Is Minnesota a basketball state? A new film makes the case

CATHY WURZER: This is Minnesota Now. I'm Cathy Wurzer. Tonight, the Lynx are back home in Minneapolis for game three of the finals against the New York Liberty. The teams are tied at one game apiece.

This year has been an amazing year for basketball in Minnesota, with the Timberwolves also making a big run in the playoffs. And it raises the question, is Minnesota a basketball state? One filmmaker thinks so. In fact, it's the title of his new documentary, Basketball State, Land of 10,000 Hoops. Let's listen to a clip from the trailer.

- Is Minnesota the most underrated basketball state in the country?

- The Oklahoma City Thunder select Chet Holmgren, Jaylen Suggs.

- Rachel Banham.

- Tyus Jones or Tyus Stones.

- Dream big because no one knows what you're capable of but you.

- Tre Jones from Duke University.

- People have always seen Minnesota as a hockey state, but there is a deep rooted love of basketball here that flows through every gym.

CATHY WURZER: Gabe Hostetler is the filmmaker behind this documentary, which is making its premiere this weekend at the Twin Cities Film Festival. Congratulations, Gabe, and welcome to the program.

GABE HOSTETLER: Thank you. Thank you for having me. It's an honor.

CATHY WURZER: Gabe, I got to be honest with you. I'm a hockey fan. I do think of Minnesota as a hockey state. You're going to argue otherwise? Give me your best shot on this one.

GABE HOSTETLER: Hey, I totally respect hockey. It's a cold, freezing state in the winter, and I know we got a lot of great hockey here. But during those cold winters, there's also a lot of us here that love to be inside the gym on the hardwood for that love of the game of basketball.

And I think there's a long, long list of talented players from our state that have taken the game to the highest levels, and I'm honored to just tell a bit of that story and be a part of the culture here.

CATHY WURZER: Well, there was a list of names that come to mind, and you're right. You're right. There are some incredibly talented basketball players that have come out of Minnesota. Why do you think that is?

GABE HOSTETLER: Yeah, it's funny. That's a question that I actually asked all the people that I interviewed for this project. I've done over 100 interviews, and it's hard. A lot of people don't really understand why we have such great basketball here. But I think a big part of it is the coaching and the training here is really good.

I think there's a lot of basketball purists in this state that enjoy seeing the game played the right way and enjoy teaching the game the right way, and that has resulted in just a plethora of incredible players that have grown up. And I also think there's a hunger that comes with being from Minnesota.

I moved to California after high school, and I realized a lot of people don't know much about Minnesota. They just see it as this freezing cold state in the middle of nowhere. So I think there's this hunger to want to represent our state that is so underrated around the country and around the world.

CATHY WURZER: I was thinking about what you said about basketball being played the way it should be played, and I'm wondering what you mean by that exactly, because my mind goes back to the high school basketball tournaments decades and decades ago when you had these little teams-- they were tough, and they played some serious basketball in an old school way. So what do you mean by what you were talking about there?

GABE HOSTETLER: Yeah. I think basketball is a beautiful game that can be played a lot of different ways, but you find the most success when you play as a team and when you dig into the fundamentals of basketball, which are moving the ball, utilizing your teammates, playing your role, understanding your role on the court-- if you're a shooter, if you're a rebounder, if you are a point guard, and you prefer to set your teammates up.

And I think Minnesota basketball players really understand that side of the game. And I think when you go to a lot of other places around the country, there may be a more flashy style of basketball that maybe looks more exciting on camera. But Minnesota basketball players just know how to play it the right way. They know how to get a bucket, and they know how to get a win. So I think that comes down to playing the right way.

CATHY WURZER: Say, what did you learn about the history and legacy of the sport here in the state of Minnesota? I'm thinking about, gosh, the Minneapolis Lakers way back in the day. They were really good. And I wonder how many people even remember them of a certain age.

GABE HOSTETLER: Yeah, it's cool. In this first episode of the documentary that's premiering on Sunday, we actually go all the way back to the foundation of the Minneapolis Lakers, because they were a dynasty, and they won a lot of championships. There is a legacy of basketball that goes back so far here.

And then when the Minneapolis Lakers got bought and moved to Los Angeles in 1959, we didn't have a professional team for almost 30 years. But there was still so much love for the game here, and that's when we started to see a lot of the homegrown talent, the Kevin McHales, the Khalid Amins, the Randy Brewers. I could go on and on, but--

CATHY WURZER: Who came out of the U of M. That U of M squad, that whole era, was great.

GABE HOSTETLER: Yeah. There were a lot of great Gophers through the years as well. It's been a really exciting process to look back at that history and just realize really how rich the basketball culture here is.

CATHY WURZER: And I'm so glad that you looked at that legacy, by the way. And because you talked to so many people, I can only imagine the interviews you did. Name me the most exciting interview that you got done.

GABE HOSTETLER: Yeah. I think for me, interviewing the Jones brothers, Tre and Tyus Jones, was a really exciting one for me. I actually grew up playing against Tre Jones. Him and I are about the same age, so when I was a hooper in middle and high school, I had some battles against him and always respected his game.

And around that time is when Tyus Jones was actually drafted and began playing for the Timberwolves. So he's always been a hometown hero. I've always loved and respected their family, so to get to lock their interviews in and tell their story was really a special moment for me.

CATHY WURZER: See, I figured you were a basketball player just listening to you talk. I'm thinking to myself, I've got to ask him. What position did you play?

GABE HOSTETLER: I was a very flexible player. I could play shooting guard, small forward, power forward. I was all over the court. But I would say small forward. The three was my main squeeze.

CATHY WURZER: And I can hear in your voice how much you love the sport, too. Because you talked to the Jones brothers, I bet you also had a chance to talk to coaches. One of the favorite people and the most respected coach that I've had a chance to interview is Larry McKenzie from North Minneapolis North High School. He's great.

GABE HOSTETLER: Yeah.

CATHY WURZER: Did you talk to him and other folks?

GABE HOSTETLER: Yeah. I talked to a lot of coaches. Larry McKenzie is a legend. I love Larry. He's been a mentor and someone in my life since I was a middle school basketball player. I've gone to his camps, and he's helped with some of the teams that I've played on.

And he's just a really inspirational man with so much history and so much to teach not only about basketball, but about life. And so it was an honor to get to interview him for this project. He had a lot of incredible stories to tell about Minnesota basketball and about his life.

And a lot of people don't know this, but his son, Lawrence McKenzie, was an incredible basketball player, played for the Gophers, was going to be on the Los Angeles Lakers, and had some injuries that stopped his basketball career. But he's a musician now, so that's a story that we're going to tell later on in the series.

And they're an incredible family. But for coaches, I also talked to Ken Novak Jr., the Hopkins legend, one of the most successful coaches in Minnesota history. I talked to Tara Starks, the incredible women's coach at Hopkins, and a long list of other coaches.

CATHY WURZER: So I know you know a lot about basketball, but did you learn something new after talking to all these people?

GABE HOSTETLER: Yeah. I think I learned that every hooper's journey is unique. I think a lot of people, I feel, just box basketball players in to one story and one narrative. And it was really cool to just learn about all the different unique stories and backgrounds of these players from the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

And each one of them has a different motivation and a different reason for why they want to play basketball, why they want to make it to the next level. And I think I didn't realize I have a lot of pride in being from Minnesota, living in California and talking to people about our state and trying to educate people the best I can.

But I didn't realize how much pride people here had for Minnesota. And within every interview, I got these profound answers of why people love Minnesota and want to represent this state. Yeah. Again, I just feel honored to be able to tell that story.

CATHY WURZER: I think you even made me a basketball fan after we talked here, so I appreciate that.

GABE HOSTETLER: Hey, let's go. Hey, hockey and basketball can share the crown. It can be a hockey and a basketball state.

CATHY WURZER: There you go. I love that. Gabe Hostetler, best of luck to you. Thank you so much.

GABE HOSTETLER: Thank you. Thanks for having me.

CATHY WURZER: Gabe Hostetler is the filmmaker behind Basketball State, The Land of 10,000 Hoops. By the way, it's his first feature length film. We're going to have a link to the trailer and tickets at mprnews.org.