DeRock leads area Dream Team

By JEREMY BEHNKE

Journal Sports Writer

Imagine if you will, an area All-Star team with Wabasso's Matt Samyn and Sleepy Eye St. Mary's Matt Mathiowetz at the wing position, spotting up for the jumper or beating his man off the dribble; a back-court of Tyler Kaus of St. James and Jon DeRock of Buffalo Lake-Hector who are always a threat to penetrate and find the open man under the basket, and Red Rock Central's Mark Engen, who swats away nearly everything opposing offenses throw up at him.

Although the prospect won't become reality, it's always fun to dream of what would happen if such a talented group of five would take the floor at one time.

The standouts mentioned represent the 2004 All-Journal boys basketball team First Team.

But from that group of five, it's even harder to find the one who meant the most to his team. The argument could be made that all five should be the player of the year, but in the end, DeRock was chosen as the 2004 All-Journal Player of the Year.

DeRock's statistics speak for themselves. He led the conference in points per game (ppg), rebounds per game (rpg), and assists per game (apg), not to mention his seven triple-doubles this season. For the season, DeRock averaged nearly a triple-double, with 21.1 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 7.7 apg, and 3 steals per game

He also had the challenge of playing with new teammates, transferring to the Mustangs from Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop before the school year started.

"Probably just getting to know the guys -- the different style of basketball [was a challenge]," DeRock said. "At GFW, there was a couple of more athletes and more run-and-gun, and [at BLH] we had to slow it down and run an offense, and run it efficiently."

DeRock said that playing football prior to the season helped him jel with the rest of his teammates.

"I played football with them, so I kinda got to know the guys and what they're about," he said.

His coach, Kelly Raymond, didn't believe it when he first heard DeRock was transferring.

"I didn't believe it," Raymond said. "It was one of those things where you say, 'yeah, whatever, I'll believe it when I see it.'"

DeRock's ability to make no-look passes and rebound from the point guard position made it difficult for opposing defenses to keep him in check.

"The kid is good enough that he doesn't have any weaknesses," Raymond said. "There are not a lot of point guards that are as quick as he is. I just tell him don't be one-dimensional."

The addition of DeRock to the lineup made the Mustangs a better team night-in and night-out.

"He made us instantly better," Raymond said. "He made us a legitimate contender. The biggest thing was that he gave us that focal point that we didn't have."

With one year left, DeRock has grown into a local celebrity, especially with the younger crowd.

"My sixth-grade son adores him," Raymond said. "You see kids running around with Jon DeRock jerseys on."

The rest of the All-Journal First Team:

Mark Engen, Jr., Red Rock Central

Engen, a 6-foot-10 center, dominated the paint for the Falcons. He averaged 21 ppg and 10 rpg. He also blocked 5.8 shots per game. He has 894 career points, and set a school record with 39 points against Murray County Central.

Matt Mathiowetz, Sr., St. Mary's

Mathiowetz was a 3-time all-conference selection and was named All-State by the Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association. He finished his career with 1,226 points and led the Knights to the Section 2A championship game. For the year, he averaged 17.6 points, 6 rpg, 4 steals, 4 apg, and shot 41.7 from 3-point range, which led the conference.

Tyler Kaus, Sr., St. James

The 2003 co-player of the year, Kaus turned into more of a passer this season to go along with his prolific scoring. He averaged 20.6 ppg, 7 apg, and 3.1 rpg. His 1,646 points, 453 assists, and 259 3-pointers are all school records. He led the Saints to a 48-6 record over the last two years.

Matt Samyn, Sr., Wabasso

Samyn eclipsed the 1,000 point mark this season and finished his career with 1,169 points. He scored 20.6 ppg, pulled down 9.8 rebounds, and had 3.1 apg. He also had 100 steals and was named all-conference for the second straight year.

The rest of the 2004 All-Journal Team

Thomas Larsen, Sr., Cedar Mountain

Larsen led the Cougars to a second place finish in the Tomahawk Conference and second place in the Section 2A tournament. The 6-foot-4 center averaged 12.8 ppg and had a school record 58.2 field goal percentage. He led the team in rebounds (177), steals (63), and blocked shots (49).

Matt Gangelhoff, Jr., St. Mary's

Gangelhoff averaged 16.4 ppg and 4.1 apg for the Knights. He shot 35 percent from 3-point range and 53.5 percent from the field. He is a two-time all conference selection and has 911 career points.

Kyle Ludewig, Sr., St. Mary's

Ludewig averaged 13.3 ppg and 6.1 rpg for the Knights, who finished the season 25-4. His 58 blocks led the conference and he was named all conference twice. He scored 1,042 points for his career.

Andy Beilke, Sr., Minnesota Valley Lutheran

A two-time all conference selection, Beilke finished his career with 873 points and he averaged 15 ppg as a senior. He finished the season with 128 steals and 189 assists, and is in fifth and sixth place in the boys state record book in steals.

Scott Dorn, Sr., St. James

Dorn averaged 15 ppg and 8.8 rpg. He was probably the most athletic post player in the area and according to coach Steve Walker, he was the best post player in the South Central Conference for the last three years.

Bill Vogel, Jr. Springfield

Vogel was an all conference selection forward who averaged 18.5 ppg, shot 77 percent from the free throw line and 48 percent from the field. He also averaged 5.5 rpg for the Tigers.

Jack Sallstrom, Jr., Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop

Sallstrom earned all conference honors and averaged 12.8 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game for the Thunderbirds and should be improved next year.

Jamie Mettler, Sr., Nicollet

Mettler led the Raiders with 16.7 ppg and 10.8 rpg. He also had 1.8 blocks per game and had soft hands inside for a post player.

Dan Mathiowetz, Sr.,

Wabasso

Mathiowetz was second in scoring for the Rabbits, averaging 14.1 ppg. He also grabbed 7.5 rpg and dished out 3.3 assists per game. He surpassed the 1,000 point mark in his career, finishing with 1,039.

Jeff Zimmerman, Jr., Nicollet

Zimmerman was deadly from outside, hitting 64 3-pointers for the year. He scored 14.1 ppg and averaged 5.8 rpg. He was second on the team with 98 assists.

Nate Nass, Sr., MVL

Nass, a forward for the Chargers, ranked first on the team in scoring, averaging 16.1 ppg, good enough for sixth in the conference. He finished third in the conference with 8.3 rebounds per game and he was a dead-eye from the free throw line, shooting 86.7 percent -- good for second.