Buckshot the Magazine December 2017 by Leader Telegram

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In and out of the Detroit Pistons rotation, Rice Lake’s Henry Ellenson is biding his time, ready to seize his next opportunity

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Buckshot The Magazine / December 2017

715-832-4270 INNEAPOLIS — A tease, a taste, a sneak peak. Call it whatever. For six games, Henry Ellenson got it. It was a spot in the rotation. He got it. Then he lost it. It whet his appetite. It boosted his vated him. Now he’s waiting for another chance at it. Coiled. Patient but ready to seize it. The pride of Rice Lake has been a Detroit Piston for a year and a half. The next step is to be a Detroit Pistons regular. His brief stint in that role is all the fuel he needs to get back there. “I was able to prove myself that I was able to do things out there on the court,” Ellenson said. “It just pushes me to continue to work hard and stay focused on how I can help the team. Just be ready for any moment. Be able to be locked in on any night for when my name is called.” ■■■ The closest Ellenson gets to an NBA homecoming is the Pistons’ once-a-season trip to Minneapolis to face the Timberwolves at the Target Center. This season’s trip came Nov. 19. Had it been a month earlier, he might have been in the thick of the action. The second-year forward, now listed at 6foot-11 and 245 pounds, opened the season as one of Detroit’s top bench options at power forward. He appeared in four of the

That included a promising 16-minute run in the opener. He scored 13 points, grabbed four rebounds and went 2-for-4 from 3point range as the Pistons beat the Hornets 102-90. Four games later, against the Timberwolves no less, Ellenson had one of his best games as a pro with 14 points and minutes. He provided one of the night’s highlights with an emphatic dunk over Nemanja Bjelica. The only time he’s been more productive was a 15point, 11-rebound showing against the Rockets on April 7. That was one of the two starts he made late in his rookie season. He played 26 minutes in a 114-109 win. “When he has an opportunity, he makes the best of it,” Pistons rookie guard Luke Kennard said. “He makes an impact any chance that he gets.” But rotations, much like scores and rosters, can change in a hurry in the NBA. By the time the rematch with the Timberwolves rolled around, Ellenson was a spectator. By then, the more experienced Anthony Tolliver had taken over the backup minutes at the four. Ellenson’s pseudohomecoming marked the eighth consecutive game his name had the dreaded acronym next to it in the box score.

Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy

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DNP, as in “did not play.” Coach’s decision. That Sunday afternoon at Target Center, Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy, who’s not known to be disingenuous, seemed almost guilty when Ellenson’s name was brought up. “That’s been the toughest thing with our team so far, because Henry has played a lot better,” Van Gundy said. “When he got opportunities early in the year, he played really well.” And sooner or later, Ellenson will get his chance. A lot can happen over the 82-game grind that is an NBA season. An injury here. three 3-pointers in four minutes and he “He comes to work every single day,” said Pistons forward Tobias Harris, whose locker is right next to Ellenson’s. “He works his butt him, I know he’ll be ready.” ■■■ Harris and Kennard can relate to Ellenson. Harris was just 18 when the Bucks made him the 19th pick of the 2011 draft. He was all of 19 when he made his NBA debut. Ellenson was 19 when the Pistons picked him 18th overall in 2016. He’s still only 20. He won’t turn 21 until Jan. 13. Like Ellenson, Harris spent just one year in college, Harris at Tennessee and Ellenson at Marquette. Like Ellenson, Harris is a multi-faceted, versatile forward. And like Ellenson, Harris had to bide his time. Harris played in only 42 games as a rookie with the Bucks. A year-two trade to Orlando led to an increased role before he was dealt again to Detroit. Now, in his seventh season, he’s blossoming. He’s the Pistons top scorer, averaging a career-best 18.8 points per game. Granted, he’s been a major-minutes player from his second year on. But Harris knows what his locker room neighbor is going through. “It’s tough. As a player, you’re competitive,” Harris said. “So you don’t really want being patient and being hungry at the same time and understanding that you doing. He has his head on straight. He knows the foundation, the base that needs to happen for him to evolve into that type of player.” Kennard, a sweet-shooting guard from

“He works his butt When the opportunity does come for him, I know he’ll be ready.” Pistons forward Tobias Harris on Henry Ellenson Depite being a rookie, he’s older than Ellenson. He turned 21 back on June 24. But they’ve got a lot in common. They were teammates in the Orlando Summer League. They’ve both made trips to Grand Rapids, Mich., to get minutes with the Drive, the Pis-

from both physical and skill standpoints. Ellenson may never look like the oldest guy in the Pistons’ locker room. But he’s nolooking a little less like the baby-faced kid who dominated the Big Rivers Conference.

game,” Harris said. “He’s going to be a good player in this league.” He’s still learning, no doubt about it. But Ellenson looks and feels more comfortable in an NBA setting. There’s no way to fully prepare for life in the NBA. The season is a long haul. There is constant travel. The game is played at a lightning-fast pace. With a year under his belt, the quiet kid from Rice Lake seems a lot more at home. “I feel a lot more comfortable,” Ellenson said. “I feel like I’m still learning something new every day. That’s part of the process. I feel like as a second-year guy, the game, I’m not having to think as much. What play I’ve got to do. Where I go screen. I feel I’m more comfortable out there on the court. I know

And both of them have spent time on the fringes of the Pistons rotation. Kennard only Rice Lake and Detroit. He hit the weight room hard and continseason. Eventually his perimeter shooting — he’s hitting 38.5 percent of his 3s — got skills. Improving his ball-handling has been him on the court regularly. As of Dec. 10, a drive that’s consumed him since his he’d played in 17 consecutive games. sophomore year of high school. That’s the “You have to take the opportunities that development that altered his course from you have,” Kennard said. “If you’re not play- “really good big man who will have an impactful college career” to “future one-andter. That’s what we’ve been doing. That’s what we’re continuing to do. That’s just our in that regard. mentality, and it’s been good for us.” Ellenson’s shot has been more consistent. fensively. I feel a lot better in that stand■■■ He hit 29.4 percent of his 3s last season. This point. My rookie year was a lot of learning when it came to those kind of things.” So until Van Gundy calls his name again on year, he’s up to 36.8. That number should a regular basis, Ellenson will continue to hone only rise. “He’s taken some really big strides in his his craft. He’s already made major strides,

■■■ While he’d love to be seeing more minutes, Ellenson is ahead of his rookie-season pace. Last year he appeared in only 19 of 82 games, averaging 3.2 points and 2.2 rebounds. This year he’s played in nine of the 2.6 rebounds. It’s also hard to argue with the results of the current rotation. Tolliver has provided a

Joe Ziemer, the Leader-Telegram sports editor, has covered basketball in the Chippewa Valley for more than a decade. He’s covered Henry Ellenson since he was a freshman at Rice Lake.

well-traveled 32-year-old forward is a more rugged defensive option than Ellenson at this stage of his career. And Tolliver’s shooting 35.9 percent from 3. More importantly, the Pistons started 126 before some recent struggles and are be in. It’s been a nice bounce-back from last season’s disappointing 37-45 campaign. “This year’s going good,” Ellenson said. “I just hope to continue winning.” And continue improving. Van Gundy, who in addition to coach is the Pistons’ president of basketball operations, remains steadfast in his praise of Ellenson. He sees him as an important building block for the franchise’s future. Big men

with Ellenson’s shooting touch and ballhandling skills are a valuable commodity. He’ll continue to work on his defense, an area he’s already made strides in. He’ll keep His time hasn’t quite come yet. But when it does, he’ll be waiting for it. “I think the long-term outlook for him is

very, very good,” Van Gundy said. “But unfortunately, right now, he’s just not getting a great opportunity – though our team has already showed that as games go, things can change. All 14 guys on our roster have gotten opportunities in meaningful time already this year. Henry will get his chance again.”

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s Ambree Schlosser sat in the stands and watched the Durand girls basketball team beat Baldwin-Woodville on Nov. 21, she couldn’t help but notice how surreal the situation felt. Even though she’d just scored 39 in points in her previous two games at Viterbo University, it was still hard for Schlosser to grasp the idea that she’s not in high school anymore, that she’s not the one leading the Panthers to wins anymore and that she’s playing college basketball now. It has been just nine months since Schlosser, the fourth-leading scorer in the tradition-rich history of Durand girls hoops, was playing in the state tournament. But that’s what’s surreal for Viterbo coach Bobbi Vandenberg too. Schlosser, Viterbo’s starting point guard and second-leading scorer, doesn’t seem like a freshman. Vandenberg expected the quick, athletic playmaker to contribute right away, but not like she has so far in the early part of the season. “She’s kind of taken it to a level higher than what I expected,” Vandenberg said. “She picks things up very quickly and has a great understanding of basketball. She’s very mature, not just for a freshman, but just for a college student. She really handles things like your ideal point guard.”

from Durand coach Lionel Jones and was intrigued enough to make the trip north from La Crosse to recruit a girl that was known as a dynamic scorer. But when Vandenberg saw Schlosser on the court, it was other aspects of her game that stood out. “I loved how she defended and saw the court vision. That has to do not only with Ambree and her personality and her skills but also coach Jones. I thought she had tremendous coaching at Durand.” high school career, which ended with her she decided her next step would be Viterbo, in large part because of its nursing on the basketball team. Schlosser isn’t very tall. At 5-foot-4, she operates best in an up-tempo system that allows her to use her speed and athleticism, and that’s exactly what she gets to do at Viterbo. “It’s a very similar style of play as high school,” Schlosser said. “We’re fast, athletic but don’t have that size component. We’re still looking for that run-and-gun type of

Buckshot The Magazine / December 2017 to take time to adjust to the pace of the colplay. Pushing the ball and distributing is a pretty high goal for me as a point guard.” She’s doing that pretty well. She leads the team with 24 assists. Add in the 10.4 points per game, and the result is a pretty her the most. She leads the team with 24 steals and quickly has become the team’s go-to defender. “She’s a very reliable defender, and we can match her up with very good guards,” own against older, more experienced, really good guards. Her defensive abilities are

are bigger, faster and stronger than the ones she faced in the Dunn-St. Croix. As a high school hasn’t translated to the college level. She’s shooting just 24 percent from beyond the arc. “That’s going to come. I’m not worried about it,” Vandenberg said. “It’s just going

She does get to the basket really well, even against good college players.” Her speed and athleticism are always going to be her biggest strengths. Those plus her ball-handling skills make it easy to get ent than the way she’s done it in the past. “Going up against bigger players, I have to be smarter with my drives,” Schlosser in the paint. In high school, I could kind of just go on in. Now I need to jump-stop, gather myself to avoid getting blocked.” With her pull-up game — a lethal part of her arsenal in high school — working well, Schlosser has the makings of a top-notch scorer. Once she starts hitting from outside, Vandenberg sees her being a big matchup problem for defenders in the North Star Athletic Association. And her abilities as a distributor, defender and leader should make her the type of all-around player that Vandenberg can build her young team around. “She’s very steady, and her mentality is extremely consistent,” Vandenberg said. “She never changes her expression, and she’s all business. You have to love that in a point guard. She’s been really a delight to

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Vandenberg said. “She’s a talented kid, and now that she’s back, she’s already starting to blossom again.” Jones, also a coach for Wisconsin Playmakers, is a big reason why Vandenberg has established and maintained a connection to high school basketball in northwest Wisconsin. North senior Brook Becker already has committed to play for Viterbo, and Vandenberg isn’t planning on stopping with her. “We’d love to steal a few more kids from that area for sure,” Vandenberg said. “A lot of good basketball up there.”

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Tok and his wife, Melissa — along with young son Easton — were making a move not centered around hockey. A coach ever since his playing days ended, Tok had just departed Austin, Minn., after four years as the head coach with the NAHL’s Austin Bruins, with whom he also as an assistant with the USHL’s Waterloo Bucks before taking an assistant job at NCAA Division I Michigan Tech prior to Austin. The grind of a minor league schedule didn’t mesh with raising a child. So he and Melissa went out on the compromise trail in the spring of 2015. Pick a

Buckshot The Magazine / December 2017

place to live and settle down. “My wife said Minneapolis, and I was Madison,” said Tok, who skated for the Badgers in the early ‘90s. “I went to school there, but she was like, ‘We aren’t going back there.’ She picked Minneapolis and I was like ‘Well, you know I hate the big city.’ So it was Duluth and Eau Claire.” A medical job opened up for him in Eau Claire, and the Toks chose the city on the river over the city on the lake, ready for hockey to take a back seat for a while. But wouldn’t you know it. In a year’s time, the head coaching position at one of Wisconsin’s most prestigious high school programs opened up. Eau Claire Memorial needed someone to succeed Mike Schwengler.

■■■ A native of Grand Rapids, Minn., Tok took his hockey talents to the University of Wisconsin, where he played from 1991-95. As a left-handed shooting defenseman, Tok had 10 goals and 24 assists and played

hockey IQ, an innate sense for the game mates. “He brought a sense of toughness and

mer Badgers teammate and current Wisconsin assistant Mark Strobel said. “You Sauer. knew Tok-o always had your back, and he Tok would extend his playing career until was a warrior. He was always ready for bat2001. He played for the IHL’s Fort Wayne tle.” Comets and Manitoba Moose, the ECHL’s Coaching wasn’t something he thought Jacksonville Lizard Kings, the UHL’s Missouri of too much during his playing days. After River Kings, the Alpen’s Ljubljana Olimpija injuries signaled he was near an ending point, it was the next step for Tok, who still AHL’s Cincinnati Mighty Ducks. had that drive for the sport burning deep Self-described as a player without the inside him. most skill or skating ability, Tok made himself into the player he was with his high

spect for everyone else. Once we start giving it our all, then he says he can talk about “I really have a passion just for teaching,” Tok said. “ I thought why not give some of it back.” He’s done that and then some, spending 12 years of his life dedicating himself to being the best he could be behind the bench. After four years at Waterloo and another four at Michigan Tech, Tok took the Austin and two championship series. Those schedules require a lot of time away from home, not to mention the stresses of having a job in which success can be measured so much by wins and losses. He moved to Eau Claire and was still at the rink with Easton, who was in the early stages of his hockey journey. It was a much more relaxed environment for Tok. Across the hall at Hobbs Ice Center nearly every day were the purple sweaters of Eau Claire Memorial — a program that reached the state tournament for the eighth year in a row last season and has produced several Division I and NHL players. Tok knew the reputation but was an outsider at that point. “I was familiar with them when I started back in Waterloo,” Tok said. “Team Wisconsin had quite a few Eau Claire guys on the team, and I always came over to watch the state tournament. Eau Claire Memorial is there all the time, and it’s a household name. You think of Wisconsin high school hockey, and Eau Claire Memorial is one of Later on, Tok began to hear rumblings that longtime Memorial coach Schwengler, might leave after the 2017 season when his bility. And in March, it happened. Schwengler stepped down after 20 years. And there just so happened to be a highly successful coach nearby without a gig. After long thought, talk and determining he could still enjoy family time he never had in the NAHL, Tok expressed interest. By late May, he was hired as Schwengler’s successor. “I was actually saying no I wasn’t going to coach high school hockey,” Tok said. “I was out of hockey taking care of a son. So no I can’t say it was a thought. I was really enjoying being with my family, coaching my kid in peewees and the bantam, and then this opportunity came. “I thought, why not? I still have a passion for the game of hockey. I talked to my boss we can do it.” The Old Abes have not lost since his hire and sit at 6-0, ranked second in the state.

way he coaches.” Memorial went on to win the game 5-0. are enjoying what they do. And like Schwengler, he wants his players to learn a

Nick Erickson has been the Leader-Telegram’s lead hockey writer since joining the staff in 2015. Erickson’s Inside Hockey columns and hockey alumni updates can be found Tuesdays throughout the season in the Leader-Telegram. ■■■ Like anybody who has done something for long enough, Tok has grown as a coach

faction, he said, is when former players come up to him and thank him for something non-hockey they learned in his program and carried with them. “If we do things the right way and kids are going out on the rinks having fun and it’s not work for them and just loving what they are doing, I think we are going to be a tough team to beat,” Tok said. “That carries over for me.” On the ice, Tok’s teams are very reminiscent of the style he played. He wants his team to generate speed through the neutral zone and then slow things down on the

score goals going three-quarters speed and seeing the play rather than zooming in at 100 mph. Memorial has a lot of skilled players, but Chris Tok the player from Chris Tok the Tok preaches grittiness too. He’s set up his coach. But as time went on, he began to un- lines so there is more of a banger down low who isn’t afraid to get to the dirty areas responding to criticism and their own perpaired up with faster skaters who can zip spectives on what is important to them. Tok the teacher became Tok the learner. “You sit back and observe how a kid interacts with other people and it can get you to learn how to teach them,” Tok said. That has required a great deal of patience, which seems to resonate with his high school players. “The thing is, with coach’s style, not one

around the ice. The game is constantly changing, and Tok knows that. Right now, the best players in the NHL are elite skaters, and that’s how kids are modeling themselves at the younger levels. Physicality is still a big part of hockey, but it’s more of a skating game now. That’s why he thinks hockey hasn’t gotten the same concussion talk as football. He’s played around with verbage to adjust. “Say ‘hey, we need that puck’ you’re going to have to go stick on puck, and you are going to have to go through the guy’s hands,”’ Tok said. “ That has no insinuation whatsoever of making a hit. The end result might be a little body contact, but you also make them understand what their role is. The goal isn’t to send the kid into the third row. Really could care less. We want the puck. So I think the mentality of coaches and how they teach it has changed to that.” Hockey is in Tok’s blood, and he isn’t set in his own system. He is willing to adapt to his personnel and how the game is played.

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a hockey-crazed school. “I’m not surprised at all,” Strobel said. “ I expect them to do well and have a hardworking, disciplined team. He is going to allow them to have creativity. We need more Chris Toks in coaching.”

free to simply love

all-state goaltender Trevor Hudecek said. “Everybody gets their chance. When those kids get their chances, they are going to develop, and as kids develop it is just going to make us deeper and deeper.” Don’t be mistaken. Tok is intense and shows it on the bench. While he might get on a kid, he’s equally willing to dish out a compliment when that same player makes a strong play. Tok has been around the game long enough to know just how beautiful it can be when played the right way. So when Me-

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sion scoreless in a Dec. 5 matchup against Wisconsin Rapids — a team the Abes were superior — Tok challenged his Jason to Coxon haspaper been the Leader-Telegram’s lead football writer guys instead of laying into them. since joining the staff in 2012. Cox was a wide receiver “When we really aren’t playing well, he at Palmyra SchoolMemorial in Palmyra, Mo. comes in talking about High respect,” defenseman Josh Berg said. “Have respect for the game, respect for our players and re-

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Buckshot The Magazine / December 2017

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North vs. Chippewa Falls, Dec. 17, 1992

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Sara Denure and Matt Prissel

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make them very good at what they do. I ter following my senior year of high school after graduating from Mondovi and have been doing it since. I love the opportunity to be a part of the game that I have always

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your games? If so I can say with a pretty high degree of certainty that Travis and Dan had something to do with getting them

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throughout the process but keeps high school basketball possible. I currently attend UW–La Crosse and of-

A former All-Dunn-St. Croix Conference guard at Mondovi, Ganschow is in his fourth season as a WIAA basketball official. Ganschow, who attends UW-La Crosse, graduated from Mondovi in 2014.

well. From what I have seen in the past years, there is nothing like this going on down in that area. My two partners have

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Does the WIAA need a shot clock? Coach Speak

Nothing in high school basketball has months as the idea of a shot clock. Plenty was written, even more was tweeted. At its December meeting the WIAA Board of Control rescinded its prior plans to implement a 35-second shot clock for the 201920 season. It was voted down by a 7-3 vote in December after passing by a 6-4 vote in June. So where do some coaches stand on the boys basketball coaches, as told to LeaderTelegram sports editor Joe Ziemer at the son Fieldhouse on the UW-Stout campus in Menomonie. Memorial coach Chad Brieske: I don’t know if it’s necessary, but I would like to see it implemented. I’m kind of in that in-between phase, to be completely honest. I like the idea of speeding up the game a little more. I think it rewards good defense, actu-

ally. I think a lot of people have this idea it will lead to higher scoring. I think it actually helps better defensive teams. Because if you’re solid in your rotations, you force those teams to execute at a higher level rather than just simply kicking it back out. Is it necessary? No. But would I like to see it? Yes. Regis coach Bill Uelmen: To be hon(Billy) Wampler and (Logan) Rohrscheib and these guys, the shot clock would have never mattered, because we made one or two passes and the shot goes up. I don’t think the game has changed. If you look at the scores, even at this tournament here, there’s a lot more scoring because of the shooting. I think you’re shooting a lot quicker now. I

don’t really think a shot clock would really have an impact on a high school game. Because if it’s 35 seconds, to hang onto a ball for 35 seconds, that’s a long time. And obviously, you look at it as an administrator. There’s a cost involved. The way that kids are playing now, how well they shoot, I don’t think that’ll be a factor. Mondovi coach Darin Gray: I don’t know if it’s needed. I do understand the concepts of what they’re trying to do — especially at the varsity level, trying to mirror a little bit of the college game. I get that. In my opinion, it’s not going to change much. For most of the game, most possessions don’t last longer than 35 seconds anyway. It will impact the ends of games. When a team has a lead, then you might not have to foul. You might be able to let the shot clock ride out and then try to get a rebound without fouling. Is it needed? I don’t know if

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what they’re trying to do and get out of it. I can’t say I was against it, but I wasn’t what the high school game needs right now. Altoona coach Stacy Winsand: I’m rehadn’t really put a lot of thought into it. I thought it would probably get turned down, just from the AD perspective, from what I’ve heard from other ADs concerning costs, those types of things. But again, if it goes into place, we’ll adapt to it.

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Bauer, Durand ranked No. 1 Nick Erickson is the Leader-Telegram’s primary writer for cross country and track and field. Erickson was a two-time state qualifier in cross country at Platteville High School and competed three years in a combined six events at the track and field state meet.

Rod Harschlip has two interceptions and a fumble recovery and Bob Bloom and Tom Perault two picks each as the Blugolds take advantage of nine Stout turnovers for a 2712 win. Abes product Carter Hill leads Macalester to a successful season in the MIAC, passing for 841 yards and six TDs as a freshman. Jon Hohman, who attended school

and passes for 205 yards and four touchdowns to lead Pete Adler’s Durand team to a 26-0 win over Mondovi. and Milwaukee Boys Tech head the large eighth. Unbeaten Durand and Bloomer are 1-2 among small schools. Jim Bertelsen of Hudson and Memorial’s Dave Cheney and Dan Erickson are named to the AP all-state

standing lineman for the Badgers, plays for Hamilton in Canada’s Grey Cup championship game. High scorers as the YMCA Senior League opens its 29th season are John

Also 50 years ago this month, Wisconsin nal game loss to Minnesota in a 0-10-1 season. The Minnesota win earns a tie for the Big Ten championship with Indiana and Purdue at 6-1. The Gophers beat Iowa 10-0 as Phil 28-yard pass to Charlie Sanders. In a 41-12 loss to Purdue, the Eau Claire product comes in late in the game and completes

Buckshot’s Flashback six passes but he is benched in favor of Curt Wilson as the Gophers win down the stretch.

Kain 23. In opening prep games, Rice Lake gets 32 from Dan Boe in an 84-73 win over North, led by Lance Thiel’s 18. Regis rolls over Tomah 75-57 as Rick Zukaitis and Rod McSorley each score 19. Memorial routs de-

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fending state champion Milwaukee Lincoln 81-56 as Larry Bugher scores 14, Greg Morley 13 and Jim Howe 12 before 3,000 fans at the Eagles Nest. In the Badgers varsity-freshman game, Clarence Sherrod scores 29 to lead a 11695 win over the freshmen, who get 24 from Eau Claire North product Jim DeCremer. At Minnesota, Regis product Dan Fisher scores nine and John Sleizer contributes to the freshman cause. Don Jordan sets a state record in the 200-yard individual medley for North, but Memorial scores a 75-19 swimming victory. In bowling news, Chuck Kunz hits a 702 series and Clarence Fry a 700 at Wagner’s honor count, a 602. Rahl’s Upholstery sets an all-time Wagner’s record with a 3,179 team score led by a 700 from Orin “Mouse” Polenz.

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