The 2021 Minnesota Talent Preview
The next step in rankings is the initial 2021 prospect listing that will come out shortly. Who are some of the names you will see on the list? We run through the top talent in Minnesota’s 2021 rankings before the rankings are released in the next several days.
Kendall Brown of East Ridge. In terms of the level of competition and his consistency of production, no freshman in Minnesota last year played at the level of Kendall Brown. Kendall is a unique talent in that he has great size at 6-foot-7 with guard skills that allow him to exclusively play as a guard/wing. Brown is likely the most talented 2021 player in the country without a high major offer at the time being (does have a Saint Louis offer). Kendall played at the 16u level to start the spring and then competed off the Howard Pulley EYBL 17 and Under bench for the final three months. He will be a top 30 level player when the Prep Hoops national rankings for 2021 are soon released and only an elite group of Minnesota prospects have been able to say that.
Cade Haskins of DeLaSalle. When it comes to shooters Cade was one of the best we saw in the class. Haskins is a 6-foot-5 wing that might be one of the toughest close-outs I’ve seen at this age. Haskins has a good separation dribble and his size with that pretty quick release means kickouts to him are often completed at a 40 plus percent rate at the arc. Cade scored a dozen a game at Washburn in December before leaving the school to join the Islanders mid-year.
Chet Holmgren of Minnehaha Academy. After starting in the post for the state champion Minnehaha Academy squad over the winter, Chet then started at center for the Grassroots Sizzle 17u squad playing up to levels at the UAA level of play. Holmgren stands seven feet tall with more skill than you would expect. What really separates the incredibly long and rare prospect is the way he moves his feet and competes with constant energy. You just don’t see that combination in a player very often and it’s why Purdue, Minnesota, and Texas A&M have offered scholarships and more are about to. Chet’s combination of ability is extremely rare in a day and age where size is not valued like it used to be, unless it moves well. And Chet moves well at seven feet tall.
Riley Mahlman of Lakeville South. The 6-foot-9 post scored 11 a game as a freshman and led the D1 Minnesota 15u squad to a solid season. Riley is physical, mean, and knows how to move in the post which will make him a top basketball prospect if he wants to be. Why would he may not want to? Because Mahlman is looking like one of the elite football prospects in the nation. Riley already has power five football offers and he will likely build a nice list of basketball offers as well if coaches feel he will pursue that sport in college as well.
Andrew Morgan of Waseca. At 6-foot-8 Morgan was one of a trio of freshmen players that helped Waseca have a big 17-18 raising expectations into this coming season. Morgan has great hands and the body control plus a touch to complete shots from several different angles around the basket. Andrew became a key contributor as the winter moved on and then became a consistent double digit performer for Minnesota Select at the 15u level.
Reid Patterson of Lakeville South. Reid is a 6-foot-2 shooter with a touch that people in the south metro are saying “a version of Blake Hoffarber”. Patterson may not have been a 15u 20 point per game scorer all year, but playing with Minnesota Select the Prep Hoops writers from the Midwest states saw him play five games and in those five games Patterson scored 108 points combined. Reid is going to be one of the state’s most dangerous shooting weapons over the next three seasons.
Joshua Streit of Eden Valley-Watkins. The Streit family continues to produce all around several year athletes that compete at a high level in multiple sports but Joshua is different. How? Streit is 6-foot-7 and one of the best finishers on the move in the class. It’s not just that Streit can finish physically with both hands, but he is excellent catching and finishing at full speed on the move. Played with Crossfire this year and led them to a fantastic season.
Treyton Thompson of Alexandria. The word potential is constantly used to describe Treyton Thompson. The summer was huge for the 6-foot-10 big as a couple reporters and a few schools moved by the gym where Thompson was playing and saw him hit several long jumpers. Texas Tech offered and schools like Minnesota, Michigan, Purdue, Drake, Northern Iowa, NDSU, and others went by the gym and saw Thompson play. What did they like? Thompson’s big hands, good feet, size, and touch. Treyton is a top prospect that will continue to draw more and more attention as he becomes more competitive.
Davon Townley Jr of Minneapolis North. The 6-foot-6, maybe 6-foot-7 power forward played behind a lot of senior size as a Polar freshman but worked his way into a lot of time by the end of the 17-18 season. Townley then spent the next four months competing at a high level with Gain Elite 15s and with the Polars in the several summer events they were in. Davon went toe to toe with some of the top locals and had success. We think Townley has a chance to be one of the better explosive and skilled four-men in the Midwest.
Jalen Tremel and Andre Gray of Hopkins. The Royals lost a talented ball handler in Blaise Beauchamp to a move back west where he started his high school basketball career but that move is cushioned by a talented pair in Jalen Tremel and Andre Gray. Tremel is an outstanding ball handler at 6-foot-2 who did a great job as the D1 Minnesota 15u playmaker while Andre Gray had an excellent year playing with Gain Elite’s 15s. Andre is a combo guard that can fill up the stat sheet as two guard or handle the ball.
Will Tschetter of Stewartville. At 6-foot-8 Will led his school in scoring as a frosh and then joined Heat Tauer and helped them to a 36-10 record from April to July. In addition to the size in the middle Tschetter impressed college coaches with his consistent production in the post and a touch that was made with high percentages. Will has range to the arc and what’s more impressive is that we saw him score 22, 24, and 38 points in Sunday games (final four contests of events).