Hopkins coach Ken Novak Jr. looked sick after another Royals' blowout on Tuesday night. Not for what his team did, of course, but for what it didn’t do.

“Defensively, we’ve got to get a lot better,” Novak said. “Because right now, it leaves something to be desired.”

Hopkins cruised to a 111-86 win over Waconia Tuesday night, but the Royals, ranked No. 1 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, were actually outscored by the No. 6-3A Wildcats 55-52 in the second half.

“I thought there was a stretch (Tuesday) we were playing decent defense, but once we start getting up, we just lose all discipline and concentration,” Novak said.

Hopkins features a high-flying offense led by Minnesota commit Amir Coffey, but scoring an average of 93.5 points per game takes its toll on the defensive end sometimes.

Coffey, a 6-foot-8 senior who averages 19.4 ppg, said finding the balance between offense and defense is something all teams that push the pace deal with.

“It’s just work ethic with us,” Coffey said. “We always like to run (on offense), but we also need to get back and play defense, with making the right rotations and playing helpside defense. It’s just something we need to perfect in practice.”

Novak took a little harder stance on what his team needs to do differently on the defensive end, and it’s not so much a physical problem as it is a mental one.

“We get up and it looks like we’re trying to score points and we’re not caring what’s going on the other direction,” Novak said. “So, it’s about the discipline and knowing what they have to do and making sure they do it every time. And if we don’t get that, then we deserve to get beat.”

But despite the struggles on defense at times, the Royals (13-0) are the team with a target on its back after defeating defending Class 4A champion Apple Valley 89-81 on Dec. 12 and staying hot ever since.

In the last week alone, Hopkins has scored 111 points twice and the Royals now feature five players averaging 12.4 ppg or better (Coffey, Vinnie Shahid, Ishmael El Amin, Xavier Johnson and Simon Wright).

Leading the scoring charge is Coffey, who tallied 30 points and snagged 13 rebounds against Waconia (10-2) on Tuesday.

It’s been a long, tough road back for Coffey, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament in Hopkins’ third game last season and had to watch his team exit the state tournament in the first round. For now, he’s just enjoying the ride.

“No matter what sport it is, it’s always tough sitting out,” Coffey said. “Being back with my teammates and playing with them on the court, it’s exciting for me. Still, even before games, I’m just excited as if it’s my first game coming back.”


Waconia guard Charlie Gove looks past a Hopkins defender for an open teammate in a 111-86 loss on the road at Hopkins. Photo by Rick Orndorf

First Report

Senior Amir Coffey scored 30 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead Hopkins in a 111-86 home win over Waconia on Tuesday night.

The Royals, ranked No. 1 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News, also received 17 points from junior Ishmael El Amin and 16 points from senior Xavier Johnson to improve their record to 13-0.

The No. 6-3A Wildcats (10-2) were led by junior Derek Feltmann with 19 points.

Spotlight Game Coverage