By: Caden Kipfmueller

The 2022-2023 Timberwolves basketball season has been a tumultuous one to say the least, with increasing chemistry issues and fan backlash following the trade for Rudy Gobert this past offseason. The Wolves have had their fair share of issues, but they still managed to make the playoffs, losing in the first round to the Denver Nuggets in five games. While I am not personally a Timberwolves fan, I recently had the opportunity to interview one. He’s attended a large number of games this season, including all of their home playoff games, so it is fair to say that he is a big fan.

Q: Who has been your favorite player this season and why?

A: Anthony Edwards because he is one of the best young players in the league and he will lead the Wolves to at least one championship in the next few years. For his age, his stats line up with the best ever.

Q: Who has been your least favorite player this season and why?

A: McLaughlin, I like the guy and he has had good years but he has been in a pretty bad slump. He hasn’t made a basic layup in ages and has only gotten worse since the play in. I was at a Lakers game late in the season and he kept trying to shoot Kareem-like floaters over Lebron like an idiot. He’s the shortest guy in the NBA, so why does he think he can take those shots?

Q: What are your thoughts on the Timberwolves’ new City Jerseys?

A: I think it makes zero sense because they use so many random shades of colors that are not Wolves’ colors. We should be black, blue, green and white. Their justification for the red was that it’s the red from the wolves’ tongue, but I think that is stupid.

Q: Overall, do you think this season has been a success or a failure?

A: Definitely a success and the best one we’ve had in a long time. The Timberwolves aren’t good normally so it is nice to make the playoffs for a change.

Q: Do you agree with the Timberwolves’ decision to trade for Rudy Gobert last season?

A: I like that we tried for him but we gave up too much. However, Gobert has been very necessary and is the only reason we don’t collapse defensively especially right now with two bigs out. He gets booed even after being clutch and putting up clutch double doubles which is stupid. People need to stop whining about the trade.

Q: How bright is the Timberwolves’ future in the next five years?

A: It will come down to what we do with all the free agents. We have the potential to be better than this year for sure, but we just can’t focus on rebuilding.

By: Nagad Omar

4x NBA champion, Wardell Stephen Curry plays for the Golden State Warriors. But let’s look at before Curry became the man he is today.

Curry was born on March 14th, 1998 to parents Dell Curry and Sonya Curry in Akron, Ohio. Curry has 2 siblings, Seth Curry who currently plays for the Brooklyn Nets and his sister Sydel Curry who used to play volleyball for Elon Phoenix.

Curry played basketball in High School at Charlotte Christian, in North Carolina. Curry was then recruited by coach Bob Mckillop to play at Davidson college where he attended from 2006-2009, where he averaged 21.5 PPG, 4.6 rebounds per game and 2.8 assists in his very first season.

Curry also led tiny Davidson college to the 2008 NCAA tournament where they played util the Elite 8.

In 2009 Curry was the 6th pick in the NBA draft; drafted by the Golden State Warriors. Curry made an almost immediate impact on the Warriors. He was named the team’s starting point guard and averaged 17.5 PPG in his first season.

Curry made the most threes in the league in the 2012-2013 season when he made 272 threes, and 261 in the 2013-2014 season where he also got his first All Star selection.

He was named MVP for the next 2 years and beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2014-2015 season to give the Warriors their first title in 40 years. The Warriors then won the championship in the 2016-2017 season and won in the 2018-2019 season where he also played into his First-Team All NBA honors.

After breaking his hand in the 2019-2020 season the Warriors bounced back the following year to have a winning season.

The Warriors then won their most recent championship last season where they beat the Boston Celtics in a six game series.

Now, Curry is widely known as the best three pointer shooter in the history of the NBA and has set numerous records including shooting the most threes in NBA history at 7,929.

For more information, please visit:

• https://www.nba.com/player/201939/stephen-curry/bio

By: Nagad Omar

4 time NBA Champion Klay Alexander Thompson was born on February 8th, 1990, in
Los Angeles, California. Born to parents Julie and Mychal Thompson.

Thompson didn’t have the “normal upbringing.” When he was just 2, his father was the first pick in the 1978 NBA draft.

He moved around the country until he was 14 where he was brought back to California where he later graduated from Rancho Santa Margarita High School. Klay had scout attention, all of high school, and played for many different club teams along with winning many awards.

Klay attended Washington State University where he led in 3-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage. Washington State University later retired his jersey number 1.

In 2011 Klay declared for the NBA draft and was drafted 11th overall by the Golden State Warriors. Shortly after, Thompson’s career took off and he scored 32 points in 2013 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Thompson was also voted to the NBA All-Rookie first team.

That same year, Klay Thompson and Steph Curry would earn the title “Splash Bros” after setting the NBA record for 484 combined threes in a single season.

In 2017 Thompson also became the 11th player in franchise history to hit 9,000 career points, which he has well surpassed now.

After many trips to the NBA playoffs in 2015 Thompson finally won his first ring against the Cleveland Cavaliers in a tight 108-100 overtime win. The Warriors would end up being back-to-back champions in 2017 and 2018 to bring Klay his 2nd and third ring, before also winning in 2022, to make Klay a 4-time NBA champion.

Klay has now made 2,190 3-point field goals in his career (at the time of this writing), is a 5x NBA All Star and 2x all NBA Third Team.

Thompson also holds the NBA record for most points scored in a quarter, most three pointers scored in a single playoffs, and most three pointers scored in a game.

For more information, please visit:

• https://www.osdbsports.com/nba/players/klay-thompson/biography/4e152a06-673e-4701-b115-aa7e2cd00d2d

By: Caden Kipfmueller

Note: This article was written before round 1 started

Mid March means the beginning of tournament season, which means several weeks of upsets, buzzer beaters, and busted brackets. Every year, so-called “experts” make big claims about knowing the outcome of games, but the reality is nobody really knows what they’re talking about and it’s useless to try to predict the future. The best way to have an enjoyable time watching during the tournament is to not care and root for teams with good vibes. Here are a few that best embody that ideal.

Oral Roberts and Colgate are two teams that are known for their dental themed names. They are also Cinderella’s in the making, although they both drew tough first round matchups in the form of Duke and Texas. That shouldn’t stop you from rooting for them however, as they are both incredibly exciting teams. Oral Roberts is led by Max Abmas, a dynamic and talented scorer who was present on the team’s last Cinderella run. Averaging 22.2 points per game, Abmas is unquestionably one of the best players in the tourney and could bust many brackets soon.

Colgate, on the other hand, is another double digit seed with lofty aspirations. Going 26-8 and winning the Patriot League for the third straight year and the fourth in the past five years. The raiders are viewed favorably by analytics, so perhaps the stars align and this turns out to be their year to finally make it out of the first round after coming close several times recently.

Iowa State entered this year’s tourney as a 6 seed, but many view that as an underseeding. In the 2023 season, the Cyclones logged quality wins against teams like Baylor and Kansas, proving they can beat tough opponents. The team’s X-Factor is Robert “Bobby” Jones, a 6’10’’ senior forward from Prior Lake, MN. Jones is one of the best players on the entire team, with a versatile defensive skill set and one of the best basketball IQs the sport has ever seen. Jones is getting a significant level of buzz from professional teams.

The seventh seeded Missouri Tigers boast the nation’s 10th best offense and a rather impressive resume. Unfortunately, they are not strong defensively, which typically does not bode well for a team’s tournament success. Their saving grace is their turnover margin. Missouri forces turnovers at one of the best rates in the country, playing safe offensively and opportunistic defensively. This strategy has led to some of the biggest upsets of the season and a narrow loss to Alabama in the SEC tournament.

The final team of note is the thirteen seeded Furman Paladins, fresh off of a six game win streak. Furman flies under the radar and has been all but written off by tournament “experts”, but the Paladins are exactly the type of unsuspecting team that can turn heads come March. They’re led by an elite guard who can score in bursts and lead the team on runs. They also have four players averaging at least 10 points per game. Furman’s high powered offense may surprise the casual March Madness watcher.

By: Mae Skold & Audrey Smith

February 3rd, an hour and a half northwest of the Twin Cities, two Wisconsin high schools faced off in a championship basketball game. Granstburg entered the Siren territory at 7pm out for blood with a plan involving nothing but victory. The varsity game was tight for the duration of the first half with both the opposing student sections on their toes. What had these fans so invested in, you may ask? Well let’s get into the riveting details of the game.

Within the first half of the game star player Ethan Rudd scored 4, 3-point shots, giving the Siren Dragons a lead. Ethan is the star of the team while being led by his own father, Jon Ruud, who has been coaching since the 90’s. The two of them are a dynamic duo and make the Siren Dragons the team that they are today.

Ethan’s points racking up for Siren made the student section hyped in anticipation of a possible win. By the time it was half time, the Siren Dragons had 27 points total as compared to Grantsburg with 19. This gave Siren hope of a win for the night.

Another player who really shone bright was Derek Skold, leading shooting guard on the court. With 14 shot blocks alone in this game he is the most successfully ranked player in his position in Burnett County. Derek and Ethan have actually both been going through with their Division I basketball journeys traveling around the Midwest touring schools. Their skill, height, academics, and more are all impressive traits to the various scouts that have been guiding them on their Division I journeys.

As the game continued throughout the first half, leading varsity players on the Grantsburg team began to lead their team to victory against their rivals. The score swapped, with Grantsburg in the lead, however this wouldn’t last long.

Number 43 on the Grantsburg basketball team, Darius Galindo, suffered an injury. This was a stressful moment for not only the Grantsburg community, but the Siren community as well. Many Sireners know Darius well, and this severe moment in the game left every individual in the Siren Dragons bleachers on edge.

With Varsity starter Darius out for the rest of the game, Siren began to catch up in the score very swiftly. Darius Galindo is considered a weapon and necessity for the Grantsburg team.

So, will the Grantsburg team make it to the final round? This information is unsure however, against Siren the team was still able to play well.

In the second half following the Siren lead and devastating injury, another Grantsburg player stepped into the light. Frankie Macdonald took it upon himself to fill Darius’s shoes and he managed to get Grantsburg up by 10 points using his speed and amazing rebound skills. This unexpected comeback had both student sections biting their nails in anticipation not knowing when to expect another come back.

Jon Ruud of the Siren dragons decided to call an essential timeout with only a minute remaining. The team took the time to focus on defending Frankie and build a strategy on how to take him down. In the last minute, Frankie ultimately couldn’t be stopped and scored 2 three pointers giving Grantsburg the champion title.

After the game we had a chat with Ethan Ruud of Siren to discuss the loss. He was foggy brained after working so hard, he almost didn’t know what he was saying. After a few minutes of stumbling over his own words he came to the conclusion that he could’ve done better as an individual but the team worked great together.

Though tears were shed, the Siren Dragons were proud to have made it this far.