The True Sleepers of Minnesota High School Basketball: St. Cloud Area
Today at Prep Hoops Minnesota we continue the “True Sleepers Series” in the state of Minnesota. Guys that are truly under the radar. St. Cloud area kids it’s your turn!
Again student athletes, if you play for a top 5/6 17u program in Minnesota, have earned all conference honors, and have played a big role for one of the more recognized high schools in Minnesota, you aren’t a sleeper! These are the real sleepers in the St Cloud area.
Drew Beier of Foley. When it comes to Foley sports things can be looked over as they haven’t been that good as of late. We ask you not to look past 22 point per game scorer Drew Beier, a senior shooting guard that loves to aggressively attack defenses along with fellow senior Ali Kouorouma (an outstanding shooter). Drew is shorter than most wings but he makes up for that with big numbers. Likely the best 20 plus per game returning scorer in Class AA that isn’t being talked much about.
Zane Hahn of Rush City. Zane is the very definition of an overlooked player. His team didn’t win many games last year (five in fact), Hahn is not very big (listed at 5-foot-10), and Rush City doesn’t get too many headlines in a paper anywhere from their location. But Zane scored nearly 18 points per game last year despite getting all the attention of opposing defenses.
Seth Logan of Pine City. Logan is a 6-foot-5 active player that can score with range, rebound at 6-7 a night from the wing, he scored 13 a game a contest last year, and he might even be a better defensive player than offensive. Logan is always in the right position and he uses his length very well to deflect as well as record nearly two steals a contest.
Brandon Maatz of Buffalo. The junior group of Buffalo has people thinking they could give Maple Grove a real run for the section title this year. The names Tony Dahl and Matthew Willert have been in the headlines for a long time and Aidan Bouman is well known for his dual-sport talent, his commitment to the Iowa St football program, and his father Todd who played in the NFL. The other guy to know is Brandon Maatz, one of the toughest and hardest working players out there. Maatz shot the ball at a 43 percent success rate last year.
Cade Milton-Baumgardner of Sauk Rapids-Rice. Cade seems to be the perfect type of player to bridge last year’s graduated talent that went to state with the new junior group led by Kobe Lee and Josh Schloe. Cade is a long guard that forces little and can be depended on to commonly make the right decision. Averaged seven points and five assists last year but those numbers will progress as a senior now that three all league players graduated. Perfect player to help the Storm mesh.
Clifton Patterson of St. Cloud Apollo. Off-season basketball talk has greatly detailed the talent of the Apollo junior class. Guys like Mike Gravelle, Deng Diew, Logan Johnson, and Nasrudin Mohamed have all been detailed. A fifth member of that class to talk about is 6-foot-3 combo forward Clifton Patterson. Patterson is the player that can turn a practice into a battle and he’s always willing to defend for his team. Another agile, talented Apollo junior that has expectations rising.
Joey Sauer of Brainerd. Joey’s name has come up a few times in the past when Brainerd put their teams in local grassroots events a few years ago and had some quality success. Sauer is 6-foot-5 and respected by his league peers enough to be conference honored after 13 points a game as a junior. At his size Joey has a nice touch from many spots on the floor.
Jordan Schiffler of Albany. Jordan is a 6-foot-2 point guard that has spent much of his high school life getting his teammates the ball in the best spots for success. Schiffler put up eight points and five assists a game as a junior but will have to score more this year for his team to match the 17 wins of a season ago. Jordan’s work ethic suggest he will put in the work.
Evan Wiener of BBE. Wiener impressed several members of the Prep Hoops staff in 2018 rebounding in numbers much bigger than his wing position and 6-foot-3 size plus scoring 14 a game. Type of kid that you can throw the ball into with his back to the rim or he can score with range.