Winning the first playoff game since the 2020-21 season will be this year’s version of the boys basketball team’s greatest legacy.
The Clippers finished with a 13-14 overall record and were 6-6 in the Valley Conference for fourth place behind Madelia and Nicollet, both 10-2, and 9-3 Mankato Loyola.
Building a fan base, they were in most games before their season ended at the hands of state runner up JWP.
The Clippers wrapped up their successful season with an awards banquet in the commons on April 26.
“A lot of guys grew a lot this year, and these awards are just a testament to them," said head coach Mike Meyer. “On top of that, these are pretty good kids. You set a good example for everyone in the school, and we’re just proud to coach you.”
Carson Lyons was voted as the team’s most valuable player.
The junior shot 46 percent from the field. He averaged 20 points a game and led the Clippers in points, assists and steals and was second in rebounds. But his biggest growth this year was in verbal leadership, said assistant coach Carter Kopet.
“He is super impactful on the floor and just as impactful off the floor. He’s done a lot for us over the last couple of years, and we’re lucky to have one more year of him.”
Lyons also took home the Defensive player of the year award.
“He made crazy steals sometimes,” said assistant coach Jaylon Holmes. “In basketball, there’s the point of attack when the ball gets brought up the floor, and on every given night we asked him to be our best point-of-attack defender, and he did that all year.”
Lyons was picked by Valley and Tomahawk Conference coaches to be one of the nine members of the All-Conference, Valley Division team.
This season, Lyons scored his 1,000th career point. It came at home during a game where the Clippers upset the undefeated, number one team in the conference: Madelia.
“That moment alone says a lot,” Meyer said. “But honestly, everything that’s already been said about Carson tonight says even more. It shows the kind of kid he is and the impact he’s had on this program.
Lyons leadership and maturity are incredible for anyone, but especially for someone his age, Meyer said.
“I’m convinced he might have life figured out better than most of us at 17. Time and time again, we relied on him this season, and he delivered. And no matter how many times I’ve seen him compete, I’m still amazed by the effort and heart he brings every single night. Carson has always been a lead by example guy, but this year it was special to watch him find his voice and lead vocally as well. The way he competes, the way he works to develop himself and his teammates, and the example he sets off the court—knowing younger kids are watching him—makes me incredibly proud to be his coach. I’m proud that he’s someone my own kids get to look up to every day.”
Braeden Smith was one of six Valley Division All-Conference Honorable Mentions.
The junior had 25 blocks, was second in total points, first in rebounds and second in assists.
“He is more than deserving,” Kopet said. “We expected a lot out of him this year. He is a kid that I am pretty tough on. He has the most raw potential, but I was most proud of Braeden because he grew a lot outside of his athletic ability. He played defense for us. He didn’t go for a steal every single time. He stayed out of foul trouble. When we needed a spark, he was flexing on the sideline. He had the ball in hands a lot. He has a long way to go in his development, but he took a giant step this year.”
Freshman Jack Mons was named the team’s Most Improved Player.
Last season, Mons started as an eighth grader on the Clippers’ junior high team. Partway through the year, he earned a move up to the C squad. There was a little back and forth between C and JH due to numbers, but around the halfway point he came up to C squad and finished the season there.
After evaluating Mons in the offseason this year, the coaches invited Mons to practice with the varsity group to start the year.
“From day one, he impressed us,” Meyer said. “The jump he made, his confidence, his work ethic, his willingness to learn, made it clear he wasn’t just trying to fit in. He was trying to make an impact.”
In the Clipper’s first game against Madelia, Mons played two halves with JV and was only eligible for one half of varsity.
“The game wasn’t going our way, and we needed a spark,” Meyer said. “We made the call to put Jack in, and that is exactly what he gave us. In the end the outcome didn’t change, but the way he stepped into that moment with the poise of a senior in a freshman’s body, it was obvious he was going to be a two half varsity player.”
Mons continued to improve his skills throughout this season,” Meyer said.
“The best part is he’s nowhere near done. We know he’ll attack this offseason the same way he attacked everything this year: with effort, humility and hunger. And it’s because of that, we know he’s going to be a huge part of our success moving forward.”
The Rookie of the Year award went to sophomore Miles Tomaszewski.
The award can be summed up by the person who came in with little or no varsity experience and made an immediate impact on the team, Holmes said. Tomaszewski earned a starting spot after not playing varsity lasty year.
“It was really sweet to see that, that athlete’s poise and development as a competitor, as a shooter. He’d look for those big moments all year.”
Alex Kortuem earned the 6th Man award, which is given to the player the coaches consistently look to as our first spark off the bench, someone who can change the energy of a game the moment they step on the floor, Meyer said.
Kortuem, a senior, began the season as a starter while Bode was out with an injury.
“As coaches, we were fortunate to have a deeper bench this year than we’ve had in the past,” Meyer said. “But with that depth comes challenge: figuring out who plays, when they play and how much they play. Some nights you wish you had more options, and other nights you wish you could give everyone more minutes because they’re all playing well.
“When we had to make decisions about who would start and who would come off the bench, we knew we needed someone mature enough to put the team first, someone who cared more about how they could impact the game when their number was called than whether their name was announced in the starting lineup.
“Alex not only accepted that role, he thrived in it. He consistently came into games and gave us exactly what we needed: shooting, hustle plays, and defensive energy. And one of the things we preach constantly is the ‘next play’ mentality. Mistakes happen, especially at this age, but what matters is how you respond. Alex excelled at that. Time and time again, he broke up transition plays, made tough stops at the rim, and prevented opponents from getting easy buckets.
“Alex grew tremendously over the course of the season and played a major role in helping us earn our first playoff win in my five years coaching this program.”
Senior Mason Kluntz received the Grinder award.
“He drove the defense,” said Holmes. “If we would have asked him to play all 36 every single night, he would have said ‘Roger that.’ You would expect him on the floor for every loose ball. It didn’t matter if you asked him to guard a guard, a six-foot-ten guy or anything in between. On any given night, whether it’s a Friday underneath the big lights for a packed house or a random day practice, he emphasized what it is to be a grinder, night in, night out, day in day out.”
Kluntz was also chosen by his teammates for the Players’ Choice award.
“It’s being a good teammate whose own peers look up to, respect,” said Kopet. “He averaged five points per game for us, and he made an impact even doing that. He also had 33 steals and 10 blocks. He was the last one off the bus, the first one to sweep the floor in between the JV games and do everything we could ask out of a captain, out of a leader, out of a teammate.”
The Comeback Player of the Year went to Bode Bartell. The senior first got in a game on January 20, the 13th game of the season, after recovering from a shoulder injury he sustained in a football game back on September 19.
“Hopefully we don’t have to give this out every year, because that would mean we don’t have injuries,” said Kopet. “When it happened, we were all told he would be out for the season, but when I talked to him, he said ‘Absolutely not. I’m coming back for basketball.’”
Bartell worked hard and scored 28 points when the Clippers downed NRHEG on the MSU,M court. He was also a key part of winning the first playoff game, Kopet said.
“Bode grew a ton within his last four years, this year in particular. I wish we would have got more of Bode this year, but I’m really thankful we were able to get what we did out of you.”
Gavin Struck won the Together award.
“The Together Award is one of my favorite awards to give out each year,” Meyer said. “It represents the mentality we want every player in our program to embrace: that no matter who scores the points, who gets the minutes, or who gets the spotlight, we succeed together. It’s about doing your part, big or small, to give the team the best chance for success.”
Struck was one of the Clippers’ five seniors, and this season he led like a senior, Meyer said.
“He set the tone in practice with his work ethic and his focus. Countless times, we as coaches would pose a question to the team, and Gavin never hesitated to speak up, offering an answer, sharing an idea or giving his honest opinion about what he thought was best for the group.
“These are the moments most people never see. They see the games. We get to see the leadership, the communication, the maturity behind the scenes. And Gavin brought all of that, every day. He was also the guy who lifted teammates up, who brought energy when we needed it, and who always approached every situation with a team first attitude. That’s what this award is all about.”
Besides the award winners, earning letters were senior Killian Kunkel, juniors Sam Ternes, and Charlie Perkins; sophomores Garrett Heldberg, Luke Heldberg, Jack Anderson and Wyatt Krenik; and freshman Tony Hollerich.
With a GPA of 3.5 or higher during the season, Lyons and Kluntz were named to the All-Conference Academic team.
Meyer also recognized the seniors: Kunkel, Kortuem, Kluntz, Struck and Bartell.
“We are really proud of people we get to coach and lead our program,” Meyer said. “These guys have done it for four years. Alex came here late (the 2023-24 season), but he started from the beginning (as a young player when before transferring out of the district), so he still counts. It’s a lot of effort to come out here every season, every off season.
“These guys do that willingly, and as they grow, it’s fun for us to see the impact they make on the younger guys, how they bring them up. It’s just that level of confidence from a junior to a senior. None of these guys except for Bode got a lot of playing time last year except Alex got a little. So for all of these guys to make the impact they did this year is a really cool process for us to watch. I can say for all of us, we were proud to coach you.”
Meyer thanked parents, his wife and children and other coach’s wives, bookkeeper Greg Davis and this author.
The Clippers will have a busy summer with their annual trip to the Wisconsin Dells (June 14-18), four tournaments (June 24 in Owatonna, July 19 in Faribault, July 23 at MSU, Mankato and July 23 in Owatonna). There will also be a summer skills program, and a Malik Willingham (former MSU,M and Waseca High school star) training from June 8-11. The JV is entered into two days at Bethany summer league: June 4 and June 11. The Clippers are also trying to host a Tuesday night summer league. There is also open gym.
Above: Top award winners, from L-R: Braeden Smith (All-Conference Honorable Mention), Carson Lyons (All-Conference, MVP, Defensive Player of the Year), Jack Mons (MIP), Alex Kortuem (6th Man), Mason Kluntz (Grinder award, Players’ Choice), Bode Bartell (Comeback Player of the Year), Gavin Struck (Together award) and Miles Tomaszewski (Rookie of the Year).
Letter winners, from L-R: Luke Heldberg, Jack Mons, Braeden Smith, Alex Kortuem, Gavin Struck, Carson Lyons, Mason Kluntz, Tony Hollerich, Miles Tomaszewski, Bode Bartell, Killian Kunkel, Jack Anderson and Garrett Heldberg. Missing are Charlie Perkins, Wyatt Krenik and Sam Ternes.
Conference award winners Carson Lyons (All-Conference) and Braeden Smith (All-Conference Honorable Mention)
Academic All-Conference award winners Carson Lyons and Mason Kluntz
Seniors Killian Kunkel, Bode Bartell, Gavin Struck, Alex Kortuem and Mason Kluntz.
Braeden Smith with his All-Conference Honorable Mentions award. Behind him are coaches Travis Mons, Andy Schmidt, Jaylon Holmes, Mike Meyer and Carter Kopet.
Attending the banquet were, from L-R: Luke Heldberg, Garrett Heldberg, Mason Kluntz, Alex Kortuem, Gavin Struck, Bode Bartell, Jack Mons, Zander Linder, Killian Kunkel, Jeremy Miller, Miles Tomaszewski, Carson Lyons, Braeden Smith, John Cink, Bray Lassiter, Pierce Lyons, Jake Mueller, Brayden Seeman, Tony Hollerich, Tyler Smith and Jack Anderson.
The Clipper award winners pose with long-time bookkeeper Greg Davis.