Justin Hegna - Publisher, Event Manager and Founder/Owner (hegna@mnsportspreview.com) *1991 graduate of Becker High School *3 Sport Athlete in High School (Football, Basketball, Baseball) *Becker Boys Basketball All TIme Career Scoring Leader *AP All-State in basketball Sr year. *1991 St. Cloud Times Player of Year *College basketball player at MN-Morris, Augsburg, St. Cloud State (1992-1996) *B.S. Degree in History and Coaching (Northern State, SD) *Becker High School Educator (1997-Present, On leave of absence) *Becker Girls Basketball Coach (2000-2008) *Section Coach of Year (2002, 2004, 2007) *Class AAA State Coach of Year (2007) *Coach of 2007 Class AAA State Girls Champions (Becker) *Promotions Consultant to Minnesota Timberwolves (Present) Justin's sports roots surfaced at a very young age. From being an 8-year old at the last Viking game at Metropolitan Stadium, to watching the MN Twins win their first World Series, the Minnesota sports scene has been a lifelong passion. Childhood travels from Burnsville, MN, Glyndon MN, Moorhead to Watertown SD, ending in Becker, a network of sports friends were formed. The idea of the Breakdown is simple: To create exposure and excitement for MN High School athletes across the country. Justin currently resides in Clear Lake, Minnesota.

Dave Hill - Business Manager and Photographer (dave@mnsportspreview.com) * Dave has 20 years of business and technology experience, including 15 years in a large financial services firm * Currently an independent consultant in business and technology * Co-owner and photographer for MNPrepPhoto, which takes all the photos for the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) * Also, Dave does freelance photography for clients such as the Minnesota Vikings and other NFL teams * Dave's photos have been published in major newspapers, including the Star-Tribune and Pioneer Press * Chief photographer and tournament director for Minnesota Basketball News for the past six years

Tim Kolehmainen - Editor / Writer / Photographer (tim@mnsportspreview.com) Tim is the award-winning editor/writer/photographer for The Breakdown, the encyclopedia of Minnesota high school sports. Prior to joining The Breakdown, Tim was a sports reporter for the Record-Journal, a daily newspaper in Meriden, Conn. at which he followed the New Britain Rock Cats (Twins Double-A farm team) and UConn women's basketball and football. He has also worked for a weekly newspaper in Buffalo, Minn., at which he won awards for sports photography and as a three-time winner of the Minnesota Newspaper Association's Best Sports Reporting among large weekly newspapers. It's been a good decade of sports reporting for Tim, who in his previous life was a registered professional civil engineer. His works during those seven years included managing and designing multi-million dollar highway and utility projects, such as the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport, the Hermantown municipal water supply and numerous road reconstructions. Tim recently celebrated his 13th wedding anniversary to his wife (Michelle). They have two daughters, Lily (age 5) and Sadie (age 2) and live in Moorhead, Minn. He's a Duluth East and Michigan Tech graduate, so he's seen both the highs and lows of hockey in the region. His favorite sports moment is scoring the game-tying (at the buzzer) and overtime game-winning goals as part of a five-goal effort in a heated battle up in the Eveleth Hippodrome back in his glory days. A close second is Jack Morris' 10-inning gem in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series for the Twins.

Ryan James - Senior Writer (bassgemrj@hotmail.com) Ryan James is a man of many positions. He is a special education teacher at Lester Prairie Elementary and has been teaching for seven years. Ryan also covers Minnesota Golden Gopher basketball, Minnesota High School basketball, Minnesota High School football, Golden Gopher basketball recruiting, Minnesota High School basketball recruiting, and is the state's leading recruiting analyst for basketball prospects heading into college. He fills all those positions for GopherIllustrated.com and MinnesotaPreps.com which are both members of the Rivals.com network. This is in addition to covering basketball and football for The Breakdown. Ryan has also coached high school basketball at the varsity level for six years (Simley, Henry Sibley, and Tartan) and high school football for three years (Simley). Ryan has a two year old daughter Emma, with his fiance Kate and they live in Minnetonka. Ryan is a graduate of the University of Minnesota where he received his bachelor's degree in Kinesiology and his master degree in Education. He just recently added additional licensure credits from Concordia-St. Paul University. In his time at the University of Minnesota Ryan earned a varsity letter from the Golden Gopher athletic department for his four years of service as a student manager. Ryan worked with the team under Clem Haskins from 1996 to 1999 and under Dan Monson from 1999 to 2000. He also worked with the Minnesota Timberwolves Junior Wolves program as well as assisted video coordinator Brent Haskins for two seasons. Ryan is from Austin, Minnesota where he graduated from Austin High School. At Austin Ryan was an all-conference basketball player, the captain of the basketball team, a four year honor member, the president of an chemical free organization called CHOICE, and the recipient of the Ove Berven Scholarship. His mother Barb and father Steve still live in Austin while his brother Nick is a Hamline graduate who works in law in Atlanta.

Ben Stewart - Contributing Photographer (theirfinesthour@gmail.com) - Took 1st place in the Minnesota Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest "Better College Newspaper" Sports Portfolio division in 2007-2008 and has been told he's a "lock" for 2008-2009, too. WE SWEPT THE U (If they were even in the competition?) - Mass Communications and History major at St Cloud State. - Has several "most awesome sports moments," the two most memorable being watching the St Cloud State Huskies rally late against the Gophers to tie the game, resulting in a crowd so loud he couldn't hear his own camera click next to his ear. - Has a Western Collegiate Hockey Association key lanyard. - Earned an Academic Excellence Scholarship for St Cloud State by writing a one page essay about his previous tutoring experience. - Used film for one year. Worked in a lab developing mostly film for two years. Loves and hates film at the same time. - Wants a bumper sticker that says, "I have no idea where I am going..." - Favorite State Tournament to photograph is Hockey. By far. - Can't skate very well. - Almost always wears khakis, EXCEPT when shooting sports that require kneeling. - Is what most would call a "sociable dork."

Rick Nelson - Graphic Designer (wrekathletics@sihope.com) Graduate of Brown College, Mendota Heights, MN (2000). Worked at a small advertising agency for 2 years where he compiled a huge portfolio of graphic design for print. This included: brochures, sell sheets, advertisements for magazines and other publications, posters, banners and vehicle wraps for buses. Since then he has started a screen printing business. He still works part time as a freelance graphic artist. Rick is a hockey referee for many leagues and all age levels around the state and is involved with the on ice officials for the WCHA. Officiated the Girls' State HS Hockey tourney last year.

Andrew George - Promotions Network (andrew@mnsportspreview.com) Andrew (Andy) George resides in Grand Rapids, MN. He owns and operates his own business as a computer network manager and consultant. Prior to this profession, he owned and operated an accounting office. He enjoys bringing his expertise together with the talents of other professionals to provide business solutions to his clients. He believes that “networking” the abilities of good people will bring great results for everyone. He has been a longtime fan of many sports, especially football, basketball, golf, and hockey. He has followed the Minnesota professional and college football and basketball teams since he can remember. Growing up in the Grand Rapids area, hockey has always been in the forefront of the sports scene. In his youth, Andy spent many hours on the outdoor rinks of northern Minnesota playing goalie. Andy and his wife Linda have been married for 24 years and have three children, ages 21, 19, and 10. Following his children’s participation in sports, led him to develop a real love for the game of basketball. Like most parents, Andy got involved in his school’s youth and high school basketball programs. He has been involved with theses programs for the last eight years. He has a skill for organizing and loves working with the kids, parents, and coaches, while looking for ways to maximize these programs. He has had a hand in most aspects of the program, from running fund-raising operations to organizing and running tournaments from youth through the varsity level. He has served in many capacities over the years, from GRABA Board member, to treasurer, and then Chair for the GRABA Booster organization.

Alex Focke - Promotions Network (alex@mnsportspreview.com) Alex Focke is a St. Paul native and 2003 graduate of Cretin-Derham Hall High School.  He earned three varsity letters in basketball and one letter in golf. He was a part of the Raiders team that finished third at the 4A State Basketball tournament in 2001. Focke graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007 with a B.A. in Communications Studies He began his coaching career at Cretin-Derham Hall for the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons. He was the head coach of 15U 43 Hoops team in the spring of 2006 and 2007 for Chris Carr and led his elite AAU teams to numerous Minnesota tournament titles as well as solid performances at national tournaments like the Houston Kingwood Classic and the Hoosier Shootout. Focke worked as an assistant coach in 2006-07 for Henry Sibley High School under head coach Tom Dasovich. The 2006-07 Warriors went on to their best season in school history, setting the school record for most wins in a season with 21, that record has since been set again. He spent the past two seasons at South Dakota State University as a graduate assistant for head coach Scott Nagy.  He was third assistant on staff and had an active coaching role.  The Jackrabbits picked up a huge win on the road in Ames, IA Dec. 23, 2008 against the Iowa State Cyclones, one of the biggest wins in school history.  The Jackrabbits reached the semifinals of the Summit League conference tournament before falling to Oakland.  It was the first time ever in Division I post season play for the Jackrabbits.  He graduated with an M.S. in Sport Pedagogy. Has spent the past summers working for the following basketball camps:  Minnesota Timberwolves Camps, Johnny Tauer Championship Basketball Camp as well as Mark Madsen, Dan Monson and Flip Saunders’ personal camps.