gunsoffun20
New member
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2009
- Messages
- 5
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 1
As I posted yesterday, I went to the Rice Lake vs River Falls game last night in River Falls. Good atmosphere for a high school game. Rice Lake ended up winning by 10. Game was close at times but RL seemed to pull away when needed. I don't pretend to be an expert but I attended the game with a few former college players who are now coaches (Bucky fans though, yuck).
Wally Ellenson - 6'4" Senior
Came away impressed. His athleticism is pretty apparent every time he touches the ball. Smooth on offense and plays above the rim. I don't have the exact stats but I would say he scored close to 30 points. One three that I can remember (with a few misses) but most of his buckets came in transition or working down low in the high/low. He was guarded by a gritty 6' guard who actually played him pretty well at times. His shot could use some improvement but he has a nice touch. He was around 12 of 13 from the line. He handles the ball pretty well but I can't say he did much driving to the basket in their half court offense. He mostly played down low against a smaller opponent. I wouldn't say I have an informed opinion on his defense. He mostly guarded a kid 4-5" shorter.
Some other things that stood out -
*Had two straight dunks in transition at a pivotal point of the game when River Falls got within 2. One he was undercut but still got the dunk and foul.
*I have heard things about the family and was worried about what type of body language he would have on the court. He seems to hustle and I actually liked how he interacted with his teammates and seemed to take direction well from the coach.
*The most impressive thing in my mind was how he let the game come to him. I don't think he forced one shot and I don't remember any turnovers. Even my Bucky friends said he really did a nice job of playing hard without forcing things. He could have gotten a good look whenever he wanted.
*Had a few really nice looks to teammates both in the half court set and in transition. Gives the ball up to guards when he's on the wing so he can get it back.
*Love him on the wing in transition. He is really aggressive going to the hoop on the break. It will be fun to watch him along with Coleman/Hollins x 2 over the next few years.
*I think the key for him (and other athletic players his size) will be his intensity and work ethic. He has the ability to be a good player at the next level. Like Sam J. and other guys like him, does he have that killer instinct to be really good? He will be going up against stronger more athletic players next year. Things won't be so easy.
Henry Ellenson - 6'7" Freshman
Didn't do much last night. You can see the ability though and he is definitely going to get bigger. Must be a size 16 shoe (or bigger) and he already has a nice frame. Definitely not as athletic as Wally but he just looks like someone that will be 6'9"-6'10" in a few years. Out of the three brothers, I like his outside shot the best. He hit one three early and his stroke looks really good for a kid his age. Didn't play inside much so I couldn't really tell how he maneuvered around the paint. He's someone to watch going forward. I would think Bucky will be after him. Fits their system. If he grows a few more inches, he will be on many radars.
Elwood Ellenson- 6'7" Senior
Had a tremendous two handed slam over someone in the closing minutes of the game. Got T'ed up for hanging on the rim but he didn't deserve it as someone was directly below him. River Falls left him open on the perimeter all night long...daring him to shoot. He hit one three early on but didn't do much after that. Early foul trouble hurt him. I could say more on Elwood but I'll wait for others to comment on his body language when they see him play. It's interesting.
A few other interesting points about the game -
*River Falls had a good student section turnout at the one end of the court. The whole student section came dressed in Badger gear. In my opinion, the intention was to throw it back at Wally. They also chanted hello Wally to all three brothers during pre-game introductions. One fan came dressed as Waldo and was running around the gym hiding the whole game. Many chants of "Where's Waldo". Fun atmosphere for a high school game.
*River Falls beat Rice Lake three times last year (including in the playoffs). They have at least three solid juniors who will cause some problems for Rice Lake in the future. Two of the juniors are 6'4"-6'5" type kids. One of them brings the ball up the court most of the time and had two dunks on the break. Wally hustled back on one and almost got the block.
*After the game, the Rice Lake JV/9th Grade players formed a line to shake hands with the players coming through. A few parents also joined in. The interesting part was a number of River Falls fans/students (30-50) also joined the line to shake Wally's hand (and only his). He seemed gracious and handled things well even after he was mocked all game by those same fans.
*Rice Lake takes on Hudson on 1/10 in Hudson. Not a bad drive for most people in the Twin Cities. They also take on Duluth East in the Timberwolves shootout on 1/7 at 12:30.
I hope this information added some value to this site. Go Gophs!
Wally Ellenson - 6'4" Senior
Came away impressed. His athleticism is pretty apparent every time he touches the ball. Smooth on offense and plays above the rim. I don't have the exact stats but I would say he scored close to 30 points. One three that I can remember (with a few misses) but most of his buckets came in transition or working down low in the high/low. He was guarded by a gritty 6' guard who actually played him pretty well at times. His shot could use some improvement but he has a nice touch. He was around 12 of 13 from the line. He handles the ball pretty well but I can't say he did much driving to the basket in their half court offense. He mostly played down low against a smaller opponent. I wouldn't say I have an informed opinion on his defense. He mostly guarded a kid 4-5" shorter.
Some other things that stood out -
*Had two straight dunks in transition at a pivotal point of the game when River Falls got within 2. One he was undercut but still got the dunk and foul.
*I have heard things about the family and was worried about what type of body language he would have on the court. He seems to hustle and I actually liked how he interacted with his teammates and seemed to take direction well from the coach.
*The most impressive thing in my mind was how he let the game come to him. I don't think he forced one shot and I don't remember any turnovers. Even my Bucky friends said he really did a nice job of playing hard without forcing things. He could have gotten a good look whenever he wanted.
*Had a few really nice looks to teammates both in the half court set and in transition. Gives the ball up to guards when he's on the wing so he can get it back.
*Love him on the wing in transition. He is really aggressive going to the hoop on the break. It will be fun to watch him along with Coleman/Hollins x 2 over the next few years.
*I think the key for him (and other athletic players his size) will be his intensity and work ethic. He has the ability to be a good player at the next level. Like Sam J. and other guys like him, does he have that killer instinct to be really good? He will be going up against stronger more athletic players next year. Things won't be so easy.
Henry Ellenson - 6'7" Freshman
Didn't do much last night. You can see the ability though and he is definitely going to get bigger. Must be a size 16 shoe (or bigger) and he already has a nice frame. Definitely not as athletic as Wally but he just looks like someone that will be 6'9"-6'10" in a few years. Out of the three brothers, I like his outside shot the best. He hit one three early and his stroke looks really good for a kid his age. Didn't play inside much so I couldn't really tell how he maneuvered around the paint. He's someone to watch going forward. I would think Bucky will be after him. Fits their system. If he grows a few more inches, he will be on many radars.
Elwood Ellenson- 6'7" Senior
Had a tremendous two handed slam over someone in the closing minutes of the game. Got T'ed up for hanging on the rim but he didn't deserve it as someone was directly below him. River Falls left him open on the perimeter all night long...daring him to shoot. He hit one three early on but didn't do much after that. Early foul trouble hurt him. I could say more on Elwood but I'll wait for others to comment on his body language when they see him play. It's interesting.
A few other interesting points about the game -
*River Falls had a good student section turnout at the one end of the court. The whole student section came dressed in Badger gear. In my opinion, the intention was to throw it back at Wally. They also chanted hello Wally to all three brothers during pre-game introductions. One fan came dressed as Waldo and was running around the gym hiding the whole game. Many chants of "Where's Waldo". Fun atmosphere for a high school game.
*River Falls beat Rice Lake three times last year (including in the playoffs). They have at least three solid juniors who will cause some problems for Rice Lake in the future. Two of the juniors are 6'4"-6'5" type kids. One of them brings the ball up the court most of the time and had two dunks on the break. Wally hustled back on one and almost got the block.
*After the game, the Rice Lake JV/9th Grade players formed a line to shake hands with the players coming through. A few parents also joined in. The interesting part was a number of River Falls fans/students (30-50) also joined the line to shake Wally's hand (and only his). He seemed gracious and handled things well even after he was mocked all game by those same fans.
*Rice Lake takes on Hudson on 1/10 in Hudson. Not a bad drive for most people in the Twin Cities. They also take on Duluth East in the Timberwolves shootout on 1/7 at 12:30.
I hope this information added some value to this site. Go Gophs!
