The Race for Mr. Basketball
As we enter the New Year it’s time to really start getting serious about The Race for Mr. Basketball. Today we keep the theme and keep breaking down the candidates. The Favorites Brad Davison of Maple Grove. The win over…
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Continue ReadingAs we enter the New Year it’s time to really start getting serious about The Race for Mr. Basketball. Today we keep the theme and keep breaking down the candidates.
The Favorites
Brad Davison of Maple Grove. The win over Tre Jones and Apple Valley gives Davison another strong piece to a great resume. Had nearly a triple double in that victory (29/10/9) not to mention 20 points and eight assists in a win over Lakeville South the night before. Considering the way the year is going it may come down to who goes further in the playoffs between Brad and….
McKinley Wright of Champlin Park. As long as the Rebels are undefeated he is a favorite. If the Rebels win state I would be shocked if McKinley didn’t win. The Rebels are the best team in the state right now firing on all cylinders. In a blowout win over Madison East in St. Cloud McKinley had 21 points on 11 shots, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. There was also the monster 34/10/5 he had beating Woodbury.
The Maple Grove/Champlin Park on Monday February 6th may have to be sponsored by this weekly column.
Final Five For Sure
Nathan Reuvers of Lakeville North. Led North to a holiday event championship in the event they hosted and put on a strong performance against Race Thompson. Nathan had 29 points on 14 shots plus nine rebounds and four blocks. He also had 22 points and 15 rebounds in a blowout win over BSM. He is right on the edge of the top group, needs a big performance in a big win. Playing well against Rosemount and Lakeville South in upcoming games would help but the big one is the Apple Valley rematch in February.
Goanar Mar of DeLaSalle. The Islanders just got by Osseo last night and Goanar scored 21 as he also topped the 1,000th point mark for his career. Over the holiday break his team went to South Dakota and crushed a bad South Dakota team and was beaten big by the best high school team in the nation. Mar is averaging a strong 23.4 points per game.
Top Contenders
Trae Berhow of Watertown-Mayer. Berhow is very close to pushing to that top group. Just had 41 points in a loss to St. Cloud Cathedral at the Cathedral tournament. This was a huge Class AA game between two of the best in Class AA and Berhow was fantastic although his opponents were a deeper team. Had another 21 Tuesday in a blowout.
Theo John of Champlin Park. Theo had 15 points on seven shots, eight boards, and three blocks in that win over Madison East. Had a monster shot blocking performance of eight blocks plus nine boards and 16 points beating Woodbury. Theo is having a great year.
Other Contenders
Ishmael El-Amin of Hopkins. El-Amni is giving the Royals 23.4 a game and has had some big scoring performances. Hopkins has lost a couple games they were favored in and El-Amin missed a game so he stays here but the Maple Grove game is nine days away so the big chance to make a splash is close.
Jericho Sims of Cristo Rey. Jericho will be in this to the end. He’s a complete highlight reel and his numbers are huge. Just had 36 in his last game against Chisago Lakes, 24/13/7 to beat a team from Illinois and 34/15/3 in a loss to Forest Lake. Those are all big school teams and he led his Class A team to a couple wins.
Myles Hanson of Chaska. For those who saw Myles play at the EP tournament over break they saw the Columbia signed talent produce highlights and put up numbers. He scored 33 in a win over Shakopee and had 34 in a loss to Edina. He’s scoring 25 a game but Chaska has lost three games to the three best teams they’ve played.
Jordan Horn of Tartan. Horn is a tough one to put a finger on at this point. His team has won all their games and all but two were by double digits. They have blown some teams out and Jordan is scoring 17 a game. The games to watch are against Edina and Mahtomedi when it comes to going against Mr. Basketball type guys.
Walt McGrory of Edina. McGrory has hit 30+ in four of his last five games and was able to lead the Hornets over Hanson and Chaska over the holiday. Averaging one of the best metro totals at 28 plus a game.
What About?
Gavin Baumgartner of Wayzata. The Trojans? Undefeated. Similar to Johnny B? Oh yes in that Gavin is a Minnesota State-Moorhead commit, a Wayzata guy, and remember Johnny B made the top five last year. He’s been an excellent defender, scoring his 16 a game shooting 60 percent from the field, all around numbers too with nine boards a game.
What About Part 2?
Tywhon Pickford of Maple Grove. The hottest senior recruiting name just had 32 points making several threes in front of the Tulane coach. Pickford is averaging a double-double of 25 points and 10 rebounds a game and has Maple Grove up there as a legit state contender. Tywhon is shooting the lights out.