Recruiting Report: Brady Rudrud (2016)
November 9th Update Eden Prairie always seems to have a guy that steps forward and takes charge year by year. Sometimes it’s a D1 talent, sometimes it’s a MIAC player, sometimes it’s a future football guy, you just never know.…
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Continue ReadingNovember 9th Update
Eden Prairie always seems to have a guy that steps forward and takes charge year by year. Sometimes it’s a D1 talent, sometimes it’s a MIAC player, sometimes it’s a future football guy, you just never know.
This year Brady Rudrud is the leader of this team. When you relive the way he played this summer you have to believe that the coming months are going to be a special time for this long and skilled guard.
Brady is the type of guy that is team first and that’s all he is worried about. This is what makes him such a talented player at lead guard or playing on the wing.
“Workouts have been going really well,” Brady said before the first practice of the season. “We're working hard and competing and that's all you can ask for.
“I'm loving everything about this team. Our chemistry, our competitiveness, our leadership, the playmaking/shot making ability, our unselfishness, no one cares who's scoring and with all our talent anyone can get hot and stay hot throughout the game.
“It's just so much fun to play with these guys everyday.”
The Eagles have big expectations. When the Breakdown book arrives in the hands of fans this week and shortly after when NHR comes out with their preseason top ten rankings (only days away) the Eagles will be a top ten team.
When it comes to the goals, Brady keeps it simple. And he of course makes it about the team. “Get to state and make a run from there,” said Rudrud.
This week there will be several players signing with programs and at this time we really don’t know if Brady will be among them or not. What we do know is that many programs remain interested in his ability.
“I went on an official visit to Winona State a couple weekends ago that went well,” Brady said. “I’m talking to Amherst in Massachusetts as well now. Sam Jones went out on a visit there and talked about me as well so I hit up the coach and sent some film and he loved it so that's new.
“I’m still talking to Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota State-Moorhead too a little bit as well. Also talked to the Columbia assistant last week too.”
Brady looks to have many options and he’s definitely going to be a player that is watched as close as any this winter if he chooses to wait and decide over the winter or in the spring.
September 2 Update
Brady Rudrud was the Northstar Hoops Report State Tournament 15 and Under MVP 28 months ago despite tearing his ACL. How long does it take for a player to recover from an ACL tear? Depends on each person and their injury.
Brady was back playing the following winter on the Eagle junior varsity that lost one game all year and he was the EP third leading scorer as a junior.
That said, the Brady Rudrud talent we’ve all been waiting for stepped forward this past spring and summer when Rudrud lead the Minnesota Heat top team to a 26 win season with an impressive 5-3 record against the top ten teams in Minnesota.
“I love the Heat, love our team and love Willie (Vang),” said Rudrud last July. “We actually just got back from dinner that Willie treated us all to and its stuff like that that makes Willie the most fun and my favorite coach I've ever had.
“But basketball wise I've benefited too. The freedom he gives us to make plays and play our style I think has really helped me become a better player and has helped me understand how to manage the game more and more.
“Also, I've never had more fun playing basketball than on this team, the bond with the coaches and us players is so much fun to be a part of.”
Brady and two of his EP teammates Nick Geolat and Ryan Jacobus were on the Heat continuing to build chemistry. Those three along with Owen Chose, Jake Vermedahl, Jake Ruppert, and several others make up another top ten Eagle squad.
“Feeling great about the upcoming year and am super excited,” Brady said. “I think we'll be really good with all of our returning guys. To meet our goals of winning state we have to get better every day as a team. We're going to be small so that means we have to be in the weight room getting stronger along with getting shots up and conditioning.
“As a captain this year I'm just trying to motivate the guys to get better during these months before the season starts. We start our open gyms next week and I want them to be competitive so we can carry that into the season.”
In the meantime Brady is visiting the schools that are showing interest. At this point Concordia-St. Paul, Minnesota State-Moorhead, and Winona State have offered Brady.
“I visited Concordia about a week ago and it went great,” Brady said. “The staff was cool and it's seems like they are a program on the rise. They are recruiting me the hardest right now.
“Me and Samm (Jones) are going down to Winona State together next week and then probably to Minnesota-Duluth in a couple weeks.”
Update from 8/11/15 by Alex Conover
It was only a matter of time.
D2 Concordia-St. Paul offered Brady Rudrud a scholarship in mid-July, and MSU-Moorhead soon followed. For fans of Brady’s smooth game, the offers were well-deserved, especially after some really nice showings this summer with Heat Vang. So what’s next for the Eden Prairie/Heat Vang 2016 guard?
“The new schools to contact have been Navy, Virginia Military Institute, Drake (email), Alabama-Huntsville called, MSU-Moorhead,” Rudrud listed. “I still talk to SMSU, Sioux Falls, UM-Duluth, Minot State and Winona State a couple times a week.”
Rudrud will look into the academics of any school that is reaching out to him, as he holds a 28 ACT. He also “would for sure want to go D1,” as that’s been his goal for a long time.
With no timeline for a decision, he’s just looking to enjoy senior year. He plans on visiting Concordia-St. Paul and Winona State very soon.
Update from 4/28/15 by Alex Conover
Brady Rudrud has been a mainstay on the Eden Prairie varsity rotation for a while now. He’s not the young guard anymore; this winter, he’ll be a senior leader along with Nick Geolat and Ryan Jacobus.
This summer, Rudrud is back with Heat Vang, a team that has a nice blend of scholarship-level guards and intriguing big men. Colleges are keeping their eye on this squad, and Rudrud is benefitting from not only his own solid play, but from those around him as well.
“I’m trying to mainly show that I can play with everyone, no matter the level,” Rudrud said. “I think I can, and I just need to show it now.”
Rudrud has emerged as a popular NSIC recruit this spring.
“I’m hearing from St. Cloud State, Concordia-St. Paul, Southwest State, Augustana probably the most,” Rudrud said. “A lot of the NSICs send letters a couple times a week, and there’s also Winona State and Mary.”
With the help of his summer coach, Rudrud is looking at taking some visits soon.
“Willie said St. Cloud State really likes me and wants to meet with me, along with Concordia-St. Paul and SMSU,” Rudrud said.
Brady’s combo guard skills are evident, as he can endure tough ball pressure and stay composed along with a natural shooting ability. I had to look up from my camera lens at the Comets Shootout when I noticed he hit five or six consecutive jumpers in stride.
Update from 2/24/15 by Alex Conover
Brady Rudrud (#29 in NHR’s class of 2016 rankings) got a nice bump in our latest rankings. It’s a little early to project, but we’re confident that he’ll have a good spring and summer garnering interest from scholarship-level college programs.
“There have been D1s like Colombia and Brown,” Rudrud told NHR. “And for D2, just a lot of the NSICs. Augustana, Concordia-St. Paul, MSU-Moorhead, Mankato State, Minot State and Northern State. Northern asked to come for a visit last month, but I couldn't make it out there.”
Brady is coming off a huge win last week as his Eagles defeated Hopkins 69-68 to claim a share of the Lake Conference title. Advancing to 22-4, EP is the No. 1 seed in an incredibly tough section that also includes Edina, Robbinsdale Armstrong, Minnetonka and a potential rematch with Hopkins.
“The season’s going really well,” Rudrud said. “We have so many options, and it’s been really fun playing together. People are really stepping up and producing; Nick Geolat has played really well. I think we have a very good chance at making a deep playoff run.”
Rudrud added that he will be playing AAU with the Minnesota Heat, his same team from last year.
Update from 9/9/14
It’s been a long road to recovery for Brady Rudrud (#26 in NHR’s class of 2016 rankings), but he’s finally feeling healthy after a torn ACL in June 2013. So healthy, in fact, that he might be able to lose the clunky knee brace that he wore all summer.
“I think I'll meet with my surgeon and talk about it, but I most likely won’t need to wear one,” Rudrud told NHR.
Rudrud injured his knee on June 1, 2013 in the NHR State Tournament. Once he was court-ready again, he saw some JV time late in the Eden Prairie winter season to try and rehab, but he mainly focused on getting ready for AAU. Total knee health is a big achievement for a player who saw some varsity time as a freshman.
He had plenty of tests in AAU this summer. His biggest test, according to him, was against Team Work (Ohio) and Jon Teske — a Michigan-committed 2016 center listed at 6-foot-10.
After a successful AAU run, Rudrud is getting contact from Southwest State, Dordt (Iowa) and consistent mail from Augustana.
“They said I’d have the chance to play as well as get a high-level education,” Rudrud said of Augustana. “It means a lot for these schools to be the ones still in contact. It’s cool to me because they're the first schools to stay in contact with me after my injury.”
This will be a huge winter for Rudrud, and NHR has a feeling that he will continue to get mail from college programs. He mentions the Breakdown event at Minnetonka as one he’s looking forward to, along with matchups against Hopkins and DeLaSalle.