1 LOOKING TO MAKE IT TWO in a row
Last March, Eastview coach Melissa Guebert became the state's first female coach to win the big-school championship. She guided the Lightning to an overall record of 31-1. "It's more fun when you look back on it," Guebert said. "You don't always feel the moment when it happens." It was also the first title in the program's history. "I think our team was a feel-good story," Guebert said.
2 DELASALLE coach ON MEDICAL LEAVE
Islanders coach Faith Johnson Patterson, one of the state's most successful girls' mentors (eight state championships), is on medical leave until Dec. 10. Johnson Patterson will undergo surgery for chronic neck and back pain. She will be replaced in the interim by her husband, John Patterson. He has previously filled the role.
3 TWO FORMER STARS BECOME COACHES
Two outstanding players in the past dozen years — Kiara Buford of St. Paul Central and Mia Johnson of Minneapolis North — are back on the court as coaches. Buford, who played for the Gophers, is at Cooper while Johnson, who finished up at Michigan State, is at Minneapolis Edison. "I think they'll both do well," Johnson Patterson said. "It's great for our community."
4 NEXT TO GRAB SPOTLIGHT?
The past couple of years have vaulted individuals into the limelight. There was New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva guard Carlie Wagner (Gophers) last year and Braham guard Rebekah Dahlman (Vanderbilt) and Hopkins forward Nia Coffey (Northwestern) two years ago. Who will be next to grab the state's imagination?
5 someone to applaud
North St. Paul senior forward Autumn Moder is worth adopting as a fan favorite in her final season. Moder has played her entire career while being deaf in one ear. "It has never been an excuse for her," Polars coach Andy Jacobson said. "She is a gym rat and has battled through special circumstances." Both of her parents are deaf.
