Nov. 7—BEMIDJI — Dominic Fairbanks must’ve made the drive between Bemidji and Cass Lake hundreds of times.
Even as the guard is entering his sophomore season for the Bemidji State men’s basketball team, Cass Lake is still the place he calls home. He sees his family every day, and they still get to see him play.
When he graduated from Cass Lake-Bena High School in 2024, going to Bemidji State seemed like a no-brainer. He could remain close with his family, and he could follow in his uncle Brady Fairbanks’ footsteps. He played for the Beavers from 2007 to 2010.
“Just for the opportunity of being so close to home and then playing at a high level is why (I went to BSU),” Fairbanks said. “Another factor was my uncle, who played here back when he was straight out of high school. So it was pretty cool to be the second one in my family to play basketball at BSU.”
As expected, Fairbanks isn’t the only Minnesota-born player on the Beavers. Twelve out of the 14 players on the BSU roster are from Minnesota, most from the northern part of the state. The only two non-Minnesota players are freshman Logan Sipple from Shawano, Wisconsin, and sophomore Eddie Jallow Hedvqist from Stockholm, Sweden.
Since most come from similar backgrounds, it makes building relationships with teammates that much easier.
“I feel like having that off-the-court friendship is (easier),” New York Mills native Tate Olson said. “Personalities are similar, just off of how we grew up.”
It also helps that many on the team played with or against each other growing up.
“When I came in as a freshman, the whole sophomore class I either played with or against in basketball, so I knew every single one of them,” Fairbanks said. “I just feel like it made us closer as a group, as a team, as friends in general.”
It’s always a goal for coaches to keep the best local talent local, and head coach Mike Bochee has done just that. He uses hometown proximity as a recruiting tactic.
“Bemidji State’s a unique place, it’s a beautiful place,” he said. “I think a lot of people that are in the area understand that and want to be a part of that.”
While Minnesota will always be known as the State of Hockey, the talent in Minnesota basketball has been elevated in recent years. Kids from across the state are being recruited to the most prestigious college programs across all divisions.
Some have made their way to superstardom, such as Minneapolis’ Chet Holmgren and Hopkins’ Paige Bueckers.
Boschee has noticed this, too. In his first season as head coach in 2012-13, five out of the 14 players on the roster were from Minnesota. Now, almost his entire roster is filled with Minnesota-born players.
While he’s thankful that basketball has gotten more popular in the state, more kids specializing in one sport has a lot to do with it, he said.
“The AAU stuff is out of control,” Boschee said. “There’s basketball games going on all spring, summer and fall, and it’s not slowing down. So I think the quality of play has increased, probably because there’s so much play going on.
“And you hate to say it, but you feel like a lot of kids do specialize a lot more than they used to, too. There’s not a lot of that combination as much anymore. So the talent level probably has grown in Minnesota — and you see it in our league … a lot of Minnesota kids are getting plucked.”
The Beavers will start their season in Pittsburg, Kansas (not to be confused with Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) for the Central Region Challenge, where they will face Henderson State and Southern Arkansas Nov. 14 and 15, respectively.
It’s the start of what BSU hopes to be their first winning season since 2022-23, when they went 20-11 and advanced all the way to the NSIC Tournament semifinals.
While Boschee always hopes for a successful season, he’s most curious about how they respond to adversity, something he can only assess when the season starts.
“I think the big thing for this team is that when they face adversity, how are they going to respond?” he asked. “And my hope for this team is that we reach our full potential because our responses are always positive. … I think that would be a lot of fun to coach, too.”
While the Beavers usually start their season in Kansas City, scheduling conflicts made the Central Region Challenge switch gears and be hosted by Pittsburg State instead. While everyone is excited to get the season underway, they know competition will be stiff.
“We’re excited to see where we’re at right away to start the year with good competition,” Boschee said. “(We) also watch quality teams from the region play as well. It’s a fun atmosphere.”
“It’ll be fun going to a place that you’ve never been before,” Olson said. “Teams that you probably won’t see, possibly ever. So I think it’ll be a good way to start the season and see where we’re at before starting conference play.”
Boschee said a number of players have improved their play on the court for this season, including Olson. But he’s excited to see players like Annandale’s Isaak Eenhuis back on the court after suffering an injury last season.
“Isaak Eenhuis, another local kid that played a lot for us last year, is coming off an Achilles injury,” Boschee said. “I’m excited to see where he’s at again. Even though he was injured for most of the offseason, I felt like he put in a lot of good work, and we’re excited to see what he can do.”
The Beavers will make their home debut on Nov. 21 against Oak Hills at the BSU Gymnasium.
