Gameday Match-Up: Minnehaha Academy vs Hopkins
Minnehaha Academy hosts Hopkins tonight in one of the most anticipated games of the high school basketball season. NHR gets you ready with Gameday Match-Up!
Where/When: At Minnehaha Academy this evening, a 7pm tip-off.
The Match-Ups!
PG: Jalen Suggs vs Jalen Dearring. Suggs is a two time state champion junior guard, Dearring a senior that transferred from Minnetonka who is now running the point for the Royals. Size wise I imagine that Jalen Dearring will see a lot of 5-foot-10 senior Siegel Howad, and Suggs will work against Southwest Minnesota State signed Andy Stafford. But, Coach Ken Novak Jr or Coach Lance Johnson may not go with the size match-up that is the simple thing to point to.
Suggs has the Redhawks at 3-0 this year with wins over Perham, Highland Park, and Champlin Park. He’s scoring 27 points a game and using his strong 6-foot-4 frame to overpower other guards. Dearring has improved greatly in the past 12 months and it will be fun to see how he does in this environment. Jalen was solid in leading the Royals over Lakeville North on Saturday.
Wing 1. Kerwin Walton vs Kaden Johnson. This is the type of match-up that will put butts in the seats! Walton is scoring 16.5 points a game and is a top 150 ranked player nationally in the junior class. Kaden Johnson is one of the elite defenders in Minnesota and one of the top junior linebacker recruits nation wide. Hopkins lists Kerwin Walton at 6-foot-5 while the Redhawks have Johnson at 6-foot-4. Johnson will be the strong of the two, Walton the longer (standing by him on Saturday Kerwin looked near 6-foot-6). Both are nationally ranked major conference athletes.
Wing 2. Siegel Howard vs Andy Stafford. These are your glue guys. Siegel is on the floor to be tough, aggressive, and to defend. That’s his primary role. Stafford has grown as a defender but he’s also worked his way to 39 points over three games this season. I can definitely Andy’s length at times being used on Jalen Suggs while Howard using his strength and foot speed to move with Dearring.
Power Forward. Dane Zimmer vs Prince Aligbe. This could be the X-factor of the game. Dane Zimmer is one of the smartest and hardest working bigs in the state of Minnesota (he’s headed to Minnesota State-Moorhead). Prince will be a highly ranked freshman nationwide when Prep Hoops puts those rankings out sometime this winter. If either Zimmer, or Aligbe got to the bench in foul trouble that could become a game changer. Dane is one of the best defenders in the pick and roll game and one of the smarter offensive players working after the screen. Aligbe will give up three inches to Dane but he is physically a more explosive athlete. Prince is scoring almost 13 a game.
Center. Zeke Nnaji vs Chet Holmgren. What we have here is what makes Minnesota high school basketball different these days. Size that is not only big (Zeke is listed at 6-foot-10, Chet at 7-foot-0) but quite mobile as well. Covering Nnaji off the ball is as big of a nightmare as there is in Minnesota high school hoops but then on the ball Zeke is skilled and has become so much stronger. Holmgren might be the most agile seven foot player that I’ve ever covered in Minnesota. There have been talented 7-footers that are strong and agile, but I can’t think of anybody that has been able to move their feet on a ball screen as well as bust tail to a cover down as quick as Chet. He is very unique plus has range to the arc. Obviously Zeke has the power edge but Chet’s activity and fight will make this a fun game. Zeke is scoring 25 a game, Holmgren 20 a game.
Bench. The Redhawks have used two guys off their bench: 6-foot-2 junior forward Craig McDonald and 5-foot-8 freshman guard Donovan Smith. McDonald is a grinder of the bench while Smith is a nice scorer that will look for his shot. The Royals will go three deep starting with 6-foot-3 Rayquan Valentin, a senior, plus they will use sophomores Andre Gray (6-foot-2) and Jalen Treml (6-foot-3). Valentin has had some solid moments already early in the year.