John Millea: Honoring champs, mourning cutbacks

The Cody Schilling era at Ellsworth has ended and the era of extracurricular activities at Crosby-Ironton might soon be over. In other words, it was a delightful, difficult afternoon session Saturday at the boys' basketball state tournament.

We saw Schilling walking off the Target Center court carrying every piece of hardware a high school hoopster can dream about: the Class 1A championship trophy, a trophy for being named to the all-tournament team, and the game ball from Thursday's quarterfinals, when Schilling became the state's boys' career scoring leader.

Two hours and two minutes later, the horn sounded on New London-Spicer's 59-51 victory over Crosby-Ironton in the 2A title game. Crosby-Ironton is staring at a future without after-school activities because of funding problems.

When a school stops offering activities, that school is bound to die on the vine, taking a community with it. That's a much worse fate than losing a basketball game.

The little Ellsworth school district isn't going anywhere, but Schilling went out in style, scoring 31 points in the Panthers' 81-63 victory over Minnesota Transitions. He had seven of his team's 15 assists (Transitions had exactly two assists), including some absolutely eye-popping passes for teammates' layups.

During one stretch in the second half, I swear the Transitions defenders were more focused on stopping Schilling from passing than scoring. That's how talented he is.

Now the question is where Schilling will play in college. His list is Division II Winona State and Augustana (S.D.), and the NAIA's Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa. Orange City is not only a short drive from Ellsworth, but it's also where Schilling's big brother, Curt, is a senior basketball player.

"Christianity and family are two huge things for me," Cody said. "That's why I want to stay close to home."

The Gophers have offered Schilling a roster spot but no scholarship, and coach Tubby Smith was in Saturday's crowd. Word is he was watching the most talented tall sophomore on the court, Ellsworth's 6-8 Trevor Gruis. The big kid had 12 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three blocks before fouling out.

Outside the Ellsworth locker room, a familiar scene unfolded. Reporters stood around Schilling as he talked about his teammates and his community and what they all mean to him. Margaret Larson, the Panthers' official scorekeeper, hugged each player as they emerged from the locker room.

The Panthers were the state runner-up two years ago and now have won back-to-back titles. Their record is 90-9 over that span, and 63-3 in the past two seasons.

Here's another bit of news from Saturday, which will mean more to metro basketball followers than our outstate friends. Royce White, the talented junior forward who was expelled from DeLaSalle late in the season, has changed his residence and completed the paperwork to enroll at Hopkins High School this week.

This development is sure to enrage those who believe that recruiting plays a role in the success of the Hopkins basketball program. (Knowing that a firestorm is coming, a Hopkins administrator said these two words upon learning that White was headed to his school: "Oh crap.")

That conversation will play itself out. For now, let's congratulate Ellsworth and wish the best for Crosby-Ironton.

John Millea • jmillea@startribune.com