The Perham boys basketball team has been projected by the Minnesota Basketball News staff to be one of the top four teams in Class 2A next year, and has received an invitation to play in the 22nd Annual Pacesetter “Sweet Sixteen” Basketball Championship at The College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minn., Saturday and Sunday, August 3-4. The top four projected teams from each class are invited. All teams are then mixed so that there is one team from each class in each group of four teams in the bracket. The Apple Valley boys and Hopkins girls won Sweet Sixteen titles last summer and went on to win Minnesota Class 4A state championships this winter, so this tournament gives teams a rare opportunity to play against the best. High school coaches are not allowed to coach the teams, so a former player, an assistant coach below B team level, or a parent often step in to manage the team. Coaches can observe from the bleachers and watch from a different perspective.
Robert Williams has been a sports editor for Forum Communications in Perham and Detroit Lakes since 2011.
