Former Northfield Standout Addo Ready For NCAA Tournament

Northfield High School boys basketball coach Mark Ensrud admits objectivity wasn’t his first priority while filling out his NCAA tournament bracket this year.

Who could blame him? He’s never had a former player dancing before. 

That will change Thursday.

Former Raiders standout Emmanuel Addo and his 15th-seeded Northern Colorado squad plays second-seeded San Diego State in Tucson, AZ, in West Regional play. When Addo and the Bears tip off at 3:40 p.m. CT on TNT, make no mistake his former coach will be watching.

“Usually I’m not looking to see when the 15 seed is playing in the first round, but I was scouring the television channels looking for their game,” Ensrud said. “I had to make sure I followed through with the guy I’ve worked with for a few years here.”

Ensrud said the work Addo put in during his three years in Northfield paid dividends toward his future college career. The Bears redshirt freshman honed his skills with the Raiders, fine-tuning his game and turning raw potential into a Division-I athlete.

This season, he’s parlayed that hard work into 6.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest in 30 games with Northern Colorado, which enters this game 21-10 and the Big Sky Conference tournament champions.

Addo said he’s thankful for the time he spent in Northfield.

“It’s amazing that people in Northfield would support me,” he said. “I’m always going to love and appreciate the support I’ve gotten throughout the years. It’s been great the love and support they’ve shown me since I arrived there. I’ve been very grateful.”

Addo arrived in Tucson on Tuesday and spent the day preparing for the tournament with his teammates both on and off the court. He said the biggest reason to believe the Bears can pull off the upset Thursday is because Northern Colorado—currently on a seven-game winning streak—has the team chemistry to do it.

That’s what is making this trip out West so special, Addo said.

“I think just the brotherhood—just being around my teammates and being able to share this experience with my teammates, my coaches and staff,” Addo said. “That’s been a big part of this trip, being able to share it with all these fellas. It’s been a cool experience.”

Back in Northfield, Ensrud patiently awaits Thursday’s tip-off with his newly minted tournament bracket in hand.

Does he have the Bears advancing?

You bet.

“I wanted to give him the credit to see if they can go through the first round,” he said. “Certainly a tall order, but it’s a year when anything can happen.”