Hawks basketball standout Blake Schmitz says playing in a pair of Minnesota Class AAA state tournament games at Williams Arena in Minneapolis last season ranks as one of the highlights of his record-setting high school career.
“It was such a cool experience playing at Williams, even though we lost both games, and hopefully we can get back there this season and win a couple of games,” said the personable senior and three-year starting guard.
Hermantown (15-6) will visit Grand Rapids (5-14) on Tuesday and Hibbing (1-17) Thursday.
Hawks coach Andy Fenske said Schmitz, a three-sport athlete who excelled as a football wide receiver and is an elite high jumper and sprinter in track and field -- and who maintains a 3.85 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) -- is a “model student-athlete, a kid that every coach wants in their program.”
“Blake puts in the work during the unseen hours as well,” Fenske said of his 6-1, 180-pound standout. “The guys look up to him and know that he won't ask anything of them that he wouldn't be willing to do himself. He's been a three-year starter for us and has continued to grow in the challenging role of being our point guard. At the AAA level he's run into some solid guards, many of whom are playing at the collegiate level.
“During his junior year, he had a very impressive season. He put up 653 points (2nd most in school history for a season), 224 rebounds (3rd most in school history for a season), 129 assists (3rd most in school history for a season), and 100 steals (1st most in school history for a season) which is going to be tough to match by any athlete. He's going to be a kid who has his name written all over the record books by the time his season ends. He surpassed the 1,000-point mark earlier this year against Big Lake and is on pace to surpass the 500-rebound mark.”
Meantime, Schmitz said the Hawks are having another strong season.
“We’ve lost some games that we probably should have won, but other than that we’ve shown some good things and have a good shot at defending our Section 7AAA championship” he said. “We’re a good shooting team and push the ball up the floor in transition well. Sometimes we get in shooting slumps, when we struggle, and sometimes our transition defense isn’t very good. We have a good shot at winning out here in the regular season. North Branch and perhaps Denfeld are teams that will be tough in 7AAA.”
Schmitz plans to attend Bethel College in the Twin Cities starting in the fall.
“I like that Bethel is a Christian college, where I plan to play basketball and major in pre-med,” he said. “Basketball wise, they’re a close-knit team with a lot of young talent on the roster. I think I can play in the MIAC. ”
QUOTE ME
Schmitz on the Hermantown basketball program: “We’ve been a team on the rise the last couple of years, while making a name for ourselves last season by advancing to state for the first time since 2018 and three years before that. Our players are active in the youth programs, especially in the summer.”
Fenske on Schmitz’s impact on the Hawks program: “As he's preparing to head to Bethel next year to continue his academics and athletics, Blake will be part of a key group of young men who have helped guide this program to higher standards than where we've been at before.”
Schmitz on Fenske: “He’s a good coach – not in your face and yelling, but usually calm. He knows his basketball.”
Schmitz, describing himself: “I’m kind of quiet, but when I play basketball I’m loud and aggressive.”