Rivals in the high school game, these two friends also coach 4th grade basketball together

Brian Schnettler's Wayzata High School boys basketball team is the reigning state champion. Nick Carroll's Totino-Grace Eagles are the top team in 3A. Both will be favorites at state next week. But that's not all the two head coaches are up to.

"You roll in from your high school practice to these practices, you're saying the same stuff to these guys," said Carroll, at an elementary school basketball team practice in Wayzata. "The ability to catch these guys at the early stages of that process is super rewarding."

Yes, the leaders of arguably the top two pound-for-pound high school squads in Minnesota also are co-head coaches of a fourth grade basketball team. You can imagine what the opposition thinks when they show up for games.

"We more get pregame, where other coaches will be like 'I gotta coach against both you guys?'" said Carroll. "'Cuz you're usually coaching against a dad that's doing his civic duty and trying to throw a team together."

Competing in two different classes doesn't separate their respective prep programs. Make no mistake, the Trojans and Eagles play each other yearly and are rivals. Wayzata won this year's contest.

"We played against each other earlier this year. We both wanna win but I also think it's kinda weird for us," said Schnettler. "Because you're coaching your kids together, you're friends, you live in the same community, your kids go to the same school. It's not the easiest in the world. But when it comes down to it, I think we both want to win no matter what we do.".

"We're pretty similar," said Schnettler. "Nick's maybe a little more defensive oriented, I would say, than I am. I probably like running more actions than he does, offensively. But the competitiveness is pretty on par."

They started all this because their sons Cam Carroll and Greyson Schnettler are as obsessed with hoops as their dads. They're also great friends.

"They love basketball and you see that in Greyson when he's playing," said Carroll. "He's breathing fire all the time. We could be up 70, we could be down 10, like he's breathing fire at all times. And that's like the apple still being on the tree with dad a little bit."

A winter full of basketball. And logistical manuvering.

"I think both of us are kind of maniacal about this stuff I think," said Carroll. "We're miserable sitting on our couch at home."