Girls basketball state tournament preview: Esko coaches have a long history

When Tim Lindquist coached Scott Antonutti in basketball and track at Esko in the late 1980s, he had an affinity for a student-athlete he described as personable, skilled and hardworking.
But that didn’t deter Lindquist from trying to play mind games with his former pupil after becoming the boys basketball coach at Cromwell ahead of the 1989-90 season. Lindquist brought his Cardinals 25 miles east to face the Eskomos, and when Antonutti, then a senior, stepped to the free-throw line late in a close contest, Lindquist called timeout.
Regardless of respect, Lindquist had no qualms trying to ice Antonutti. He was trying to win a game.
“I can remember turning around and looking, and he was at the end of the bench as far as he could get and just staring at me with a big smile on his face,” Antonutti said.
It turned out to be fruitless.
“Oh, yeah, I nailed ’em both!” Antonutti barked.
Deadpanned Lindquist: “It didn’t seem to faze him.”
The duo eventually reunited on the hardwood when Antonutti replaced Sue Northey as head coach of the Esko girls in 2008 and Lindquist joined him as an assistant. Seven years, six Section 7AA championship game appearances and two state tournament berths later, it seems to be working.
The Eskomos (26-4) play Roseau (24-6) in a Minnesota Class AA quarterfinal at 8 p.m. today at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis.
Afterward, it’s a safe bet their coach will look just as fatigued as his players. Antonutti is a ball of energy on the sideline. Encouraging and passionate, he has about as much use for the chair he’s given as he does an ill-timed Esko turnover.
Lindquist sports a similarly intense and upbeat demeanor.
The style suits the Eskomos.
“(They are) energetic and crazy sometimes,” sophomore guard Ava Gonsorowski said. “They’re really constructive and they care about us so much. They’re like fathers to us. We’re their team of little daughters, and it’s awesome just to have that support.”
Lindquist, himself a 1978 Esko graduate, admitted to being “nervous as all get-out” before Saturday’s Section 7AA title game. But the Eskomos quelled those nerves with a lightning-fast start to romp past International Falls 55-29 and cement a return trip to state.
They will face a stiff test tonight against the most prolific offense in Class AA. The unseeded Rams come in averaging 72.3 points per game. Esko, meanwhile, allows 37.2.
“There’s definitely a difference of philosophy,” Antonutti said. “They’re going to try and jack up as many shots and score as many points as possible. We’re kind of the opposite.”
Antonutti was an assistant on the Fosston teams that captured state championships in 2000, 2001 and 2003. He learned a few things along the way, just as he’s learned a few things from Lindquist. That doesn’t mean the two always agree, but there’s a mutual respect between them - as well as with Ben Haugen, another Esko assistant - that allows for a healthy sharing of ideas and strategy.
“He listens to us, and it’s not always like that,” Lindquist said. “Head coaches, sometimes it’s just their way, but we toss things around.”
So Antonutti would be receptive if Lindquist suggested icing a player this week in Minneapolis?
“That was 1989 or 1990 and now we’re looking at 25 years later, that’s kind of a neat aspect of our relationship,” Lindquist said. “I think we enjoy each other’s company, both professionally as coaches and then as friends.”