Head Coach Dan Baird is looking forward to his 10th season in charge of the Becker girls basketball program, as his team will be young but talented enough to challenge for the section title.
“Our team goals are to continue to grow and then challenge for the section title,” said Baird, who will again be assisted by Dom Squires.
Megan Gamble returns to the program as a volunteer assistant coach, while Scott Gudmundson will be doing scouting and film study from Florida.
The Bulldogs have three starters returning from a year ago, with Andie Changamire (freshman, who averaged nearly 19 points per game), Adele Changamire (sophomore, - nearly 14 ppg) and Tess Brown (sophomore, who averaged over 6 pgg) giving the team important experience.
Adele Changamire and Josie Reckelberg will serve as team captains.
In the Mississippi 8 Conference, Monticello is the clear favorite, as Baird believes the Magic are good enough to compete for a state title despite moving up to Class AAAA this season.
In Section 5AAA, the Bulldogs could very well compete with Totino-Grace and St. Francis for a state berth.
While Baird’s philosophy won’t change a great deal this year, fans will notice the Bulldogs playing more zone defense than in the past.
One minor rule change for this season will see the ball taken out of bounds on the baseline for any team fouled inside the arc, while any foul outside the arc will see the ball inbounded from near half court. This could lead to a greater emphasis on out of bounds plays for the offense.
A year ago, Becker went 15-12 overall, including a 13-3 mark in the Mississippi 8 Conference. Once again, the Bulldogs will play a grueling schedule with many top MN teams dotting the schedule.
Baird also noted key injuries to players Reckelberg and Aria Deidrick, meaning the Bulldogs will have openings for other players to step up.
“Our schedule is tough, so be patient with this group, as we’re going to be really good come March!” Baird said. “We’re young, but have a lot of returning experience.”
Vs. Elk River
It was a titanic clash of two very good girls basketball teams Tuesday night in Elk River, with Becker falling 57-53 to Elk River, a very good Class AAAA, undefeated team.
“This was just an incredible high school basketball game,” Coach Dan Baird said. “I’m very proud of our girls who gave us a chance to win against a very good 4A team in Elk River who is now 3-0.”
The Elks are solid at every position and play great, pressure defense with a veteran lineup, but the Becker youngsters didn’t back down.
“Our girls attacked the basket well all night, hit 40% from the 3 point line, and didn’t back down for one second,” Baird added. “Our young team battled them possession to possession . . . and the difference in the game was they just made a shot down the stretch and we didn’t.”
Adele Changamire was amazing in this contest, scoring 24 points, grabbing six rebounds and stuffing four blocks for Becker. Andie Changamire added 13 points and five assists for Becker, who is now 1-1 in the young season.
