17U Run-Through: Grassroots Sizzle
Grassroots Sizzle is in Milwaukee right now for the NY2LA Swish N Dish but before things get too far ahead of us, here is a quick look at the talent on their Under Armour Association roster.
The Roster: This is a roster with a couple players that are about to graduate high school in a couple months, two players that are going to be seniors next year (one is currently injured, six guys from the 2020 class (four of which are top ten ranked players in the state in their class), and one 2021 who is either the state’s top freshman or one of the top two.
Returning: The main name on the team is once against five star guard Jalen Suggs who just led his team to the state championship for the second straight season. Suggs scored 15 points a game this year with seven rebounds, five assists, and four steals a game. Suggs shot 41 percent from the floor this year, made a quarter of his three-point attempts, and led his team to a 28-4 season. Also back for Team Sizzle is Damani Hayes, a senior that just led Mankato East to the state tournament as a senior. Hayes is a physical 6-foot-4 wing that led a Cougar squad that had five double figure averaging scorers with 15 a game. Hayes led the team in scoring, blocks, assists, and was the team’s best defender.
Moving Up: Minnehaha Academy players Kaden Johnson, Terry Lockett, and Chet Holmgren were all at the younger levels of Grassroots play last year and are now on the top squad playing in the UAA. Johnson scored 7.5 points per game with 3.2 rebounds a contest for the state champs and was a top defender. Holmgren was also a solid defender for the Redhawks because his 6-foot-10 and extensive length was tough to shoot over and not just around the basket, Holmgren moves his feet well so he’s hard to get around anyplace on the court. Chet came off the Redhawks bench to put up six points, five boards, and two blocks a game. Lockett was the Academy’s third leading scorer at 11-12 points a contest with 3.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds a game. Also back for the Sizzle Nation and moving up from the 16u squad is Eli Campbell of Minneapolis North. Eli was hurt the second half of the winter season after scoring 11-12 a night. He is not with the team this weekend as he continues to recover from injury.
New Additions: North St. Paul wing Goodnews Kpegeol led his team to a 23-5 record as a senior scoring 18.1 points per game. Now Kpegeol adds length to the Sizzle line-up in the form of an experienced senior. New Life Academy 2019 guard Caleb Wall was in the rotation for his team for part of the season and averaged a point and half per game when on the court. 2020 Cole Ewald was a junior varsity player as a sophomore at St. Louis Park and he adds guard depth to Grassroots Minnesota. Inside the Sizzle has depth in strong sophomore post Wyatt Schroeder who put up ten points a game for the Saints. Finally, the biggest addition for Sizzle is Dain Dainja, the 6-foot-8 post from Park Center and a top four player in Minnesota’s sophomore class. Dainja scored 13 a game for the Pirates over the winter and opened 17u play with an impressive performance against Mac Irvin Fire (Fire beat Sizzle by two points).