Who’s Dancing? Minnesota Hoopers in the NCAA Tournament
Selection Sunday has come and gone, but the bracket analysis is just beginning for the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.
As the automatic and at-large bids started to get solidified on Sunday, NHR’s Ryan James tweeted out the North Star State’s former players who would find themselves in the Big Dance with their respective squads. Today, as the First Four play-in games are set to tip off, we put together the entire comprehensive list of former Minnesota basketball stars that have a chance to fulfill a championship dream.
Class of 2012
Sanjay Lumpkin (Northwestern) – A key cog in the Wildcats’ first-ever NCAA appearance, the 6-foot-7 Lumpkin is averaging 6.1 points per game while assuming the role of defensive stopper on the wing. A Benilde-St. Margaret’s grad, Lumpkin was the number one prospect in the inaugural Northstar Hoops Report prospect rankings.
Darin Haugh (Minnesota) – Haugh began his college career at UW-Platteville, transferred to Bethany Lutheran, and then walked on for the Gophers starting in 2014-15. He was awarded a scholarship this season and has seen limited minutes. The #52 prospect in NHR’s class of 2012, the 5-foot-11 Eastview grad recorded the eighth-best three-point percentage in MN history during his senior campaign.
Isaiah Zierden (Creighton) – Zierden leads the Bluejays in minutes per game this season, putting up 10.2 points per game. He’s a trusted member of the rotation and has started every game as a senior. The 6-foot-3 Benilde-St. Margaret’s grad was known as one of the best shooters in the state, and paired with aforementioned Sanjay Lumpkin, the Red Knights were a force. NHR’s number three prospect in 2012.
Marcus Marshall (Nevada) – The 6-foot-3 scoring guard has exploded onto the scene for the Wolfpack after transferring from Missouri State last season. Averaging 19.8 points per game, he has willed Nevada to a Tourney appearance from the Mountain West Conference. A St. Paul Johnson grad, he put up 22 a game as a senior leading the Govs to the state semifinals. Marshall was NHR’s number six prospect in 2012.
Class of 2013
Reggie Lynch (Minnesota) – A Missouri Valley All-Defensive selection at Illinois State, Lynch returned home to the Gophers and after sitting a year has made an immediate impact as a shot-blocker for the Gophers. The 6-foot-10 Edina grad (number three NHR prospect in 2013) helped his squad to a third-place state tournament finish his senior season (22 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks in the final game) along with star point guard Graham Woodward.
Nuni Omot (Baylor) – Omot had stints at Concordia-St. Paul and Indian Hills Community College, where he was the 14th-ranked juco talent in 2015-16 according to 247Sports. Omot has grown three inches since high school and now stands 6-foot-9, playing a small role in 20 games this year for the Bears. A Mahtomedi grad, he was the #70 prospect in NHR’s class of 2013.
Kyle Washington (Cincinnati) – The 6-foot-9 power forward was a significant producer in a couple seasons at NC State, and is putting up 13 points and seven boards for the Bearcats of Cincinnati. After spending three dominant seasons at Benilde-St. Margaret’s, he moved to the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut, then reclassified to the class of 2013 and spent a year at Brewster Academy.
Ben Oberfeld (Bucknell) – The 6-foot-8 senior center unfortunately missed all of 2016-17 with an injury and has dealt with setbacks most of his career. He appeared in 24 games as a sophomore. An Eastview grad, Oberfeld was a standout basketball and football player, and earned second-team basketball All-State as a senior. The number eight-ranked prospect in 2013 according to NHR.
Anders Broman (Winthrop) – Went to South Dakota State and then transferred to Winthrop, where this season he is averaging eight points per contest in 32 games. Possibly the most prolific bucket-getter in Minnesota high school history, Broman owns the record for career scoring, leading his brother Bjorn’s career mark by almost 1,000 points (5,119). The 6-foot-2 Lakeview Christian grad was number seven in NHR’s 2013 rankings.
Devon Pekas (North Dakota) – After spending one season at Liberty, Pekas transferred to North Dakota to focus on academics. He then accepted a walk-on opportunity with the UND squad this year as a senior. A 6-foot-4 Hawley grad, Pekas was a three-time conference MVP. NHR’s #52 prospect in 2013.
Carson Shanks (North Dakota) – A big seven-footer who signed with Utah State to begin his college career, he quickly transferred closer to home after a semester and has been at UND since. He’s a junior averaging 5.3 points a game. The Prior Lake grad was number four in NHR’s 2013 rankings.
Quinton Hooker (North Dakota) – The senior guard leads the Fighting Hawks in scoring at a 19.1 per game clip, and time and time again is coming up big in clutch moments. He’s been a mainstay in the rotation since he got to UND. The Park Center grad was Mr. Basketball Minnesota in 2013 after leading his legendary Pirates squad to the state title game, and scored more than 2,000 career points. Hooker was the fifth-ranked prospect in 2013 by NHR.
Class of 2014
JP Macura (Xavier) – The 6-foot-5 shooting guard puts up 14 per game for the Musketeers as a junior, and won the Big East Sixth Man Award as a sophomore. He went down in Minnesota high school hoops lore with a senior year state championship run for Lakeville North; he averaged 32.3 points per game in that tournament. The NHR number three prospect in 2014.
Stephon Sharp (Minnesota) – Sharp walked on at Minnesota after a postgrad year at the Kent School, and was thrust into a big role for the Gophers much of the 2015-16 season. A key piece of the great Hopkins teams in the early to mid-2010s, Sharp was a part of two state championship appearances in 2012 and 2014. The 15th-ranked 2014 prospect by NHR.
Andre Wallace (South Dakota State) – A double-figure scorer at guard both years at Iowa Western Community College, Wallace moved on to SDSU this season and gets around 15 minutes per game. He’s contributing five points per game as well. Leading his Eagles squad to two fourth-place finishes in state as a sophomore and a junior, the Eden Prairie grad was number eight in NHR’s 2014 rankings.
Ian Theisen (South Dakota State) – The 6-foot-9 stretch big played in every game as a freshman and sophomore for the Jackrabbits, and 27 games this season. Scoring five a game in 15 minutes per contest. He had a long varsity career at Osseo and is famous for his buzzer-beating baseline jumper to clinch the 2012 state championship over Lakeville North. The seventh-ranked 2014 prospect by NHR.
Geno Crandall (North Dakota) – The redshirt sophomore had a big 2015-16 campaign, starting in 27 games and scoring in double figures. He has been an energy provider for the UND team again this year. The 6-foot-3 Crandall was a part of the legendary championship run at DeLaSalle for coach Dave Thorson. Crandall was the 16th-ranked prospect in NHR’s 2014 class.
Class of 2015
Sacar Anim (Marquette) – The 6-foot-5 athletic wing is redshirting for the Golden Eagles this year. He made the Big East All-Academic Team as a freshman. Anim was known for his high-flying playmaking ability at DeLaSalle, where the Islanders won four state championships during his career. Anim was the third-ranked player in NHR’s class of 2015.
Josh Collins (North Dakota) – Collins played in 22 games as a true freshman for the Fighting Hawks in 2015-16 and has seen a good-sized role this season. Another DeLaSalle grad, Collins added more length and athletic ability to the Islanders, helping them to multiple state titles at the AAA level. The #19 prospect in the class of 2015 according to NHR.
Bjorn Broman (Winthrop) – Younger brother of Anders, his teammate at Winthrop. Bjorn plays 27 minutes per game for the Eagles, contributing 5.5 points per game. He holds the second-place spot in MN history for points scored, over 4,000. He also owns second place in the single-game scoring category, dropping 74 in one contest. The ninth-ranked 2015 prospect by NHR.
Alex Illikainen (Wisconsin) – A stretch four who can step out and shoot at 6-foot-10, Illikainen played in 33 games as a freshman and gets small minutes for the Badgers this season here and there. He starred at Grand Rapids, averaging a career 25 points and 13 rebounds, before choosing to finish his high school career at Brewster Academy. When he was in the NHR rankings, Illikainen sat at number two in 2015.
Jarvis Johnson (Minnesota) – Point guard Jarvis Johnson has sat out his college career so far due to health complications. Hopefully he can find a way back onto the court soon. Yet another DeLaSalle grad, Johnson spearheaded the dominant Islander squad to championships year after year. The top prospect in NHR’s 2015 class.
Class of 2016
Brady Rudrud (Minnesota) – A walk-on freshman for the Gophers. Rudrud had multiple Division II offers and had St. Thomas hot on his tail, but ultimately decided a chance with Minnesota was too good to pass up. The Eden Prairie grad was a renowned sharpshooter in the Lake Conference for four seasons. Rudrud was ranked #38 in NHR’s 2016 class.
Amir Coffey (Minnesota) – Coffey made an immediate impact as a freshman for the Gophers, scoring 12 a game in a starting role. He was listed on the Big Ten All-Rookie Team, and at 6-foot-8 is a very versatile guard/forward. The 2016 Mr. Basketball Minnesota and top-50 national recruit won a state title at Hopkins to cap off a stellar HS career. Coffey was the number one MN prospect in 2016 according to NHR.
Michael Hurt (Minnesota) – Seeing sporadic time for the Minnesota squad as a 6-foot-6 forward, Hurt was solid in action as a ball-mover and set-foot shooter. The jack-of-all-trades averaged a near triple-double his senior season at Rochester John Marshall, finishing his career as NHR’s number two-ranked recruit in Minnesota.
Good luck to these hoopers as they represent the ever-increasingly talented state of Minnesota!