Top 250 Expo: The 2021/2022 All Stars
The Top 250 Expo is traditionally a place where young players make a strong first impression in a big local event. This year the list of young standouts was even bigger than in past seasons.
2021
Devin Burger of Totino-Grace. Like the versatility of Burger. Comfortable around the arc but has the size, length and agility to do things around the basket as well. Burger will be an asset to teams going forward because he can be put in several positions.
Finn Diggins of Perham. Finn totally caught me off guard early in the event when he went at the rim and threw down in a vicious way popping quite the reaction from the crowd. From there he went on to be the high percentage finisher and mass consumption rebounder he was all 15u season.
Ryan Dufault of Waseca. Walked over to the court Ryan was playing and before I even had a chance to make sure I knew the number of him, he attacked the basket beating a rotating defense for a score and rotated the ball quickly and on target to one of the shooters. It was a quick reminder of his game which is skilled, tough, consistent, and matured.
Andre Gray of Hopkins. Gray looks to have grown an inch and definitely looks to be a guy that Hopkins will use on the wing this year. A very good shooter and his percentage of successful playmaking after using a dribble was high.
Teyghan Hovland of Austin. Maybe one of the biggest surprises of the event as Hovland has great size, was one of the event’s top passers, and is certainly a leader. We talked about him more at length yesterday but let’s say it again, I expect Hovland to be a great asset to the Austin Packer 18-19 season.
Bryce Lance of Marshall. There is a smoothness to Lance’s game that I think will fit in perfectly this year at Marshall. This is a team that is commonly filled with tough competitors and skilled wings that play a strong team game. Bryce is the type of lead guard that will knock down his floater but commonly put the ball where it needs to be within the framework for high percentage shots.
Colt Landers of Grand Meadow. Landers will be one of the first guys to put up 1,000 points in his class because he is a 6-foot-4/6-foot-5 deep paint player that is agile and consistently ahead of other size when it comes to the carom.
Trey Shearer of Montezuma (IA). Trey has to be one of the better 2021s in Iowa. He would certainly be a high ranked 2021 in Minnesota. We detailed his Sunday yesterday and I would remember his name as Minnesota kids will likely run into him often when they play the Iowa Barnstormers.
Treyton Thompson of Alexandria. This weekend certainly solidified the high major recruiting attention that Thompson has been getting. He’s a top three player in this class and if he keeps growing as a player I can see him being among the top 100 kids in the country.
Kody Williams of Wayzata. Kody was one of the top wing finishers at the event plus his strength as a wing was far advanced compared to others.
2022
Braeden Carrington of Park Center. The young talent at Park Center is bright as their continuing tradition of talented guards won’t be slowing down. Carrington is a six foot guard with a lot ability.
Taison Chatman of Park Center. The younger brother of Tommy Chatman, Taison has a chance to be every bit the player that his brother is, and considering Tommy is a top D2 kid that could grab a D1 look this winter, Taison has chance to be very good.
Quyavant Douglas of Brooklyn Center. It didn’t matter what the situation, what angle he came at the basket from, and who was in his way, Douglas scored. All day.
Evan Dushek of Owatonna. Dushek has the look of a monster screen and roll top of the key weapon that clears space for guards and thunders to the rim for high percentage finishes.
Sam Fliehe of Lakeville South. The Cougar program seems to have young talent coming from every angle and in this class Sam is one to watch.
Daniel Ijadimbola of Park Center. Daniel looks in the face like his brother David but he’s longer and has every bit of the quickness off the dribble his brother does, and likely more.
Cohen Kellogg of Minnetonka. Cohen Kellogg is a very talented freshman and considering that Jalen Dearring has moved on to Hopkins it will be interesting to see if Cohen finds some varsity time. He will at least be a dangerous JV player as Cohen has the skills in both directions to get out of every dark area and then make something of it. There is a natural feel to his game that few have.
Jackson Loge of Morris Area. Loge is a top five player in the freshmen class and a player that we expect to finish from every angle 14 feet and in all year long. This winter Jackson is about to take a massive step forward and it’s all about his ability to touch in shots regardless if it’s out of post move back to the basket or facing up, off the glass or over the front of the rim.
Ayden McDonald of Hibbing. McDonald is a lot bigger, a lot more agile, and much more talented than we expected. The confidence in his playmaking and the ability to affect the game on or off the ball is what caught our attention.
Maximum Wilson of Brooklyn Center. 2022 or 2023? Not sure as we keep being told different things. Either way, Wilson is a strong, explosive athlete that other players couldn’t handle.