True Under the Radar Talents: Class AAA
- ***Photo from Jillian Gandsey of the Bemidji Pioneer
We continue with our True Under the Radar talents running through a player per section in the Class AAA area of talent. Learn about some new names as we inch closer to the 18-19 season.
One player per section so we touch on a player from each part of the state.
Section 1AAA. The Simley Spartans have have a lot of production to replace but in Isaiah Robinson the team has a player that they can count on for 20 points per game (and maybe more). Every year there are some guys that put up mega numbers and people see the name in the paper and commit it to memory for the first time. One of those players this year will very likely be Isaiah Robinson, an aggressive and quick guard.
Section 2AAA. Speaking of 20 points per game, did you know that Faribault senior-to-be Joseph Palmer scored 20 points per contest last year in Big Nine play? He did. The Falcons struggled last winter and will need a lot of help along with Palmer to surprise this year, but for those colleges looking for a sleeper that can fill the stat sheet, we give you Joe Palmer, a guy that could score 23-24 a game in a good league.
Section 3AAA. At St. Paul Highland Park there is a guard just under six feet who can consistently shoot between 37-40 percent behind the arc and sit in a stance and get after people defensively. The name is Evan Brodtman and Evan scored 17.3 points per game as a junior. Evan will be one of the top players in the St. Paul City Conference this year.
Section 4AAA. There are many reasons we feel Mahtomedi will be good. 1) quality coaching, 2) a scorer to rely on in J’Vonne Hadley, 3) size in Cole Chapman, 4) confidence coming up in the program including second scoring option Zac Centers, and guys like Devin Melzer. Devin is a 6-foot-3 forward that wasn’t even talked about in previews coming into the season and worked his way into the line-up for many reasons.
Section 5AAA. My prediction right now is that Willmar will be the most overlooked team out there. Did you know that four of their five starters are back? Did you know that Drey Dirksen is the poster player for the year as he is one of several 6-foot-3, tough, educated, and experienced Willmar players back for the team. The difference in Dirksen is that he scored a dozen points a game as a junior and is looking for more.
Section 6AAA. Orono has a player that we are very curious about and that is 6-foot-5 Simon Rice. The five Orono seniors dominated the box scores and most of the minutes in the headline games that most people saw, but when the Spartans beat some teams up Rice came off the bench and showed some interesting ability. We saw Simon knock down two threes and a third jumper last December. The Spartans are replacing their starting five and Rice is a name to watch.
Section 7AAA. Even though Kevin McHale started his “great basketball player from Minnesota ever” career at Hibbing, the northern program is short on attention regularly. Even last year when they won 19 games and Luke Lendell averaged 19 points a contest. Luke is a 6-foot-2 guard that has been filling up the stat sheets from behind the arc for multiple years. Like might just be the best 2019 shooter you aren’t aware of.
Section 8AAA. How about the best big you aren’t aware of? We have an answer for that too. The name is Spencer Konecne and he’s from Bemidji. How big is he really? The answer is 6-foot-8 (local paper says 6-foot-9). Does his team win games? Yes, they won 17 of the 26 they played a year ago. Consistent production? Scored a dozen a game as a junior and is only getting better, plus he barely missed a triple double a year ago. Get to know Spencer! Kid can play some tennis too!