Basketball - Men's - News

HOLQUIST AND THE BULLDOGS SIGN STAR IN JAKE HOTTENSTINE

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Jake Hottenstine. Photo submited by the Green Bay Press Gazette.

Gary Holquist had heard good things about Bay Port High School standout Jake Hottenstine, so that's when the University of Minnesota Duluth men's basketball head coach decided to take a trip to Madison for the Wisconsin high school basketball tournament last March and see how impressive he was.

To say Hottenstine was impressive would be putting it lightly, because Holquist couldn't believe his eyes - this kid was the real deal.

It was in front of Holquist during the state big-school semifinals that the 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard/forward shined, as he tallied a game-leading 25 points in a tough 64-60 overtime loss to eventual state champion Madison Memorial.

But Holquist knew that Hottenstine was his man, and Wednesday, he signed a national letter of intent to play basketball for the Bulldogs next season in 2009-10.

"I went down there specifically to see how this kid would respond, and he just put on a show," said Holquist about the Bay Port star that didn't even start as a junior. "He had a couple of tremendous dunks and showed he's a big-time leaper. He's an athlete, and the last month of the season he elevated his game and his stock went up."

In leading Bay Port to a 24-1 overall mark, Hottenstine averaged roughly 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists per contest during his senior campaign and was named a Wisconsin Basketball Coaches All-Star selection, as well as a First-Team All Fox River Conference pick, earned Fourth-Team Associated Press All-State honors and ultimately, was the Green Bay Area Press Gazette Player of the Year.

Though the high-flyer received interest from Division I schools, when UMD guards and Wisconsin natives Ryan Rasmussen and Cash Craig took him on a tour around campus Monday, Hottenstine knew that this place was home.

And Holquist couldn't be any happier.

"Jake fell under the radar as a junior but he just kept getting better and better," said Holquist. "I really enjoyed recruiting him. It was refreshing. Some high school athletes have this sense of entitlement because they are used to getting accolades, but with Jake, he's earned everything he's got."

Big players in 6-foot-10, 255-pound center Erik Powers of Marquette, Mich., and 6-foot-7, 200-pound forward Dylan Rodriguez of Blaine, Minn. both also signed national letters of intent and will be suiting up for Holquist 2009-10.

- Story written with the help from Jon Nowacki's Duluth News Tribune -

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