End of an Era at DeLaSalle

The architect behind one of Minnesota's great basketball dynasties is leaving the state.

Dave Thorson, head boys basketball coach at DeLaSalle for 23 years resigned April 10 to become an assistant coach at Drake University in Des Moines, IA.  He will join another Minnesotan on the Bulldogs coaching staff, head coach Niko Medved.  Medved, a graduate of Roseville High School was previously the head coach at Furman University in South Carolina.

Thorson, who also served the Minneapolis based school as the Vice President of Development, came to DeLaSalle in 1994 after assisting then head coach Clem Haskins at the University of Minnesota.  He would replace Ed Cassidy, Jr., who led the Islanders to the 1992 state Class A final, losing to the Austin Pacelli Shamrocks.  Cassidy, Jr. would lead two other schools to state tournaments, Simley and St. Bernard's.

The islanders under Thorson's tutelage brought nine state championship trophies back to the Minneapolis campus, starting in 1998.  Two more titles would follow in 1999 and 2006 before beginning one of the most notable dynasties in the history of Minnesota high school basketball that started in 2012 with the first of six consecutive state Class AAA boys basketball championships.  The most recent was the 2017 title game with the Islanders pounding the Austin Packers 72-44.  DeLaSalle would make 15 trips to the state tournament in Thorson's 23 year run.

When you look at the keys to Thorson's success at DelaSalle, he has had top quality players in his program including Reid Travis, who went on to Stanford and Jarvis Johnson, who signed with the Minnesota Golden Gophers but hasn't played due to a heart condition.  Another key is a tough nonconference schedule that has also included schools from outside Minnesota.  In the 2016-17 season, the Islanders have played against teams from Iowa, Wisconsin, Florida and South Dakota.

Last season, Thorson picked up his 500th career win as DeLaSalle beat the Fergus Fall Otters in the Class AAA championship game 79-65.  This season, he led the Islanders to a 27-3 record, bringing his career total to 527-136.

As Thorson heads down I-35 to Des Moines, a big question remains for the school near the Mississippi River, who will take over for the coach that has built a stellar program in the state?  Can his successor lead the Islanders to an unprecedented seventh consecutive state title at the newly renovated Target Center in 2018?  The answer is coming soon.