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MBCA Hall of honor inductee is former gobbler
Matt Bare
The Minesota Basketball Coaches Association inducted their Hall of Honor 2025 class on Friday and one of those new members is 1998 Aitkin High School graduate Matt Bare. Matt is the current Youth Sports Director for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He does a lot of work with coaches and is responsible for over 4,000 area players at all ages being able to play on the Target Center floor. He had a lot of people to thank for this honor, "I owe a big thank you to Tom Critchley, Ron Larson and the MBCA for the honor. I've been fortunate to learn from the best in Jeff Munneke, (Vice President of Fan Experience), he really showed me the way. Working with high school coaches has been an absolute pleasure. They are such a great group of people and don't often get enough credit for all they do to help mold and teach our youth. Finally, a huge shout out to my wife Kristen for putting up with my crazy schedule and being a supportive spouse." The bio of Matt is impressive. He has worked with the Timberwolves for 22 years, 17 years in his current position and during that time he has helped build the top-rated youth basketball department in the NBA. Congratulations Matt, Gobbler Proud!
The 2025-26 boys' basketball schedule is out, here's a peek.
Tuesday, December 2--Aitkin at C-I
Friday, December 5--Pine City at Aitkin
Tuesday, December 9--Mille Lacs Raiders at Aitkin
Tuesday, December 16--Aitkin at Staples/Motley
Thursday, December 18--Two Harbors at Aitkin
Monday, December 22--Tournament at Aitkin
Tuesday, December 23--Tournament at Aitkin
Monday, January 5--Aitkin at Barnum
Tuesday, January 6--Aitkin at Pierz
Tuesday, January 13--Mora at Aitkin
Thursday, January 15--Aitkin at East Central
Tuesday, January 20--Hinckley-Finlayson at Aitkin
Thursday, January 22--Aitkin at Pillager
Friday, January 23--Rush City at Aitkin
Monday, January 26--Aitkin at Cherry
Tuesday, January 27--Aitkin at Ogilvie
Thursday, January 29--C-I at Aitkin
Thursday, February 5--Chisholm at Aitkin
Friday, February 6--Aitkin at Pine City
Tuesday, February 10--Aitkin at Mora
Friday, February 13--Aitkin at Greenway
Friday, February 20--Aitkin at Rush City
Saturday, February 21-Aitkin at Proctor
Tuesday, February 24--Duluth Marshall at Aitkin
Thursday, February 26--Moose Lake-Willow River at Aitkin
What a difference a year makes
One year ago this Saturday, the 29th of February the Aitkin Gobbler girls with their record of 3-23 prepared to take the court against the C-I Rangers. They would be defeated that day by the score of 99-22 ending their season. Heads were down and who could blame them, they lost their last seven games and twelve of their last thirteen. Since the Holiday Tournament they had only scored more than fifty points four times. But a fire burned in the underclassmen, and they decided that night that they were not going to suffer through another season like this. Whatever it took they would do it and turn a program that had won just 21 games in the previous four years into a winner, and they knew they had the right coach to do just that. They started this season with four seniors but lost one to injury and one to the wrestling program, but they never stopped supporting the basketball team. So that left just Brita Westman and Ellie Hoppe standing. Those two would lead a group of young, young players and the rest is history. How did it happen, let's ask Coach Kaija Davies, "This season's turnaround is a direct result of the hard work and dedication our athletes put in during the off-season. We spent countless hours in the gym, focusing on improving individual skills, team dynamics and over all fitness. But it wasn't just about the time spent working. Our players bought into the process, showing an unwavering commitment to getting better every day. Our senior players with their experience and maturity have set the tone for the entire team. They've not only worked hard themselves, but they have also mentored the younger players, holding everyone accountable and leading by example. Their work ethic, combined with a strong desire to improve, has been the driving force behind our success. This teams hunger to grow, their belief in the process and their relentless effort have made all the difference in turning our program around." Tuesday night the Gobblers will host a Section 7AA first round game for the first time in six years. It's a 6:00 start against the Moose Lake-Willow River Rebels. The two teams met in December and the Gobblers came away with a 58-53 overtime win. I'm looking for a big crowd to watch this team try to move on to the second round and I have faith that this program that has gone through so much the last four years, will be ready to go. A win or loss however will not define this team or this program. They have started something at Aitkin and will do their best to keep it going year after year. A coaching staff and players who are willing to run through walls for them can't be defeated.