The Metro West Preview
The Metro West came down to Chaska/Cooper last year and it was the Hawks who had the upper hand. We don’t expect things to change much this year.
17-18 – Last Year. 1) Cooper, 2) Chaska, 3) Jefferson, 4) Benilde-St. Margaret’s, 5) St. Louis Park, 6) Chanhassen, 7) Kennedy, 8) Richfield
Conference Commentary
Top Ten in State: Cooper
Cooper will be a top ten team in Class AAA. How good can they be? It’s tough to know. They’ve had a few good players transfer out but we do know that Jalen Justice and Jalen Miller will be the best guard pair in the league. Cooper graduated a ton of good seniors so how good they will be depends on how quickly the young guys come out from the JV and adjust.
Ten Ten Potential: Chaska
Chaska is a top ten level team in Class AAAA. They will be in the rankings for much of the year. Class AAAA has 14 teams that are top ten level so they may not start in the top ten but they will be there. With Northern Colorado committed Cole Nicholson back after a fantastic junior year and Zach Lea playing like a top 20-25 level player in a stacked junior class the high end players are there. Nicholson, Lea, and Conner Krenos (with Spencer Goetz on the come up as well) this team has spots 2-4 filled out as well as anyone. What steps forward to handle the ball and play at the five will be what we are watching for.
Compete with Most: Chanhassen, Benilde-St. Margaret’s
Chanhassen isn’t deep enough to be a top ten team in Class AAAA but they have the talent to try and make a run at the league. We love the trip of Carson Hollowaty, Luke Gitzen, and Regan Tollefson. Beating rival Chaska isn’t something we are predicting but those games should be a lot of fun. Then at BSM. The Walker Johnson, Nick Peterson, and Dylan Drees returning group is really good. If they can find a ball handler the team will surprise.
Rebuilding: Kennedy, Richfield, St. Louis Park, Jefferson
Jefferson lost a load of seniors. Isaiah Watts is one of the top workers in this state and he will lead them and have a good year, but there is so much to replace. The same can be said at St. Louis Park only at a higher level. Anthony Rayson will manage things inside but everywhere else is a question. Then you have Kennedy who only won four games and lost all of their playmakers. And Richfield only won one game last year.
Preseason Prediction
- Chaska
- Cooper
- Chanhassen
- Benilde-St. Margaret’s
- Jefferson
- St. Louis Park
- Kennedy
- Richfield
Preseason All Metro West Team
First Team
Cole Nicholson of Chaska (12)
Jalen Justice of Cooper (12)
Isaiah Watts of Jefferson (12)
Regan Tollefson of Chanhassen (12)
Zach Lea of Chaska (11)
Second Team
Jalen Miller of Cooper (12)
Conner Krenos of Chaka (12)
Carson Hollowaty of Chanhassen (12)
Luke Gitzen of Chanhassen (11)
Anthony Rayson of St. Louis Park (12)
Third Team
Dylan Drees of BSM (12)
Nick Peterson of BSM (11)
Walker Johnson of BSM (11)
Jacob Houts of St. Louis Park (12)
Ethan Quint Richfield (12)