.
Jack Ghizoni with 14 for Xplosion. Luke Januschka with 14 for the Comets.

Other Stats: Steve Bailey contributed 8 and Michael Rovansek had 6. Josh Pella with 6 blocks, 6 rebounds. Jack Ghizoni had 7 rebounds to go with his 14 points.

Xplosion 63 - MSB Roadrunners 60
Game Review By TC Hoops Czar
MN Xplosion vs MSB in the always dicey 5 vs 12 matchup.
More of the same tight officiating in the 2nd session as we had 9 FTs attempted before the 1st made FG. Xplosion trying to press but getting nothing and making nothing. An 8-0 MSB run gives them a 15-7 lead after the 1st quarter.

In the 2nd quarter the full court man press starts to have some results but its not until the Xplosion get 4 late 3s that they take a 33-31 at halftime.

MSB not going away though as they start the 2nd half on a 10-2 run to take a 41-35 lead. But they get sloppy later in the quarter as they give up an offensive rebound on a FT which leads to a triple and Andrew Kuledge gets a steal and a layup to tie it at 48. A late MSB 3 makes it 51-50 Roadrunners after 3 quarters.

The Xplosion get a 8-0 run over the 1st 2:49 of the 4th to lead 58-51 and it looks over. Especially when they go 2-3 zone and the Roadrunners are getting no movement and hoisting up hurried 3s. But David Stanley (Roseville) hits a 3 for MSB after a scramble and its 59-58 Xplosion with 2:15 to go and the Xplosion turn it over. MSB gets nothing out of it and with 1:18 left the Xplosion have the ball and call time. They call a great iso off the inbound for Josh Pella which he converts for a 61-58 Xplosion lead with 1:10 to play. The teams trade 2 FTs each and with 15.9 to go MSB has the ball down 3 in the frontcourt. They run America's Play for Stanley but they don't execute and Stanley has nothing. Cory Stiles throws up a prayer at the horn that is no good and the Xplosion survive 63-60.

The Xplosion are deep, they hustle and have tons of people who can knock down 3s. Dangerous team. Jordan Reibling led them with 12 pts. David Stanley with 22 and a nice game to lead MSB. Cory Stiles (Eastview) with 8 pts and 12 rebounds in a very productive outing. He's athletic and showed an ability to handle the ball a bit in addition to his rebounding.

Other Stats: Josh Pella finished with 11 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Jordan Reibling had 5 steals to go with his 12 points. Four players contributed with 7 points each. Dillon Hager, Jack Ghizoni, Andrew Kuledge and Anthony Webber.

Adidas Midwest Festival of Teams

2008-06-04T19:32:00.003-05:00

ADIDAS M IDWEST FESTIVAL OF TEAMS II
May 30 - June 1
Ames, IA

Pool Play/Bracket Play Results

Competing Teams:
Howard Pulley
Team Nebraska
Team OKC
Elite Sports
QC Magic
MSB Roadrunners
Minnesota Crush
Legacy X-Factor
Minnesota Heat Elite
Ames Cyclones
Iowa Barnstormers
Minnesota Magic - Black
Solon Spartan Select
QC Select
Tartan Titans
Minnesota Xplosion

Minnesota Xplosion 69 QC Select 58
Minnesota Xplosion 74 Ames Cyclones 95
Minnesota Xplosion 61 MN Magic Black 66
Minnesota Xplosion 46 Tartan Titans 52

Minnesota Xplosion is pleased to announce the addition of Jack Ghizoni

2008-05-28T23:51:00.002-05:00

Minnesota Xplosion is pleased to announce the addition of Jack Ghizoni to the roster. Jack Ghizoni comes from Burnsville where he plays Varsity for Burnsville High School. He has previously played his summer AAU ball for the Minnesota Magic Elite. Jack will make an immediate impact on the team contributing both at the offensive and defensive end of the court.

Welcome to the TEAM!

Click to view Jack Ghizoni's Player Profile Page

Xplosion gets win over TNL Express but lose to Fury South in championship by 9

2008-05-28T23:45:00.003-05:00

The Minnesota Xplosion played in the Memorial Day Classic (Super Regional) in Menomonie, WI. This tournament would be played without Rick Starck and Andrew Kuledge. The team picked up right where it left off two weeks earlier and in more ways than one. First game on Saturday morning would be Minnesota Fury South. In the last tournament Xplosion played in, MN Fury South was their final opponent and they took a beating losing 44-61. This game would go much the same as no shots would fall for the "X". With a 16-31 score at half it wasn't looking good. Fury played like they wanted the win more and played some great defense holding Xplosion to only 14 points in the second half. Final score was 30-56. Not the outcome Team Xplosion was looking for. Three players scored 22 of the 30 points in the game. Michael Rovansek led all scorers with 9, Josh Pella 8 and Anthony Webber 5. Webber also pulled down 6 rebounds. Eric Sandstad sprained his ankle in the game and DNP the rest of the weekend.

MN Xplosion had a long, very needed, break before its second game of the day. Not satisfied with their play in the first pool game, Xplosion came out fired up. Jordan Reibling was hitting everything scoring 14 first half points. Contributions from the rest of the team gave Xplosion a 43-40 lead at the half. With the offensive scoring on, defense would need to be stepped up if Xplosion was to win the game. Rebounding was huge as Jack Ghizoni (5), Josh Pella (6), Anthony Webber (6) and Jordan Reibling (5) crashed both the offensive and defensive boards. Reibling also had 7 steals while Pella blocked 5 shots. With an exceptional defensive finish, Xplosion held Rivals to only 26 second half points and easily pulled out the victory 82-66. Jordan Reibling finished with 26 points and 7 steals. Josh Pella dropped 12 points, 7 assists, 5 blocks and 6 boards while Michael Rovansek chipped in 10.

A Sunday morning game would be Minnesota Xplosion's final pool game before bracket play starts. A win gives them the 2 seed in the pool while a loss gives them the 3 seed. After such an embarrassing first game to Fury, losing wasn't an option. Final pool game is against PC Players - Black. The previous day, the players beat Rivals 72-29. Rebounding again would be key as Josh Pella, Blair Dittrich, Jack Ghizoni and Anthony Webber would be rebounding machines combining for 39 boards. Halftime score was tied at 25 a piece. With scoring coming from a variety of players, Xplosion finishes strong and gets the win 49-41. Brent Walker was high scorer with 12. Jack Ghizoni finished with 10 points, 7 boards. Jordan Reibling dropped 10 and Blair Dittrich had 9 points, 8 rebounds (5 offensive). Josh Pella pulled down 15 rebounds (5 offensive) while Anthony Webber had 9 rebounds of his own and 3 blocks.

With the 2 seed in the pool, the quarter final game would be against Wear Out The Net. With 2 previous wins against them by a combined 13 points, they wouldn't be a team to take lightly. A very balanced scoring half for Xplosion gave them a 34-30 lead. Like the previous 2 games, Xplosion stepped up to the plate and played some great defense. Showing how conditioned the team is (compliments to Velocity Sports Performance in Champlin, MN), Xplosion outscores Wear Out The Net 32-19 in the second half and wins 66-49. Team rebounding (41) was great and team steals (13) were a plus. Jordan Reibling finished with 13 points, 4 steals. Anthony Webber went 6-10 from the field giving him 12 points to go with 10 rebounds, his first double double of the season. Not only his first double double but also his first dunk of the season came in this game. Jack Ghizoni chipped in 10 points and 6 rebounds. Michael Rovansek also finished with 10 points hitting two big three pointers down the stretch. Josh Pella ripped down 10 boards.

The semi final game against Xplosion's biggest rival, TNL Express, would prove to be exciting. TNL Express has played in 3 previous tournaments. They won the Comets tournament with a huge performance from Jacob Thomas of Howard Pulley. They then took the MN Magic Super Regional by bringing in a couple kids from Forest Lake and another from Mound-Westonka. With all the hype that TNL is the team to beat, Xplosion was prepared for the showdown. Unfortunately, TNL sustained a blow when Kyle Zimmermann went down in their previous game with a concussion and would be unable to return. While TNL would have to play with some injuries, so would Xplosion. Dillon Hager (PG) was hampered by a fractured right hand and 6' 7" (C) Eric Sandstad would not play due to a sprained ankle sustained in the first game of the tournament. Rick Starck was also missing due to a family situation. Xplosion wins the tip and scores a quick basket to take the lead and never looks back. Josh Pella was ferocious in the game doing it all at both ends of the court as was Blair Dittrich. Jack Ghizoni had his breakout game scoring 10 first half points (2 three balls). Halftime score was 34-25. The second half started out much the same with TNL pushing the ball, driving and drawing the fouls. Jack Ghizoni continued his hot shooting while Josh Pella, Anthony Webber and Blair Dittrich mopped up the boards. Michael Rovansek and Dillon Hager had the unbelievable chore of containing Jauson Sewer and that they did. Sewer finished with a quiet 21 points. The Xplosion guard play was able to keep Sewer from getting his teammates involved which was crucial. As the game moved into the final 8 minutes, TNL made one last push at a comeback. TNL was able to foul out Michael Rovansek and Anthony Webber but Dillon Hager and Blair Dittrich held strong keeping the pressure on. TNL was able to tie the game for a brief moment before Xplosion took the lead for the rest of the game. Final score was 75-72 and Xplosion advances to the championship game. Jack Ghizoni was high scorer with 19 points, Josh Pella had an incredible game with 13 points, 23 rebounds and 5 assists, his 5th double double of the season. Jordan Reibling had 12 while Blair Dittrich and Michael Rovansek finished with 11 points a piece.

Championship game would be Minnesota Xplosion vs. Minnesota Fury South, a rematch of the first pool game. Xplosion came out quick and took the lead as Fury South couldn't make a shot. Capitalizing on Fury's rough shooting, Xplosion led at half, 23-22. With this the fourth game of the day, fatigue was setting in and Fury made a run gaining a double digit lead in the second half. With one last effort, Xplosion tried for a comeback but could only get it to 9. Final score was Fury South over Xplosion 60-51. Josh Pella finished with 13 points, 8 rebounds. Anthony Webber had 12 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocked shots before fouling out. Michael Rovansek had 10 points before he also fouled out. Jordan Reibling had 5 steals.

With the 2nd place finish, Minnesota Xplosion qualifies for Nationals in Orlando for the second time this season.

Minnesota Xplosion will be heading to Ames, IA to play in the Adidas Midwest Festival of Teams II tournament next.

Jordan Reibling receives invite to Reebok Breakout Underclass Camp

2008-05-23T23:57:00.005-05:00

Jordan Reibling received an invite to the Reebok Breakout Underclass Camp.

The Reebok Breakout Underclass Camp is one of the premier instructional and skill development camps in the country. This camp was intentionally designed for Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors to give them the opportunity to hone their skills and "Break Out" on the national scene. While many camps simply run a series of games, games are of minimal importance at the Breakout and are only used at the end of camp to give players a chance to implement what they have learned in a real game setting. The Breakout camp "stations" have become legendary over the past few years, as many players have never experienced skill development like this before. The Breakout lead clinicians have years of experience in player development and instruction. They also hand select a staff of high school coaches that share the same passion for teaching the skills of the game as opposed to the X's and O's.

In 2004, the high school graduating class of 2008 was the first group of players to participate in the Reebok Breakout Underclass Camp. Of that original group, seven have now gone on to be named McDonald's All Americans this year. Those players include: Williams Buford (Toledo, OH Ohio State), Tyreke Evans (Chester, PA undecided), Sylvan Landesberg (Flushing, NY Virginia) Michael Rosario (Jersey City, NJ Rutgers), Demar DeRozan (Compton, CA USC), Brandon Jennings (Temecula, CA Arizona), and Malcolm Lee (Moreno Valley, CA UCLA).

Other notable players that have used the Reebok Breakout Camp as a stepping stone to national prominence include: Kenny Boynton, Renardo Sidney, Terrell Vinson, Henry Sims, Travon Woodall, Darius Miller, Chris Braswell, Darryl Bryant, Lance Stephenson, Dequan Jones, Reeves Nelson, Drew Gordon, Darius Norris, Mfon Udofia, Richard Howell, and Tyshawn Taylor. Several of these players followed up their Breakout appearances with invitations to the Reebok All American Camp where many of them turned in outstanding performances that led to increased rankings and scholarship opportunities.

In 2007, five players used the Reebok Breakout Underclass Camp, to earn an immediate to the Reebok All American Camp that very same year. Those players were Joe Jackson of Memphis, TN, Pe'Shon Howard of Cleveland, OH, Tristan Thompson of Toronto, ON, John Wall of Greensboro, NC and LeBryan Nash of Dallas, TX

Do you want to give yourself a chance to "Break Out" like the players above? The only guaranteed way to earn an invitation is through the Reebok Headliner Try Out Camp. Click Here for information about Headliner dates and locations as well as registration information.

The 2008 Reebok Breakout Underclass Camp is scheduled to take place June 20-22 outside of Chicago at the Joy of the Game Center in Deerfield, IL. Participants must provide their own transportation but all other expenses are covered including housing, food, equipment, apparel, shoes, and transportation to and from the airport.

Others that have been invited thus far from Headliner Tryout Camps around the country are:

BREAKOUT UNDERCLASS CAMP – JUNE 20-22 – CHICAGO, IL

Phoenix, AZ: John Bailey, Jahii Carson, Zeke Chapman, Jordan Didier, Stephen Topercer, Judd Welfringer
New York, NY: Bradley Gifford, Kamari Murphy, Marc Augustin, Jose Rodriguez, Daniel Dingle, Darrel Lucky Oakland, CA: Brandon Ashley, Jabari Brown, Cody Kyle, Josiah Turner,
Boston, MA: Denzel Brito, Jarell Byrd, Greg Kelley, Alex Murphy, Greg Langston, Michael LaPlante, Derek Retos, James Rodriguez, Ryan Romich, Corey Wright
Akron, OH: Brandon Emmit, Dajon Lewis, Chevin Meadows, Cory Porrini, Treg Setty, Don Wilcher
Chicago, IL: Tyrone Allen, Alex Dragecevich, Clay Horne, Derrick Marks, Mario Redmond, Jordan Reibling, Maxie Rosenbloom, Ross Travis, Wayne Simon, Jacob Williams, Winston Williams
Los Angeles, CA: LaBradford Franklin, Alex Perez, Maliik Love, Ryan Anderson, Miles Cartwright, James Douglas
Dallas, TX: Devonta Abron, Kyan Anderson, Aleon Calhoun-Navasoto, Donwayne Mayberry, Keeton Miles, Evan Washington

Reebok Headliner Tryout Camp

2008-05-19T22:14:00.006-05:00

REEBOK HEADLINER TRYOUT CAMP

May 17-18
Attack Athletics Training Center
Chicago, IL

Reebok Headliner Tryout Camps tipped-off in 16 basketball hot spots across the country. Top Ballers at each site will earn invitations to one of the summer's three premier exposure camps: Reebok All American Camp, Reebok Breakout Underclass Camp, and Reebok Proving Ground Regional Combine.

Josh Pella, Jordan Reibling and Michael Rovansek attended the 2 day camp in Chicago. The Attack Athletics Training Center is a premier facility located just 1 mile from the United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls. While attending the basketball "combine", Minnesota Timberwolves, Antoine Walker stopped in to take in some basketball and workout. O.J. Mayo also showed up for an exclusive training session with Tim Grover, one of the top athletic trainers in the world, owner of Attack Athletics and personal trainer to Michael Jordan.

Some great prep talent was on hand (around 110 athletes) and the experience was excellent. Each day started by moving through 8 different stations. Each station had 2-3 highly qualified coaches running the station that would later evaluate. After all stations were completed, a short break was given and teams were selected. The rest of the day was games with the evaluators looking on. The top players of the "combine" will be invited to attend an all expense paid camp, 1 of the 3 premier Reebok exposure camps to be held this summer. Josh, Jordan and Michael all competed well amongst their peers.

Xplosion goes 2-2 at MN AAU Seeding Tournament

2008-05-19T22:11:00.003-05:00

MN AAU DISTRICT SEEDING TOURNAMENT

May 9-11

Pool & Bracket Results

Champlin Park High School

Champlin, MN

Minnesota Xplosion 60 - Glory 45
Minnesota Xplosion 54 - Wear Out The Net 50
Minnesota Xplosion 56 - MN Magic - Phillips 62
Minnesota Xplosion 44 - MN Fury South - 61

Xplosion has rough weekend, finishes 1-3

2008-05-09T00:52:00.004-05:00

This weekend Minnesota Xplosion traveled south to the University of Kansas campus, home of the 2008 National Champion Jayhawks, in Lawrence, Kansas. The Jayhawk Invitational is a top notch tournament that brings in teams from around the country. In the 16U bracket there was teams from Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, New Mexico, Minnesota and Arizona. On a side note, Xplosion would be traveling without their backup point guard and defensive stopper, Dillon Hager.

Pool play consisted of 6 pools with 4 teams in each. Top 2 teams of each pool advance to the championship bracket. Minnesota Xplosion played in pool E with KC Keys, New Mexico Force and Minnesota Comets Elite.
After driving all day, the first game was Friday night at 8:30p against KC Keys, a very athletic team with some size. The game was a very fast paced game with both teams running the floor. Halftime score was 35-30, KC Keys. Shots wouldn't drop for Xplosion and the quickness of the KC Keys proved to be too much as they pulled away at the end winning by a final score of 78-62. Jordan Reibling and Michael Rovansek scored 12 and Brent Walker finished with 9.

Saturday's first pool play game was vs. the New Mexico Force. A smaller team but very quick also. As if the shooting couldn't get any worse from the day before, it did. Xplosion only had 16 at the half, all of which came from the post. Halftime score: 30-16, New Mexico Force. Shooting continued to be off in the second half and turnovers seemed to be in abundance. Final: 65-40, Force. Jordan Reibling was high scorer with 16, Anthony Webber had 8 and Eric Sandstad chipped in 6. Josh Pella had 8 rebounds, Rick Starck pulled down 6.

Final pool game and second of the day would be a rematch with MN Comets Elite. Last week Xplosion beat the Comets Elite by 19 in an upset. Comets came out strong, getting to the basket and hitting open shots. Comets obtained a 20+ lead but Jordan Reibling and Brent Walker tried to keep Xplosion in the game by dropping 12 and 8 first half points. Halftime score was Comets leading 34-25. The second half was all Josh Pella as he had 11 points in the half. Xplosion made a few runs at the Comets pulling to within 2 but were not able to take the lead. Comets Elite win the rematch 61-50. Jordan Reibling had 15, Brent Walker 13 and Josh Pella 12 with 6 rebounds. Anthony Webber pulled down 7 rebounds.

With 3 loses in the pool, Xplosion had one final game on Sunday. It would be against the 1-2 Minnesota Select team. If Xplosion were to lose this game, it would be a long ride home. A re-energized team showed up and got off to a very quick start. Blair Dittrich, Josh Pella and Anthony Webber all worked it on the inside either scoring or drawing fouls. Xplosion led at the half, 44-21. The second half continued with lots of free throws but scoring switched to Michael Rovansek, Eric Sandstad and Josh Pella. The boards were dominated throughout the game by Josh Pella. Down the stretch, free throws were what won the game. Brent Walker hit 5 of 6. MN Select did have a nice run but Xplosion held them off and wins the game, 85-78. Josh Pella collected his 4th double double by scoring 25 points and 10 rebounds. Michael Rovansek finished with 21 and Jordan Reibling contributed 10.

Overall, a weekend Minnesota Xplosion would like to forget but on the positive side, a great experience.

Next up is the Minnesota AAU District Seeding Tournament in Champlin, MN May 10-13.

Xplosion upsets Comets Elite 68-49 and fall in the Semi's by 8

2008-04-28T13:12:00.006-05:00

The Minnesota Magic hosted the annual AAU Super Regional in Bloomington, Minnesota. This event boasts teams from all around the state and a few from outstate looking for a berth to the AAU Nationals in Orlando, Florida. Only the top 4 qualify.

The tournament is set up with pool play starting on Saturday. With 16 teams in the tournament, 4 pools are set up with 4 teams in each. Minnesota Xplosion played in a pool with TNL, Minnesota Magic-Blake and Minnesota Fury-North. Top 2 teams from each pool (total of 8) advance to the championship bracket to battle it out.

First up for the Minnesota Xplosion was Magic-Blake. A slow moving game to start dominated by outside shooting. Jordan Reibling dropped 10 points in the first half and Xplosion took a 29-24 lead into halftime. Second half adjustments were made on the defensive side of the ball and Xplosion roared out of the gate. Brent Walker dropped 3 quick three pointers while team defense (45 team rebounds) kept Magic scoreless for over 7 minutes. An all around offensive game both outside and inside the paint secured the victory, 73-41. Jordan Reibling finished with 19 points, Anthony Webber had his first double double of the season with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 7 blocked shots. Brent Walker dropped 11 points with 5 assists and Josh Pella crashed the boards for a total of 14.

Next pool play game was TNL Express. Always good games purely because of the rivalry as many of the players are good friends and have played alot of ball together over the years. At the top of Xplosion's scout report, Jauson Sewer. Minnesota Xplosion knew if they were going to win this game, they would have to stop #24. First half was tight as Dillon Hager kept the "X" in the game with 2 from beyond the arc. TNL was able to shut down Jordan Reibling as he went 1-7 beyond the arc. Jauson Sewer proved he is one of the premier guards in the class of 2010 by doing it all, hitting 5 3's in the first half alone, setting up teammates with easy looks and giving TNL a 40-31 lead. Second half continued much the same with Xplosion not able to find any consistency inside or outside. Dillon Hager and Jordan Reibling both hit a pair of 3 balls but TNL always had an answer closing the game out giving Xplosion a 62-72 loss and a 1-1 record in pool play.

Final pool play game against Minnesota Fury-North to cap a long day in the gym. Xplosion comes out knowing winner of the game will take 2nd in the pool and advance to Championship bracket play Sunday. Losing the game not an option. Running the court, slashing to the basket and dropping outside shots from everywhere, Xplosion leads 16-1. Brent Walker and Michael Rovansek both have 8 points in the half. Fury picks up their defense and slowly chips away at the lead. Halftime score 36-31 Xplosion. With the nice comeback to close the 2nd half, Fury continues to have the momentum and tightens up the defense. Keeping Xplosion above water in the half was Eric Sandstad on the boards, 10 total, 7 on the offensive end of the court. Josh Pella worked hard in the paint getting to the line and Brent Walker continued to hit the outside shot, 7 more points. With time running out, Fury is able to tie the game with a free throw and send the deciding game into overtime. A very tough battle continued with both teams getting to the line. Brent Walker had a bucket and free throw, Eric Sandstad with a bucket and Josh Pella added 2 free throws allowing Xplosion to escape with a 61-60 win. Brent Walker finished high scorer with 18 points. Josh Pella had 11 point, 7 rebounds. Michael Rovansek and Anthony Webber contributed 9 each.

Championship bracket was set and the Sunday morning game at 8:45a would come very quickly considering the final game on Saturday night didn't finish till 9:30p. Comets Elite, a team many picked to contend for the championship, would be the team standing between Minnesota Xplosion and a National's berth. Knowing Comets Elite have many weapons inside and out, defense would have to win the game. Xplosion pushed the ball up the floor and was able to make it happen from all spots on the floor. Josh Pella hit a 3 ball and posted up for 6 more in the first half. With the rest of the scoring coming from everyone else, defense was the key and it showed. Comets could not get a good open look at the basket and Xplosion held a 24-17 lead at halftime. The second half effort would need to be even better then the first if Xplosion would want to hold off the heavily favored Comets. Defense worked hard and offense was flowing. Josh Pella had 2 dunks, a tip slam that raised the roof in the gym and another on a break away that really got the adrenaline flowing. Jordan Reibling dropped 2 from behind the arc mixed in with 3 other jumpers giving him 13 points in the half. Comets could never get a run started and Xplosion coasted to a 68-49 win, upsetting a favorite and sending them to Disney World in July. Josh Pella had 21 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals, 4 assists, 2 blocks and 0 turnovers, just missing what would have been his 3rd double double on the season. Jordan Reibling dumped in 17 points, 3 steals while Dillon Hager, Rick Starck and Anthony Webber contributed 6.

The semi-final game would be MN Magic-Phillips. Again, not much of a scouting report available. The fact that they won their pool (3-0) and had advanced to the semi game was enough to not take them lightly. A win in the game could possibly set up a championship game with TNL Express, the only Xplosion loss on the weekend. The "X" shooting did not start off well but rebounding, put-backs and an inside game kept Xplosion up. Josh Pella worked the paint for 9 1st half points. Michael Rovansek also got to the basket and had 9 in the half. Xplosion kept the lead the entire first half and lead 34-28. Xplosion shooting picked up right where it left off in the first half, non-existent. Eric Sandstad tried to fill the scoring void by making moves down low and contributing 5 second half points. Josh Pella also gave it his all trying to hold off the Magic run putting up 6 in the half and pulling down rebounds. In the end, Magic squeaked out the victory 65-57 and sent the Xplosion home. Josh Pella had 15 points, 10 rebounds which gives him his 3rd double double of the season. Jordan Reibling finished with 14 and Michael Rovansek 11. Blair Dittrich handed off 5 assists with 3 rebounds.

Next up is the Jayhawk Invitational at the University of Kansas, May 2-4.

A Tough 4th Place Finish

2008-04-21T10:40:00.004-05:00

Minnesota Xplosion traveled to North Dakota to play in the NCAA Division 1 Certified Spring Preview hosted by ECI. The 16U bracket consisted of 8 teams, three ECI teams, Dakota Schoolers, Team Train, Minneapolis Gamblers, Minnesota Xplosion and the Magic 15U playing up a level. Ahead of our game and on the other side of the bracket, the Dakota Schoolers and Team Train both advanced to the semi-finals along with the Minneapolis Gamblers.

Xplosion was up for the challenge and took the court against the ECI West team. The first half was led by Michael Rovansek (8 first half pts) and Jordan Reibling (7 first half pts) as the Xplosion took a 17 point lead into the second half. The second half of the game continued much like the first with a huge rebounding effort from Josh Pella (12) and an offensive display put on by the big man, Eric Sandstad. Eric Sandstad finished with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. Michael Rovansek had 11 points, 4 assists. Josh Pella just missed a double double with 8 points, 12 rebounds. Andrew Kuledge and Rick Starck both finished with 8 points a piece also.

After watching some of the Minneapolis Gamblers game earlier in the day, Xplosion new they had to bring their "A" game if they were to advance to the finals. The Gamblers had an arsenal of talent led by Jordan Hughes of Patrick Henry and Junior guard Quincey Bethea of Robbinsdale Cooper, two players that took their respective high school teams to the state tournament and received honors throughout the season. The Gamblers came out quick with 8 three pointers. Five 3's from Bethea and 3 more from Hughes. Jordan Reibling hit 3 shots from beyond the arc for the Xplosion in a struggle to keep the team in the game. After getting down 20 points in the first, Xplosion fought back to get within 12. Halftime score: 39-27. The comeback continued in the second half with Josh Pella grabbing rebounds and getting to the basket including a big dunk over a big man. Rick Starck worked hard under the basket as he was a huge contributor. Michael Rovansek was instrumental in getting the ball to the open man or taking it to the rack. Xplosion took the lead with 5 minutes left but Jordan Hughes became the go-to man for the Gamblers as he had 12 points in the half. In the end, the Gamblers pulled it out with a 73-66 win and advancing to the finals. Rick Starck finished with 16 points, Michael Rovansek had 15 and Josh Pella missed another opportunity for a double double with 13 points, 9 rebounds.

Sunday Xplosion played for 3rd place against Team Train Elite. A very quick, fast team with a strong big man in the middle. Shots wouldn't drop for Xplosion and Team Train continued to move the ball quick and find the open shot. Xplosion adjusted and the Xplosion big man had to go to work. Eric Sandstad went 7-7 under the basket finishing strong and keeping the "X" in the game. Down by 5 at half, 38-33, it was time to step it up. The second half was a battle with Josh Pella taking the game into his own hands. With 6 minutes left in the game, Xplosion took the lead and pushed it till they were up by 6. Then foul trouble. It seemed that every call was against Xplosion and one by one, the players fouled out. First it was Michael Rovansek, then Rick Starck and finally Andrew Kuledge. With ball handlers fouled out and a quick press by Team Train, the lead faded. With 1 second on the clock, a weak call was made under the basket and Team Train hit both free throws to win 69-67. After just missing 2 double doubles in the previous games, Josh Pella concluded the tournament with a double double, 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 steals. Eric Sandstad had an outstanding performance and overall weekend with 16 points. Rick Starck and Andrew Kuledge finished with 8. On a side note, Xplosion was 1-9 from beyond the arc (11%).

Overall, the tournament had some high caliber competition and was a great warm-up for the upcoming Minnesota Magic AAU Super Regional to be held at Bloomington Jefferson.

Minnesota Xplosion over 43 Hoops for the Championship

2008-04-13T21:17:00.006-05:00

1st Place in the Mall of America Classic at St. Bernard's High School

Minnesota Xplosion finished 4-0 at St. Bernard's High School and capped it off with a win against 43 Hoops. With a 16 minute running clock, games were short and scores were low.

Xplosion's first game was against Concordia Bulldogs. The team was made up of the next years Varsity team minus Zach Towle of Pulley and a few others that had ACT testing. The "X" got out to an early lead and took it into the half, 24-10. The second half went much the same as the final was 43-23, Xplosion. Brent Walker and Anthony Webber finished with 8 points a piece and Josh Pella had 7. Anthony Webber also had 4 blocked shots.

Brent Walker

Game 2 was against Team Train. With a 37-7 lead at half, Xplosion backed off in the second half and finished with a 61-19 win. Jordan Reibling had 12 points, Anthony Webber 11 and Dillon Hager 8. Josh Pella pulled down 7 rebounds.

Jordan Reibling

Sunday was game 3 and it would be Concordia, round 2. This time, they had their players back from the ACT testing and would be ready to go. With balanced scoring, Xplosion held a 20-19 lead at halftime. As the game continued, Josh Pella continued to pull down rebounds, 7 overall, and Jordan Reibling dropped 2 three balls in an effort to hold off Concordia. As the clock ran down, the Xplosion pulled out the win, 43-40. Jordan Reibling had 12, Mike Rovansek dropped 11 (4-5 from the line) and Josh Pella with 7.

Mike Rovansek

The final game of the tournament would be 43 Hoops. Being significantly outsized, Minnesota Xplosion had no other option but to play a zone defense and it worked. With a quick start, Xplosion went up 11-1 behind good ball movement, outside shooting and a defense that would not allow the ball inside. At the half, Xplosion lead 19-8. 43 Hoops made adjustments in the second half and slowly chipped away at the Xplosion lead. #21 for 43Hoops became the go-to man as he became redhot from the outside scoring 12 points in the second half and closing to within 1 point. A tough defensive stance with 35 seconds in the game and forcing 43 Hoops to throw up a 3 point prayer that wouldn't go sealed the win for Xplosion. Final....28-27. Josh Pella scored 9 points, Jordan Reibling finished with 8 in a very low scoring, defensive finale.

Josh Pella

Next Up....ECI Spring Preview in Wahpeton, ND

MYAS 17U/19U Invitational - Champlin, MN

2008-04-07T01:44:00.005-05:00

Minnesota Xplosion was the host for this weekends MYAS Invitational. While working clocks, doors and concessions all day both days, the team found time to work in a couple games a day by playing up in the 17U/19U bracket. This tournament is also the final tournament the Xplosion play in before they start the AAU circuit with a mix of high exposure out-state tournaments and very competitive in-state qualifiers.

Game 1 against Milaca-Princeton finished up 59-41. Jordan Reibling had 20 points, including 4 three balls. Rick Starck contributed 8 points while Blair Dittrich and Anthony Webber both chipped in 6. Josh Pella crashed the boards for 7 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. A quick start put Xplosion up early and they never looked back.

Game 2 started off rough. The Blaze from Chatfield Minnesota showed just how strong and physical they could play. By working the ball down low to their big man, Xplosion found themselves either giving up points in the paint or fouling. In the first half, Xplosion had 15 team fouls and was down 27-43. Adjustments were made and the second half showed it. A much tighter defense lead by Dillon Hager and Michael Rovansek along with some better offensive output by Josh Pella and Blair Dittrich brought the Xplosion to within 2 points with just a minute left in the game. The Blaze forced the Xplosion to foul to get the ball back and they were able to hold their lead by hitting free throws down the stretch. The Blaze won a close one 74-67. Josh Pella was high scorer with 14 followed by Blair Dittrich and Michael Rovansek's 12 points.

With the previous loss, Minnesota Xplosion needed a win in Game 3 to get to the 3rd place game. The GFW - Thunderbirds would be their opponent and they would have the same goal in mind. Both teams battled hard and Xplosion went into the halftime down by a bucket, 18-20. Again, adjustments were made and the defensive battle continued. Brent Walker worked his offensive game and led all scorers with 12 points. As the game moved into the final minutes, free throws would prove to be the deciding factor. Michael Rovansek hit 5 free throws in the 2nd half alone and the Xplosion escaped with a 44-42 win advancing to the 3rd place game.

The 3rd place game against the Lakers was over early. Xplosion blew up early and gained a 20 point lead 8 minutes in. Halftime score was 43-24. The "X" never looked back in the second half and won 3rd place with a final score of 73-57. Dillon Hager had a season high 14 points. Rick Starck also had a great offensive display with 13 points. Jordan Reibling finished with 11 and Blair Dittrich had 10.

Next up Minnesota Xplosion will be playing in the Mall of America Classic at Minnehaha Academy located in Minneapolis, Minnesota April 12-13.

3 Wins in the MYAS Sunday Super Saver

2008-03-30T21:51:00.005-05:00

In the second tournament of the season, the Minnesota Xplosion went 3-0 winning each game in convincing fashion. The tournament was an MYAS Super Saver and the purpose was to fine tune the offense and defense. All three games served their purpose as the Minnesota Xplosion was able to surge to large early leads and then concentrate on running an effective offense and deny defense.

Game 1 against Triple Threat finished up 48-33 behind Rick Starck's 10 points. Mike Rovansek and Anthony Webber both had 8.

Game 2 was much like the first as Xplosion beat North Metro Renegades 64-31. Rick Starck again led all scorers with 15. Jordan Reibling had 13 and Brent Walker 8.

Game 3 was slightly closer but finished just the same. Xplosion over Wear Out the Net 55-46. Jordan Reibling dropped 21, Mike Rovansek had 10 and Brent Walker with 8.

Michael Rovansek

Next up Minnesota Xplosion will be hosting a MYAS Invitational at Champlin Park High School and will play in the 17U/19U bracket. This will be the final warm-up tournament before the Minnesota Xplosion begin the more grueling schedule that lies ahead.

Dillon Hager

First tournament of the Spring is in the books...

2008-03-24T00:15:00.009-05:00

Minnesota Xplosion traveled to Menomonie, WI to play in the Spring Great Lake Shootout, one of many tournaments included in the Shootout Series.

The first game of the spring season was against Fast Break and Xplosion came out looking like it was the first game. After getting in a deep hole early, the Xplosion went into the half down 33-23 with even scoring from the entire team. The second half picked up considerably as a comeback was in the making behind Michael Rovansek's 11 second half points, 15 for the day. After pulling to within 1, the Fast Break were able to hold off the Xplosion 55-50. Other top scorers were Josh Pella and Brent Walker with 7 points a piece. Josh Pella also pulled down 10 rebounds showing his dominant ability around the basket.

Josh Pella

Game two verse Lake Superior followed just a few hours later and it seems the Minnesota Xplosion reverted back to the way they played in the first half of the earlier game, sluggish. The defense seemed to be there but the offense was nowhere to be found. At half the Xplosion was down 22-15. The second half played out the same as again the Xplosion shooters struggled to find their shot. Josh Pella tried to carry the team by scoring all of his 9 points in the half but it wasn't enough. Dyami Starks and Lake Superior proved to be too much and the final score was 48-31. The loss put the Xplosion's record at 0-2. High Scorers for the game was Anthony Webber with 11, Josh Pella finished with 9 and Dillon Hager with 5.

Anthony Webber

Saturday couldn't come soon enough after 2 quick losses to start the season. Up next was the Rim Rattlers. Not happy with the previous days performance, Minnesota Xplosion came out fast taking a 10-2 lead. 7 of the 10 teammates scored in the first half and the Xplosion took a 36-24 lead into halftime. The Rim Rattlers came out in the second half ready to play. After closing the gap and getting to within 5 the Rim Rattlers couldn't pull it off as the Xplosion proved the stronger opponent winning 57-51. Anthony Webber pulled down 7 rebounds and scored 10 points in a big effort. Mike Rovansek lead all scorers with 12, Jordan Reibling had 11 and Brent Walker had 10.

Jordan Reibling

Because of the way the pools were set up and the loses the previous day, the Xplosion would play the Rim Rattlers again the same day. This time, the Rim Rattlers were determined to not play from behind as they came out much more prepared. A quick couple transition baskets early put the Rattlers up by as many as 13 points early in the first half and left the Xplosion in a familiar position again...playing from behind. A big three point shot from Austin Leabo was the turning point in the first half along with 2 big buckets from Eric Sandstad. As the halftime buzzer went off, the Xplosion had pulled to within 1, down 24-25. The Minnesota Xplosion continued right where they left off coming out with tight defense and lots of different looks on offense. Josh Pella and Anthony Webber both had 7 rebounds a piece along with Eric Sandstad's 8 second half points. Blair Dittrich, Austin Leabo, Dillon Hager, Rich Starck and Eric Sandstad stood strong as they held off a comeback attempt by the Rattlers. Xplosion wins the rematch 51-46 improving their record to 2-2. Eric Sandstad was high scorer with 10 followed by Josh Pella's 8, Jordan Reibling's 6 and Brent Walker's 6.

Eric Sandstad

The Minnesota Xplosion will look to improve on their record this upcoming Sunday in a MYAS Super Saver.

Spring Great Lake Shootout - Menomonie, WI

2008-03-19T21:18:00.004-05:00

The schedule is out for the first tournament of the spring/summer season.

Friday 3/21 1:45p Fast Break
Friday 3/21 5:30p Lake Superior
Saturday 3/22 12:15p Rim Rattlers
Saturday 3/22 4:00p or 6:30p TBD

All games will be played at UW-Stout Fieldhouse on Court 2

Check back for game by game reports.

Velocity Sports Performance Teams Up With Minnesota Xplosion

2008-02-29T12:51:00.002-06:00

Minnesota Xplosion is teaming up with Velocity Sports Performance (Champlin) to make them their exclusive training facility. Velocity Sports Performance is a unique sports performance training facility designed to assist athletes of all levels to maximize and achieve their athletic goals. Elite performance specialists work with our athletes in a small group environment, teaching them how to become more explosive, faster, stronger, and more powerful through specific athletic enhancing and career extending training programs.

Velocity Sports Performance will also be one of our Platinum Sponsors for the 2008 season.

Thank You VSP and we look forward to a great partnership.

Minnesota Xplosion Starts a Blog

2008-02-29T00:45:00.004-06:00

Thank you for visting the Minnesota Xplosion blog. We will keep summaries of tournaments here as well as on our team website. Please check back often for updates. You can also follow the team in depth at http://www.minnesotaxplosion.com/.