It looks as if the North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) will be the place to watch some exciting basketball this coming winter. The men and women teams at the Division I two-year institution will feature some of the metro area’s top players from the class of 2013.
LASHONDRA CURTIS (St. Paul Central), TAMERA CURTIS (St. Paul Central), LOLA HORNE (St. Paul Como Park), and LELA HORNE (St. Paul Como Park) signed letters of intent last spring to play for the Wildcats women.
DION BRADLEY (St. Paul Highland Park), JAMAL DAVIS (Hopkins), and QUASHINGM SMITH-PUGH (St. Paul Johnson) signed letters of intent to play for the men.
Lashondra Curtis, a 6’-1” center, used her shot-blocking and inside presence to lead the Minutemen to a Class 4A state tournament berth.
Tamera Curtis, a 5’-4” guard, was one of the state’s quickest guards and a top defender during Central’s tourney run.
Lela Horne, a 5’-4” guard, displayed quickness, defense, and outside shooting in leading the Cougars to one of their most successful seasons in school history.
Lola Horne, a 5’-4” guard and Lela’s twin sister, was one of the metro area’s quickest defensive players.
Bradley, a 5’-10” scoring machine, quietly took the metro area by storm, leading the Scots to within one game of the sectional final. He scored 52 points in one game last season.
Davis, a 6’-3” guard, helped the Royals maintain its status as one of the premier boys’ programs in the state with his scoring, defense and leadership.
Smith-Pugh, a 6’-2” guard, led the Governors to a fourth-place finish in the Class 3A state tournament last March and to the St. Paul City Conference title.
Forwards JOHNNY WOODARD (Duluth East, 2012), EVAN BATTLE (Benilde St. Margaret’s, 2011), and TIM GILL (Minneapolis Henry, 2012) also signed letters of intent to play at NDSCS for the 2013-14 season.
Former DeLaSalle standout BRETSON MCNEAL, a 6’-2” guard, earned all-American status as a sophomore for the Wildcats, averaging 17 points per game.
If the rosters from the men and women teams stay intact, it could be a season to remember in Wahpeton, North Dakota.
Mitchell Palmer McDonald welcomes reader responses to mmcdonald@spokesman-recorder.com.
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