Dawson Blanck Reflects on the 35th Annual Grade State Basketball Championships-Travel

There's been so much to celebrate from the 2025 Grade State Championships. Among the highlights:

• A huge THANK YOU to the incredible Minnesota Youth Basketball Alliance (MYBA) member association leaders, the thousands of dedicated volunteer coaches, and the tens of thousands of parents and supporters. Your unwavering commitment drives the growth of youth basketball, creating opportunities for every child—regardless of skill level—to play, develop, and foster a lifelong love for the game.
• Pre-tournament, we had the Grade State Selection shows for Girls 3-8, Boys 3-6, and Boys 7-8 to add to the excitement and fuel the anticipation of Grade State. This unveiled the seeds for each team, prior to the tournament schedules being released. We wanted to celebrate all 1,805 teams that represent over 170 Minnesota Youth Basketball Alliance member associations around the state of Minnesota. The selection shows were presented by Raising Cane's and released on our social media. So far, those selections shows have been viewed nearly 150,000 times. March Mayhem!
• Our team, led by Michael Kyllo-Kittleson, our new marketing and promotion manager, strategically ramped up our Amplify & Elevate Initiative by providing high-quality photography and video coverage at every playing location. She has efficiently and effectively shared this content across our social media channels, driving incredible engagement with photos, video clips, and graphics. Michael and her team of contributors were intentional in capturing media coverage across various sites, ensuring representation of different age groups, competitive levels, and communities statewide.
• The purpose of this initiative is to celebrate the participants, and that celebration has truly gained momentum — our MYAS social media channels (Facebook and Instagram) have surpassed 1 million views in the past 28 days!
• The host groups and their volunteers, more than ever, have really bought into fulfilling the expectations of the appearance of the courts and sites.
• Our MYAS staff attended every site, checking on things and providing support and input.
• We received an enthusiastic email from a high school basketball booster club leader—one of 29 host groups during the three weekends of Grade State – Travel—who was thrilled that their four-court facility generated an impressive $17,000. This not only served as a major fundraiser for their booster club but also reinforced our longstanding commitment to supporting the communities we serve.
• And through the weekends of Grade State-Travel, our data makes it clear the games, by and large, are competitive, which means teams are properly placed. For the girls, of the 1,179 games, 969 were 15 points or less, which is 82.2 percent. Of the boys' 1,970 games, 1,489 were 15 points or less, so 75.6 percent. Overall, 2025 Grade State saw 2,458 games, or 78.1 percent of the games were competitive. But, of course, there were many ultra-competitive and exciting games, like a few championship games I witnessed at a packed Spring Lake Park High School and Maple Grove Middle School, that both went into overtime, and offered up moments that will last a lifetime.                                                                   
•  By the way, with 3,149 games, a lot of credit has to go to game officials, officials in charge at each playing location, and the assigners! Tony Schrepfer, our senior manager of officiating services, has done a wonderful job of getting high school veteran refs back into the fold, and also having them mentor many of the younger officials who have jumped into the mix.

Again, there's so much positive, but I would be remiss if I didn't utilize this as an opportunity to remind everyone that we adults must lead and set an example. We had altercations at a few different locations. At one were a pair of brothers who had gotten great feedback on their officiating in previous games for their fair calls and their hustle to get into good positions to track the action. But after a tightly-contested game between fifth-grade boys, a parent aggressively yelled at them and followed the 18-year-old brother down the hallway and toward the exit. Fortunately, someone intervened.

The young ref was shook, needless to say.

Akua Kennedy, our community engagement director and basketball manager, talked to that parent, who acknowledged that he went too far. Still, Akua made clear to that parent that he was not welcome back for Sunday's games, which he agreed to honor.

Before I proceed, though, I would like to offer a special thanks to Akua for being so proactive and working so hard to travel to so many games at all Grade State sites. Over the past three weekends, he traveled over 1,000 miles visiting playing locations!

Yet his presence has made a big difference. He's helped to address and diffuse some situations that have arisen, including a conversation with that young referee, who he reminded to focus on all the positive things and not that one negative incident.

Thankfully, that young official returned to officiate games the following day.

I know I often bring this up but it's still something that can — and must — get better. One of the biggest concerns is still the lack of perspective within these games. Yes, they are playing for a state championship, but we must all be diligent to model the proper behavior toward others, including officials and opponents.

We strive to provide valuable informational resources for tournament organizers and coaches, while our host volunteers, officials in charge, and our Tournament Directors at Grade State actively monitor the courts and distribute Youth 1st reminder cards to reinforce positive sportsmanship. However, we recognize the need to continually explore new ways to strengthen these important values at future events and tournaments.

Together, MYAS, and MYBA member associations, parents, coaches, and game officials must continue to establish clear expectations for good sportsmanship and hold individuals accountable for unsportsmanlike conduct. It is our collective responsibility to foster a safe, positive, and productive experience for today’s youth basketball players.

As we close the books on the 35th Grade State Championships, I did want to share one more interaction that was deeply encouraging to me. At one site, I was approached by a parent who was from another state but now lives in Minnesota.

"Most people here don't even realize what they have here with the Grade State Championships," he told me, noting the breadth of the communities represented and the different levels available for boys and girls at so many ages.

It served as a powerful reminder of the dedication and hard work of those who have come together over the past four decades—shaping generations of youth basketball players, coaches, and communities. At the same time, it challenges us to keep pushing forward, continually raising the bar to ensure that boys and girls in Minnesota enjoy an even better experience for years to come.