by By Dan Ninham (Oneida)
The third times the charm is a common expression. Two of the four losses of the 24-4 Duluth East HS Greyhounds came to 23-4 Cambridge-Isanti HS both in mid- to late December 2019. The third game is the most important because the winner goes to the Minnesota Class AAAA State Tournament with the winner of that game representing Section 7. The section championship game is this Thursday, March 12, 2020 at the somewhat neutral site of Elk River, 35 miles away for Cambridge-Isanti and 150 miles away from Duluth.
On a side note, Duluth East Head Coach Rhett McDonald is competing against his Dad Mike McDonald who is the head coach at Cambridge-Isanti HS.
One of the top players in the Duluth area is Noah Paulson. He is a junior at Duluth East High School, Duluth, MN. Noah is Ojibwe from the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe. His Indian name is makoons meaning bear cub.
Noah is the captain of the Duluth East Greyhounds basketball team, and current leading rebounder since last season. He also plays baseball in the spring and this sport needs to wait.
“My core values are shown in my work ethic and my play,” said Noah. “I work very hard all of the time. I have respect for the grind of the game and my opponents. I always show bravery in leadership on and off the court.”
“My dad Damien Paulson coached me my whole life,” said Noah. “He always helped me with my game and more importantly how to act off the court.”
“Noah has made great strides both physically and mentally as a basketball player over the last two years,” said dad Damien. “He has put in many hours of work to strengthen his basketball skills and has also improved his body and mind. I am highly impressed with the leadership qualities he brings to the team. He is not a super loud, in your face type of leader. I like to call him a silent leader, leading by example and hard work.”
“When I was coaching men’s basketball at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, Noah was able to hang around many fine native basketball players and role models. They included Curtis Rogers, Kyle Gordon, Donald Gordon, Dillion Johnson, and Jordon Diver to name a few. He looked up to these young men as he was finding his basketball path,” added Damien.
“Coach Rhett McDonald is always looking to improve my game,” said Noah.
“Noah has made a commitment to basketball,” said Coach Rhett. “I have been coaching him off and on since he was in 6th Grade. The progress he has made over these five years has been nothing short of tremendous. Growing up, he was a kid that carried a lot of baby weight. As a 17-year old, he has already become a man. The way that he controls his body and uses his hands and feet is something that I haven’t seen very often. He is a special player and some college will luck out when they get him.”
“As good as he is as a basketball player, he is an even better kid. He is a captain for us this year as a junior and does a very good job of playing the role as an older brother to many of our kids in our program. Kids look up to him literally and figuratively, and he does a great job providing them of his wisdom,” added Coach Rhett.
“It is important to be a well rounded person,” said Noah. “Not just focus on basketball but also focus on how you treat others, other passions like baseball, learning how to have fun with friends, and most importantly school. I currently have a 3.8 GPA throughout freshman, sophomore, and junior year.”
“I would tell student athletes how important it is to be well rounded through school and sports,” said Noah. “Eventually you lose the burning passion and love for something if that’s all you do and don’t have other experiences.”
Photo Credit: Brenda Vatthauer
Keep up the hard work.