1 ON THE BRINK OF RETIREMENT
Bob Brink will be coaching his final game at Rocori in a fitting location, making his 13th appearance at the state tournament. He is the second-winningest boys' basketball coach in state history, with 936 career victories, behind only Chisholm's Bob McDonald at 984. Brink announced his retirement earlier this season, his 51st as a high school mentor. He has spent the past 42 at Rocori. The Spartans won the Class AA state championship under Brink in 1988, beating Armstrong 66-56 in the final.
2 ONCE-DOMINANT AUSTIN IS BACK AGAIN
The Packers were once accustomed to making the state tournament field on nearly a yearly basis. They made the trek north to the Twin Cities 15 times between 1939 and 1963. Austin was the one-class champion three times (1935, '46 and '58). Now, Austin makes its first state tournament since 1982. Leading scorer Joe Aase's father, Lee, was a member of that squad.
3 MILLERS RETURN TO TOP POSITION
Minneapolis Washburn won a state championship in each of its past two previous tournament appearances, in 1994 and 2009. What is in store for this year's club? The second-ranked Millers outlasted No. 1 Benilde-St. Margaret's 71-66 to reach the state field. Their two losses were at the hands of Class 4A teams, and they have beaten tournament qualifiers Austin and St. Paul Johnson. If Johnson and Washburn win their first-round games, they would meet in the semifinals.
RON HAGGSTROM
