Minnesota 2019s: Next Up for that D1 Offer
At the moment there have been nine players in the Minnesota 2019 class that have received scholarship offers from division one schools. There will be more. But who? Today NHR gives you a run through of who could be next.
Nine players in the state of Minnesota’s 2019 class have received scholarship offers from division one programs. The mid and low major programs that usually recruit this state thought there was a nice crop of talent for them but it dried up so fast. Noah Christensen took his North Dakota State offer, Tyler Wahl and Tyrell Terry moved well past their early mid-major offers and committed to Wisconsin and Stanford respectively, high majors have moved Robert Jones to a new level, and everyone is waiting on who the first high major will be to offer David Roddy.
That’s five names taken out of the pool plus Matthew Hurt and Zeke Nnaji were never in the pool. That leaves two guys with mid major and/or low major offers that are uncommitted: Courtney Brown Jr and Jamison Battle. Two guys who I think will surely be mid-major prospects choosing from good schools (that is if a high major doesn’t go to them as well).
So what you have is a state that produces talent and several colleges that need talent. With Wisconsin having a very down here of talent, Iowa having about a normal year, and the Dakotas having no D1 players, what is left? You can’t include Charlie Gorres or Jacob Beeninga either as they have committed to Northern Sun schools.
Schools need players and they will be watching Minnesota. So if you are a low major program who is past dreaming an unlikely dream of Roddy, Brown, or Battle slipping to you, who do you go after from the upper Midwest? We certainly have some Minnesota names for you.
Tommy Chatman of TC Pirates (Park Center). Why? Five of the best Northern Sun programs have offered this smooth guard playmaker with size and he would be my guess to be the next guy to get a D1 offer out of Minnesota.
Isaac Fink of Comets Lewis (Springfield). At the Ny2LA Basketball League and in the SPTS Isaac has shown that he can be the feet set perimeter shooter you want him to be. But he’s also tough as nails and loves to compete.
Maleeck Harden of ECI (Moorhead). The highest rising name in Minnesota right now, Maleeck Harden is also earning a new NSIC offer every day especially after a great performance at NDSU Elite camp. Maleeck is long, agile, has growing skill, and his more physical tools than anybody on this list.
Antwan Kimmons of Howard Pulley (Tartan). Kimmons reminds me of a Tum Tum Nairn type. Tough, dependable, a leader, a defender, and a guy that will take care of the basketball. If you would like a Tum Tum style player for your low major program go watch Howard Pulley.
Jaeden King of Howard Pulley Justice (Cretin-Derham Hall). Another guy with bundles of NSIC offers. King didn’t have a great shooting spring but he had a great shooting winter for the state champions. We think at his size and length with range on his touch that the shot will be on this summer and schools will get excited.
Jack Middleton of Fury Wilde (Edina). I know the NSIC loves him and he has many options there. But this heady, tough, and dependable player seems ideal for a military school or program like that, or an Ivy League type school. An elite defender in Minnesota and a high percentage shooter who teammates love.
Cole Nicholson of Fury Wilde (Chaska). Positionless basketball doesn’t just relate to bigs, it also relates to really strong scorers who have a touch but that have also been physically ahead of the curve. Cole scored 23 points a game as a junior making shots in ways you just couldn’t predict. The guy gets baskets.
Bennett Otto of Howard Pulley (Champlin Park). Need a shooter? A shooter with size? A shooter who is also a leader as a scholarship quarterback? That’s Bennett. Otto is getting good time off the Pulley bench not just because he can make some shots but because he makes the right passes and defends too.
Malik Willingham of Minnesota Select Leafbald (Waseca). This is my wild card on this list. Nobody that is on this list is producing scoring numbers in the NY2LA League and the SPTS (plus other events) like Malik. If there was a way to measure I would bet that through 7 events he is leading the 17u Minnesota level in scoring. So explosive with the touch.
Dane Zimmer of Fury Wilde (Hopkins). You will notice that EVERYBODY else on this list is a guard or a wing. With Brown, Battle, Jones, Roddy, Zeke, Noah, Wahl, and Hurt all being frontcourt players and all going high major or mid major, Dane is next for you at the low major level. And you want him. He’s 6-foot-7 of basketball intelligence and effort.