Program bids farewell to senior class of seven that went 41-6 over last two seasons
By Drew Herron - NT Sports Editor / March 14, 2013
ATLANTIC – The season did not end the way anyone involved had hoped for, nor expected.
The bitter pill of a sub-state loss to Harlan (the Trojans’ first defeat in nearly three calendar months) lingered for a while. And after seeing how things played out at last week’s State Tournament, it did little to ease the frustration for the Atlantic faithful pondering what might have been, had it not been struck with a case of poor shooting at a most costly time.
But eventually, we accept our fate, and move on to recognize all that was indeed accomplished.
Atlantic wrapped up its stellar 2012-13 season Monday night with a team banquet at the AHS commons, celebrating the feats of a fantastic winter of basketball, and honoring a once-in-a-generation senior class that is simply impossible to replace.
“These guys aren’t just the face of Atlantic Basketball,” coach Steve Blazek said Monday. “They’re the face of Atlantic athletics, and they have been for some time.”
This winter, the Trojans finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press’ Class 3A poll, capped off their second straight Hawkeye 10 Conference championship, and brought a lengthy winning streak into the playoffs that eventually reached 19 games.
Atlantic eased through the first two rounds of the playoffs, handling ADM and Creston before Harlan caught the Trojans on an off night that had nothing to do with lack of effort. The Trojans took nearly twice as many shots as Harlan (59-31), out-performed them on the offensive glass (14-2), turned them over more often, and won the majority of the 50-50 balls.
Had the Trojans shot just slightly better than the 29 percent they did, and Harlan had not gone perfect from the free throw line in the fourth quarter (14 of 14), than things might have turned out differently.
But they didn’t, and no team, no matter how great, is immune to a poor shooting night when even lay-ups don’t fall. So there the season came to rest, with a 22-2 final record and the “honor” of perhaps being the best team in any class excluded from the dance.
With the conclusion of the season come the postseason awards, and Atlantic has cleaned up on those.
Two unanimous First Team All-Hawkeye 10 Conference selections, another on the Second Team and a fourth on Honorable Mention.
On the All-State stage, Dalton Franken was named First Team All-State by the Des Moines Register, and Second Team All-State by the Iowa Newspaper Association, where he was joined by teammate Sam Markham who finished as Third Team selection by the INA.
Moreover, longtime coach Steve Blazek, who has 36 years and 541 wins to his credit, was named 3A Substate 8 coach of the year by the Iowa Basketball Coaches Association.
Here is a rundown of Atlantic individual honors and seniors…
Dalton Franken – Sr.
As mentioned above, Franken was a First Team All-State pick by the Register, and Second Team-er by the INA, as well as a unanimous All-Hawkeye 10 Conference selection.
A four-year starter, Franken ends a decorated career for the Trojans in which he amassed 1,404 career points, 643 rebounds, 139 assists, 85 steals, and knocked down 100 3-pointers over a career for Atlantic.
This season, he led the team in scoring with 16 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.
A nominee for the prestigious McDonalds’ All-American Game, Franken will take his talents to Dordt College next season.
“Dalton is probably a kid that I have taken for granted,” coach Blazek says. “He was so dog gone consistent, that you just expect it. He was the leader of this group, and he’s been that way ever since I’ve known him.”
Sam Markham – Sr.
Atlantic’s M.O. this winter was an especially nasty brand of man-to-man full court defense, and nobody embodied that more perfectly than Sam Markham.
Couple that with his offensive tact, and on certain nights Markham was clearly the best player on the floor, and the game bent to his will.
“I’ve been doing this 36 years, and I’ve seen some kids who can jump, and I’ve seen some kids who had some outstanding quickness,” coach Blazek says. “But without a doubt, Sam is the most explosive player I have ever had the opportunity to coach.”
Markham finished the season as a unanimous All-Hawkeye 10 selection and a Third Team All-State INA after scoring 12.5 points per game. Defensively, he led the team with 22 blocks, and finished three steals off the team lead with 71.
A three-year starter, Markham finished with 761 points, 164 assists, 303 rebounds, and 170 steals.
Listed at 6-foot-1, Markham threw down more than a couple of slam-dunks this season.
Chad Christensen – Sr.
Christensen earns Second Team All-Conference honors in closing out a very solid career as the team’s point guard and floor general.
The team leader in assists (132) and steals (74), Christensen finished the season with a scoring average at 11.1 PPG, and he was the team’s most effective 3-point shooter at 34.4 percent.
For a career, Christensen had 676 points, 114 3-pointers, 176 rebounds, 327 assists and 165 steals.
Stuart Hoegh – Sr.
Perhaps no player on the team grew and expanded his game greater from last season to this season than did Stuart Hoegh. Hoegh saw minutes last year off the bench, but was plugged into the starting lineup as a senior, where he thrived. In particular in the second half of the season when he became a greater scoring option, and solidifying his all around game.
Hoegh was rewarded with Honorable Mention this winter, missing Second Team All-Hawkeye 10 by one vote.
Considered perhaps a late bloomer, Blazek thinks Hoegh can continue to develop at the next level, should he choose to play college ball somewhere next season.
“I believe Stuart’s best days of basketball are ahead of him, if he chooses to pursue it.”
Hoegh finished the season scoring 8.8 PPG and was the team’s best free throw shooter at 80.3 percent.
Harrison Hoegh – Sr.
Harrison Hoegh proved to be an undersized post (6-foot-2) who played bigger than his frame, and is deserving of a spot on the All-Hawkeye 10 team would it not be for a conference by-law prohibiting a team from placing more than four players in nomination.
A two-year starter and three-year contributor, Harrison finished his senior season scoring 6.2 PPG and shot 46 percent from the field. Moreover, his greatest asset to the team was his defensive tenacity, where stats don’t always display his value.
Hoegh finished his career with 446 points, 260 boards, 35 assists and 69 steals.
Ben Nelson - Sr. / Jared Fulk – Sr.
Every good team needs good role players, and this winter Atlantic got that from Ben Nelson and Jared Fulk. Neither player did much scoring, but their value came in providing quality minutes with flashes of brilliance. Fulk iced two free throws at the end of the final regular season game to knock off CBAL by one point, and Nelson’s aggressive rebounding was on display in the substate game where he hauled in three offensive boards on a single possession.
“They gave us important minutes,” coach Blazek says of Fulk and Nelson. “They put in the time and the effort to make us a better basketball team.”
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