For this episode we are joined by Willie Vang who is the president of the Minnesota Heat basketball organization, which is the largest spring/summer program in the state and the second largest in the country.  Willie and I talk some spring and summer hoops and what he sees as potential timelines for how things play out down the road.  He also touches on the summer recruiting period and what kids can do during these times to keep getting their name in front of college coaches.  Willie also shares his story on how the MN Heat organization came about when he was a freshman in college.  Enjoy this conversation in The Bare’s Den with Willie Vang.

6:31 = Minnesota High School basketball today

12:18 = Size and scope of MN Heat program, largest in the state

16:31 = Spring/summer basketball season outlook

24:17 = Summer recruiting 

28:00 = The beginning of the MN Heat program, freshman year of college

45:11 = Dream starting 5

In today’s episode we connect with two guests from the world of men’s college basketball at the Division 3 level – University of St. Thomas men’s basketball coach John Tauer and St. John’s University men’s coach Pat McKenzie.  Their two schools have a long history of battles and this basketball season took it to another level.  Both schools were ranked in the top 5 nationally this season.  They met twice in the regular season, sharing the regular season MIAC title.  They then met a third time in the MIAC conference playoff championship game.  They take us through their season and those three big games.  They also share their thoughts on the state of when they knew they had a special team this season, their thoughts on the strength of MN high school basketball and how they were ready to meet for a fourth time this season in the biggest matchup of the year in the Sweet 16 of the Division 3 national tournament.  That last game was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.  This storied rivalry will be changing and perhaps ceasing, after the 2021 season is complete as St. Thomas is moving out of the MIAC. 

5:14 = Each coach discusses the beginning of their season 

18:32 = 1st matchup between St. Thomas & St. John's

22:43 = Both coaches talk about the strength of the MIAC conference and MN high school basketball

26:43 = 2nd matchup between UST & SJU

32:18 = 3rd matchup between UST & SJU

37:35 = Each coach discusses their NCAA tournament 

44:54 = Disappointment of the season being cancelled

52:52 = Affect that the quarantine is having on summer recruiting 

58:25 = Dream basketball starting 5

Our very first guest is Dave Flom, who is the head boys varsity basketball coach at Eden Prairie High School here in Minnesota which is one of the largest high schools in the state.  This season coach Flom and his team were having a dream season.  They had 4 senior starters on the team that eclipsed the 1,000 point mark in their careers and were sitting at an overall record of 28-0, ranked #1 in class 4A, the largest class in MN and were ranked #10 nationally by ESPN.  Their season ended abruptly before they were able to play their section final matchup, leaving them short of fulfilling the season long dream of winning a state championship.  Like many basketball teams across the country they didn’t get to finish their season but coach Flom takes us through their season and how they handled the disappointment at the end of the year.  Coach Flom was a standout athlete at Cannon Falls high school, a small town in southern MN, and went on to play college baseball and basketball at Division 3 Gustavus.  It was on that path that he discovered he wanted to pursue coaching.  Enjoy this conversation with Eden Prairie boys head coach Dave Flom.

7:46 = Dave's college experience at Gustavus

22:11 = Eden Prairie the early years and building the program

38:17 = The 2019-20 EP season

53:06 = Disappointment of season ending prematurely

1:04:30 = Dream basketball starting 5

1:06:17 = Unbeliveable story about Trent Tucker, beating him in 1-on-1 and Trent bringing Dave to New York for a Knicks game