For the Tribune

The following boys have been selected for the all-area boys’ basketball team:&t;!—-&t;.

Monday, March 25, 2002

The following boys have been selected for the all-area boys’ basketball team

First team

Ben Woodside

Albert Lea

Soph., 5-10, Guard

Woodside led the 12-13 Tigers in a number of offensive categories, averaging 15.2 points, 4.7 assists, 4.1 steals and 3.0 rebounds per game with 35 three-point field goals. The fact he did it in the Big Nine – with defenses geared to contain him – makes him the Player of the Year. &uot;For a sophomore to be a leader and go-to guy on a team in the Big Nine is an accomplishment in itself,&uot; said ALHS coach Matt Addington. &uot;It’s a credit to his skill and work ethic that he’s looked at that way by his teammates. Ben really developed into the guy who made our team go. He did a little bit of everything. A point guard that gives you options like he did is a real luxury for a coach. He brought the ball up the court, he scored for us, he did what it took. The success of the other guys, a lot of it came from his penetration to the basket. Teams really keyed on him, and that allowed other guys to get the ball.&uot;

Tyler Young

Albert Lea

Jr., 6-5, Forward

Young averaged 10.5 points and 10.3 rebounds while shooting 61.6 percent from the floor. &uot;Tyler is just an extremely athletically-gifted player, and he has really developed,&uot; said Tigers coach Matt Addington. &uot;He has a real knack for being around the ball, especially on the offensive boards. His talent and giftedness allows him to do some really awesome things. He’s a force on the boards, and he has developed his perimeter game. He poses a lot of mismatches because he moves so well.&uot;

Paul Kleven

Glenville-Emmons

Sr., 6-1, Guard

The Tribune’s Football Player of the Year, Kleven was strongly considered for the honor in basketball as well after helping the Wolverines to their best season in school history. He scored 416 points, an average of 18.1 per game, while shooting 46 percent from the floor and making a school-record 58 three-pointers. His 83 career three-pointers is also a school record. Kleven averaged 4.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.8 steals, shooting 67 percent on free throws. &uot;Paul is a very hard worker – probably the best defensive player on the team – and he loves the game,&uot; said Wolverines coach Jeff Rayman. &uot;He played well all year but he really stepped it up the last five games. He’s just a good all-around basketball player and an exceptional athlete.&uot;

Jon Beyer

United South Central

Sr., 5-10, Guard

Beyer was part of a 1-2 scoring punch and half of the best guard tandem in the area as the Rebels finished 12-12. He averaged 15.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.9 steals and 2.3 assists, shooting 43 percent on field goals and 64 percent at the line. Jon was able to do a lot of scoring inside despite being 5-10,&uot; said Rebels coach Travis Olson. &uot;He was able to use his strength and ability to get his shot off around the hoop. He’s also a very good defender, and as the year went on he became very good at picking people’s pickets, stealing the basketball and disrupting offenses.&uot;

Cole Iverson

United South Central

Sr., 5-10, Guard

The other half of the Rebels’ impressive backcourt combination, Iverson also posted solid numbers with averages of 13.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.9 steals. He shot 40 percent on field goals and made 68 percent of his free throw attempts. &uot;Cole really came around the second half of the season and became very confident scoring on the offensive end,&uot; said Rebels coach Travis Olson. &uot;I didn’t see anybody all year that could guard him one-on-one. He’s extremely quick, able to go around people and break down the defense. He always drew the other team’s point guard defensively, so he ended up pulling double-duty, handling the ball for us and guarding the other team’s ball-handler.&uot;

Second team

Josh Kasper

Albert Lea

Sr., 6-0, Guard

Kasper, a three-year varsity player, averaged 10.0 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 51.5 percent from the floor, including 48.3 percent on three-point shots. &uot;Josh assumed a role that was maybe different than he anticipated, but he did a wonderful job of embracing that role,&uot; said Albert Lea coach Matt Addington. &uot;He kind of evolved from being a playmaker to more of a true 2 guard. He really sacrificed some personal glory for the sake of the team. He worked real hard and he was a leader in that he would do whatever it takes to help the team win.&uot;

Richie Mathis

Glenville-Emmons

Sr., 5-8, Guard

The Wolverines had plenty of players who could score. Mathis is the one who brought the ball up the court and distributed it, leading the team with 97 assists. He also made 53 three-point baskets while averaging 7.8 points, shooting 39 percent from the floor and 87 percent at the free-throw line. &uot;Richie was an outstanding good point guard for us,&uot; said Wolverines coach Jeff Rayman. &uot;He was good engineer on floor. He took care of business. He didn’t shoot much, but he scored when we needed him to. Han our offense, ran our defense. He was our coach on the floor. He worked hard at it too and handled himself real well on the floor.&uot;

Chase Rayman

Glenville-Emmons

Sr., 6-2, Forward/Guard

Rayman led the Wolverines with 7.7 rebounds per game and 19 blocked shots, and was second on the team with 85 assists and an average of 14.2 points. He shot 41 percent from the floor and 68 percent at the line, totaling 30 three-point baskets. &uot;Chase was a good all-around player for us,&uot; said Rayman’s father and coach, Jeff Rayman. &uot;He worked very hard and it and stepped it up this year. He loved being a part of the team. He told me, ‘We’ve got to get (the other players) going early in the game; I’ll step back.’ When he started doing that, we started winning.&uot;

Derek Richards

Lake Mills

Jr., 5-11, Guard

Richards earned first team All-North Iowa Conference honors after leading the Bulldogs to a record of 10-12 overall and 6-8 in the NIC. He averaged 12.3 points with 53 assists, 52 rebounds and 35 steals, shooting 44 percent from the field and 73 percent on free throws. &uot;Derek’s a very intelligent player who understands the game,&uot; said Bulldogs coach Kyle Menke. &uot;He was certainly our go-to guy and other teams keyed on stopping him. We played very well at the end of the season and Derek’s play was a major reason why. He’s a good shooter and he did a good job for us this year.&uot;

Lee Nelson

Northwood-Kensett

Soph., 6-3, Guard

A surprise selection to the All-North Iowa Conference first team, Nelson also earned honorable mention on an Iowa all-state team and was chosen to an elite All-Northeast Iowa team. A two-year starter, he led the 7-15 Vikings in scoring at 14.5 points per game, shooting 53 percent from the floor, 38 percent on three-pointers and 81 percent at the line. He also averaged 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.1 steal. His biggest basket came against arch-rival Lake Mills, a last-second shot that won the game and snapped the Vikings’ 55-game NIC losing skid. &uot;Lee always drew the best defender from opposing teams,&uot; said Northwood-Kensett coach Phil Perry. &uot;He was very efficient, taking only 10 or 11 shots a game and scoring 14, 15 points. He was our go-to guy.&uot;

Honorable Mention

– Alden-Conger – Ben Faugstad, jr., 6-5, center;

– Glenville-Emmons – Nick Flatness, sr., 6-2, center;

– Lake Mills – Matt Hauan, sr., 6-0, guard;

– NRHEG – Isaiah Lundberg, sr., 5-10, guard; Zak Tracy, soph., 5-9, guard;

– Northwood-Kensett – Joe Fierova, jr., 5-10, guard; Kyle Hanson, jr., 6-3, forward;

– United South Central – Dusty Niebuhr, sr., 5-11, post; Ben Wetzell, jr., 6-1, guard.

Player of the Year

– 2002 – Ben Woodside, Albert Lea

– 2001 – Paul Scrabeck, Alden-Conger

– 2000 – John Jacobs, United South Central

– 1999 – Justin Davis, Glenville-Emmons, and Jeff Schulz, Albert Lea

– 1998 – Josh Ladwig, Albert Lea

– 1997 – Kyle Schlaak, NRHEG

– 1996 – Kyle Schlaak, NRHEG

– 1995 – Andy Stensrud, Lake Mills

– 1994 – Kris Johannsen, Alden-Conger

– 1993 – John VanBeek, Glenville-Emmons

– 1992 – Chris Boysen, Albert Lea

Coach of the Year

– 2001 – Travis Olson, United South Central

– 2000 – Paul Ragatz, Alden-Conger

– 1999 – None chosen

– 1998 – Paul Ragatz, Alden-Conger

– 1997 – Ted Pelzl, NRHEG

– 1996 – Ted Pelzl, NRHEG

– 1995 – Kevin Nelson, Lake Mills

– 1994 – Paul Ragatz, Alden-Conger

– 1993 – Craig Rayman, Glenville-Emmons

– 1992 – Doug Christopherson, Albert Lea