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Exhausting defensive pressure has led North Linn to success
Since 2017, the Lynx have had four straight state tournament appearances including three trips to the championship game and one state championship. (Courtesy: Mike Hilmer)

Exhausting defensive pressure has led North Linn to success

COGGON, Iowa (BVM) — Looking back at the last four or so years of North Linn basketball, head coach Mike Hilmer recalls a moment with his son Jake Hilmer at the end of the 2016 season as a possible starting point for the direction the program has gone since.

“When my first son Jake was a freshman, we were 21-1 and we lost in the second round of the playoffs; we didn’t make it to the state tournament,” Hilmer said. “We hadn’t been to state in 40 some years and I remember in the locker room he said to me after the game, ‘Hey dad, we’re going to get you to state, don’t worry about it. … Ever since that loss, we haven’t lost a regular season game since then.”

As of Jan. 12, the Lynx have won 103 regular season games in a row spanning from 2017 to this season. Including the 2016 season, North Linn has gone 139-5 with four of those losses coming in the postseason. The team has also made four straight state tournament appearances in both 1A and 2A. Those appearances have ended with a third-place finish, two state runner-up finishes and a state championship in 2019.

Although there are multiple contributing factors to the Lynx’s recent dominance, such as a strong youth program, talented players and strong coaching, Hilmer says the biggest difference is the full-court press the team adopted shortly after 2016.

At the time, Mike’s dad, Bob Hilmer, was a co-head coach who helped convince Mike that the Lynx could full-court press every team they played against on both made and missed shots. 

“We wanted to be a run and jump press team,” Mike said. “Just turn it into a track meet.”

According to Mike, a typical Iowa high school boys basketball game consists of 52-56 possessions. North Linn goes into each game with a goal of getting the total number of possessions into the 80’s.

The effect is that many teams will be dog tired by the end of just the first quarter whereas the Lynx have barely broken a sweat.

Along with their suffocating full-court defense the Lynx have paired that with effective 3-point shooting. This means that as soon as opponents turn the ball over, there is a good chance it is getting kicked out to the 3-point line by North Linn. The combination has led North Linn to score 84 points per game and hold teams to 40 points per game since 2017, including this season.

“I think we have set up a mentality of when you step on the court we’re getting after it,” Mike said.

That attitude has taken over the whole program. From the freshman up to the seniors, everyone knows what to expect when they get to practice. The amount of effort they exert to make sure their press and the rest of their game plan is where it needs to be makes games easier.

It has also helped to prepare their younger players for when they will eventually step up to varsity. When the freshman and JV teams have to work with varsity, it prepares them for the hard work that is ahead of them to meet the expectations of being a North Linn basketball player.

“I think it has instilled a hire level of mental toughness in the kids,” Mike said.

This season is a great example of that preparedness. The team currently has only one senior, Kaleb Kurt, while the rest of the team consists of juniors, sophomores and freshmen.

Even after losing one of the best players on the team, Dylan Kurt, to knee surgery, the players rallied around each other to beat Springville, the fourth-ranked team in the state at the 1A level.

More than just overcoming injuries, the Lynx need that toughness because they have had a target on their back for a long time now.

“You’re getting everyone’s best effort every night like, ‘Hey let’s get a team to beat them.’ To keep that streak through that has been incredible,” Mike said.

It’s the reason they push to work twice as hard as other teams because, as Mike says, “Whoever works the hardest is going to win the game.”

That will continue to be the mentality of the Lynx even after the streak has ended and will hopefully lead them to another state championship this season.

“It’s just a blessing to be here and be a part of this success,” Mike said.