Twin Cities Week In Review: Week 1
In this new weekly series, I’ll be giving a rundown of all things high school hoops in the Twin Cities area. Which team made a case to move up in the state rankings? Which players excelled throughout the week? Which…
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Continue ReadingIn this new weekly series, I’ll be giving a rundown of all things high school hoops in the Twin Cities area. Which team made a case to move up in the state rankings? Which players excelled throughout the week? Which sleeper prospects are producing at a high level? All of these questions and more will be answered in the weekly review!
Twin Cities Players of the Week
Jalen Suggs (6’5 2020 G, Minnehaha Academy)- Fresh off of a football state championship, Jalen showed no signs of rust in the season opener for Minnehaha. Faced off against one of the top teams in Class 2A Jalen quickly turned the game into a blowout by hitting three pointers from well beyond the arc, creating turnovers that led to fast break dunks, and distributing to his teammates for good looks. Despite sitting out a good portion of the second half Jalen finished with 30 points, putting on an offensive and defensive clinic in the big win.
Reid Patterson (6’1 2021 G, Lakeville South)- Through two games this season, Reid is averaging an impressive 23 ppg. That statement is made even more impressive by the fact that those were his first two games on the varsity level. Against Roseville he took his game to another level in the second half with three pointer after three pointer and a variety of crafty finishes around the rim on his way to a 35 point game. His production slowed down against Woodbury, but he still dropped 11 points to help his team improve to 2-0. His patience and craftiness with the ball in his hands has made him an extremely dangerous player early in his varsity career.
Dawson Garcia (6’10 2020 PF, Prior Lake)- Dawson started off his junior season with a bang, going off for 32 points against an extremely talented Park Center squad. After a little bit of a slow start, Dawson progressively started to pick up his offensive production and exploded in the second half to close a huge deficit for his team. With a few Park Center players in foul trouble, Dawson was going to the paint as much as he could to take advantage of the less aggressive defense. He showed off an impressive baby hook with both hands and it proved to be a nearly unstoppable move with his length.
Jack Middleton (6’4 2019 G, Edina)- Jack proved why he is considered one of the best shooters in the state’s senior class by putting up 24 points in the season opener against Lakeville North. Jack’s scoring kept his team in the game against a Lakeville North squad that at times looked ready to run away with the game. He has the ability to plant and get his feet set for a pull-up jumper quickly and easily, with a pure stroke that consistently finds the bottom of the net. He knocked down a few of those from the mid-range level, and also extended his range beyond the arc to knock down a few big threes.
Tyrell Terry (6’3 2019 G, DeLaSalle)- This past week Tyrell Terry showed off a Kobe Bryant-like “Mamba Mentality” that I had never seen out of him in previous games. He opted to play more as a facilitator throughout the first half, but when the game was close in the second, Tyrell began to take over. His uptempo style of play really keeps opposing defenses on their heels as he is constantly pushing the ball off of turnovers, rebounds, and made baskets. This led to multiple transition layups for both himself and his teammates. When Tyrell got going he was knocking down threes with consistency and using his length to finish around and over opposing defenders near the rim. He went on to finish with 28 points in an impressive season opening win.
Team of the Week
Park Center- The common phrase “strength in numbers” came into play when Park Center took on the talented Prior Lake Lakers. After starting off with a quick 9 points, Dain Dainja got into some early foul trouble and missed large chunks of time throughout the game. This forced Park Center to play an aggressive, guard focused style of play to combat the Prior Lake size. Tommy Chatman played a huge role in not only scoring 13 points offensively, but stepping up to guard Prior Lake’s two 6’10 bigs on defense. Josh Brown was impressive off the bench providing intensity on the defensive end, and an offensive spark with 6 points. Park Center played a very balanced game with six players scoring six or more points in their nail-biter of an opening night.
Statement Game of the Week
Brooklyn Center defeats St. Cloud Tech 73-70
After making a long run in the state tournament last season, Brooklyn Center was devastated with transfers during the summer. They return with a very inexperienced and rather unknown lineup, but they aren’t going to be backing down from anyone. Taking on a much larger school in St. Cloud Tech, Brooklyn Center found quality in the play of their young guys, including two eighth graders. Maxsamus Wilson scored an impressive 14 points in his second game at the varsity level. He knocked down two threes, and showed the ability to drive and finish at the rim. Fellow eighth grader Quayavant Douglas chipped in 9 points to contribute to the victory. Qentrell Douglas appears to be the focal point of this offense and he paved the way to victory with an impressive outing of 22 points. Having watched him in fall league play, he is extremely aggressive driving to the rim as not many defenders can stick with his quickness, and he knows that he must step up this season if Brooklyn Center wants to continue to win games. Brooklyn Center made a statement this weekend, proving they can still compete.
Sleeper of the Week
Charlie Haff (6’5 2019 F, Edina)- A big surprise at the Big 12 Classic was the performance of Charlie Haff against Lakeville North. At 6’5, Charlie has the size and strength to finish inside, but really excelled when he was able to step outside beyond the three point line. He has such a smooth looking stroke from distance, and made Lakeville North pay for leaving him open outside to the tune of a 20 point game. With his size and outside shooting ability, Charlie could make some noise during his senior season and transition into a solid stretch-4 at the college level.
Freshman of the Week
Trejuan Holloman (6’3 2022 PG, Cretin-Derham Hall)- The hype for Trejuan coming into his freshman year was extremely high, and his first game of the season against Wayzata was no simple task for a freshman point guard. Trejuan was not fazed by the spotlight and instead delivered a quality debut performance against one of the top teams in the state. Perhaps his most memorable play of the game came when he got the ball stolen from him at the half court line. Instead of hanging his head and jogging back, Trejuan made a beeline to the rim and pinned the shot against the backboard to win possession back for his team. He made a few nice shots on the game, and showed off his passing ability with some great lay-offs inside the lane to open teammates. Trejuan finished with a near triple double scoring 13 points to go with his 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals.
Other Storylines
Steven Crowl (6’10 2020 C, Eastview)- Scored 28 points in the season opener against Park of Cottage Grove.
East Ridge defeats Hopkins 74-65.
Hassan Kamara (6’4 2022 W, Fridley)- Finishes with 19 points in his freshman debut against Stillwater.
Josh Ward (6’2 2019 G, Como Park)- Leads Como Park to a win behind an impressive 26 point performance.
Lakeville South starts off their season 2-0 against Class AAAA opponents.