Familiar voice

When Joe Hanstad competes on the court today, it's very likely he will hear two very familiar voices yelling.

However, the only one that matters to Hanstad is Dickinson High boys basketball coach John Wilson.

The Midgets' game at 5:45 p.m. against Minot marks the return of former Dickinson High coach Dean Winczewski. Dickinson High fans should know Winczewski well. He brought them two Class A state titles in his eight years as boys basketball coach.

"It'll be a different situation coming down there," said Winczewski, whose team beat the Midgets 67-52 in Minot on Dec. 19. "It's already been a long time. We're almost done with the season. Had (this game) been earlier, it might have been a little tougher."

In that game, Hanstad said he noticed some things about Minot's offense.

"We saw a lot of the same plays," Hanstad said. "I knew a couple of the plays."

Hanstad, a sophomore, said just hearing his old coach yell plays and instructions at a different team was odd.

"It was weird hearing his voice," Hanstad said. "You hear him every day for a whole (season). Then, to hear him talk to other (players) ... it's different."

Winczewski replaced former Minot coach Gene Manson, who retired last spring after 30 years, 628 wins and four state titles.

This season, Minot has an overall record of 9-4 including a 7-3 mark in the West Region where it sits second in the standings. In the Magicians' last game, they avenged an early-season loss to Bismarck High, winning 54-42.

"We're playing a lot better," Winczewski said. "There was a big adjustment from what I do to what Coach Manson did. There's a million ways to win a ball game. It took us awhile for the kids to get adjusted."

The position vacated by Winczewski was filled with Wilson, who was an assistant coach. Since then, Wilson has put his own mark on the team, but it hasn't been easy as inexperience has hurt the team on occasion. The Midgets will most likely start two seniors and three sophomores against Minot.

Nonetheless, Winczewski said he knew Wilson would do a good job.

"There wasn't a doubt that he would be (successful)," Winczewski said. "He's doing what he does and he's finding success doing it."

The Midgets are fifth in the West with a 4-6 region record and an overall record of 6-6. Dickinson is coming off a Thursday loss to Williston and will be attempting to avoid its first three-game losing streak of the season.

"We've got to match their intensity," Wilson said. "The kids know it's going to be a good game where they're going to have to come out and be ready to play."

If Minot is looking for a West Region road win, stopping Hanstad will be a priority. The 6-foot-3 guard is averaging a Class A-best 25.4 points per game.

"To find success, you've got to be able to slow him down," Winczewski said. "If you don't, he can single-handedly carry them. I thought we were pretty successful at that early, but that was early. He's played well as of late. We have to find a way to make things difficult for him."