Advertisement

Why Hoop City Classic staple and Minneapolis power DeLaSalle returns to the Corn Palace each year

jacob nielson, the daily republic, mitchell, s.d.
·4 min read

Dec. 27—MITCHELL — The Hoop City Classic is known for bringing an influx of out-of-state teams into the Corn Palace each holiday season.

And among the storied names that have visited the Palace over the years, DeLaSalle, a Catholic school from Nicollet Island in Minneapolis, has become one of the most consistent parts of the classic's history.

The Islanders, who have won seven Minnesota Class AAA state championships since 2012, have participated in each classic since its inception in 2010 — aside from a 2021 absence due to a COVID-19 outbreak — and have delivered some of the tournament's top players and moments.

They return once again for the classic's 2023 edition, and will face a pair of South Dakota teams, including Sioux Falls Christian at 2 p.m. Friday, and an anticipated matchup against the Mitchell Kernels at 8 p.m. Saturday.

The reason the Islanders continue to brave the snow, and sacrifice a portion of their holiday season to head west, is largely because of the team camaraderie developed from the trip.

"Obviously, you get great teams," coach Todd Anderson said. "There are national teams, there's always really great South Dakota teams. It's a great challenge and great opportunity to come in and play against teams from other states. But to be honest, it's just the ability to get on the road and spend time with one another from a bonding perspective, I think is the real win."

DeLaSalle's association with the classic began with a connection. Former Islanders head coach Dave Thorson — currently an assistant coach at the University of Minnesota — was friends with former Florida assistant Tom Ostrom, who was on the Gators' staff when Mike Miller played there. The relationship led to DeLaSalle joining the inaugural Mike Miller Classic. Anderson, a longtime Islanders assistant, recalls that after the first trip "we came back a better team." And since, the program has made the effort to get out of town each season.

Because DeLaSalle is a private school, it doesn't inherit groups of kids from the same town that have been playing with one another for years. Thus, kids on the Islanders' roster show up not knowing one another, and it takes time to jell. Taking the week between Christmas and New Years has become an ideal time to harbor those relationships before the most rigorous portions of the season begins.

"It has a really strong effect just for the sake of getting guys that don't know each other as well on the road together," Anderson said. "Staying in a hotel, spending a bunch of time together, obviously playing but at the end of the day, I think spending that time with one another outside of practice and games is where the sauce is."

DeLaSalle continues to pick the Hoop City Classic as a destination because of the quality of opponents and how well-ran the event, according to Anderson. And in turn, the classic has hosted several future Division I and professional players, including Stanford's Tyrell Terry, who was selected 31st in the 2020 NBA Draft, Marquette's Sacar Anim, who plays professionally in Israel, and former Kentucky forward and current G-League player Reid Travis. Jamison Battle is among the current college stars with DeLaSalle ties, now playing at Ohio State.

Anderson recalls a number of exciting games, including battles with South Dakota schools Yankton and Harrisburg, and out-of-state schools Cornerstone (Tex.) and White Station (Tenn.). Perhaps the most memorable moment came in 2019, when Terry led the event with 33.6 points per game, and the Islanders defeated No. 16 Mountain Brook (Ala.) 68-67, thanks to a 28-foot buzzer-beater.

"That was against (now Samford coach) Bucky McMillan, and they were such a good team. And that was a classic game," Anderson said.

This year, Anderson is hoping once again the Hoop City Classic can provide his team a lift. The Islanders graduated eight seniors last season, including Lehigh signee Nasir Whitlock, and are 2-2 to open the season with their young team.

"We're still trying to log minutes and catch up in the experience category," he said. "I like our guys, they're bought in and they play hard. They play together. And as we get as we get into the season, I'm expecting us to get better."

And one of the DeLaSalle's tests in its stop at Mitchell will come against the hometown team.

"Mitchell High School, what a great tradition," Anderson said. "They've had a bunch of success and their teams always play hard. I've always loved how they played and we've had the luxury of being able to watch them over the years down at this event. They're well coached and fundamentally sound and they compete."