Twin Cities Week In Review: Week 3
From the Southside Showcase to big time conference matchups, last week was loaded with basketball action in the Twin Cities! Catch up on all of the top individual and team performances throughout the area in the Twin Cities “Week in…
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Continue ReadingFrom the Southside Showcase to big time conference matchups, last week was loaded with basketball action in the Twin Cities! Catch up on all of the top individual and team performances throughout the area in the Twin Cities “Week in Review”.
Players of the Week
Jared Rainey (6’1 2019 PG, Maple Grove)- Jared is a player who really started to emerge last year, and is now known as one of the state’s top lead guards. Last week he put in two solid performances against a couple of good programs. He started off on Tuesday with 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists against STMA. Jared followed that up with 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists to lead Maple Grove to a win over Moorhead. Jared is an all-around player who can score, defend, and dish the ball to his teammates, and is extremely versatile scoring the ball. He has the ability to finish around the rim, but can also knock down shots from distance with a smooth stroke. Jared is a crafty point guard who is keeping Maple Grove competitive once again.
Cornell Richardson (6′ 2020 G, Osseo)- Cornell is shaping up to have a breakout junior season, and he put up big numbers to help lead Osseo to three wins last week. The quick guard scored 20 points on Monday in a win over Owatonna, before going off for 28 against Lakeville South. The production slowed a bit on Friday against Moorhead where he finished with 8 points, but still contributed to Osseo’s win. Cornell is a proven outside shooter, and knocked down 4 threes in his career night against Lakeville South. He has also proven efficient at the line, and uses his quickness to get to the hoop where he is able to finish or draw the contact for a foul. After a slow start to the season, Cornell picked up his production and started to show just how good he can be.
Jaeden King (6’6 2019 SG, Cretin-Derham Hall)- After a slow start to his senior year, Jaeden King turned it on last week and delivered two big scoring nights. On Tuesday night against what has proven to be a tough North St. Paul team, Jaeden delivered 33 points to give the Raiders a narrow victory. Later that week on Friday night, Jaeden scored 29 points against a loaded East Ridge squad. Jaeden is known as one of the top shooters in Minnesota, and has a quick release that he can fire off from well beyond the three point arc. He is also skilled at getting defenders to jump before driving in for a quick one-handed floater. This scoring arsenal allows Jaeden to deliver big scoring nights like he did last week.
Dajuan Carter (6′ 2019 G, North St. Paul)- Although the record doesn’t directly reflect it, North St. Paul has been an extremely dangerous team this year, and a large part of that has been due to the emergence of senior guard Dajuan Carter. Dajuan absolutely exploded scoring the ball last week, putting up 33 points on Tuesday in the close loss to Cretin-Derham Hall. That scoring translated into NSP’s next game against DeLaSalle, where Dajuan scored 39 points to upset the #1 ranked team in Class AAA. Dajuan is turning into one of the most electric scorers in the state this season with his ability to get out in transition and also knock down shots from distance.
Jaylen Williams (5’8 2019 G, Bloomington Kennedy)- Kennedy hasn’t been having much success as a team this season, but last week Jaylen Williams willed them to their first win of the year behind one of the top scoring nights in the Twin Cities this season. Faced off against South St. Paul, Jaylen dominated, scoring 41 points on the night to help Bloomington Kennedy secure their first win of the season. Jaylen followed that up with 11 points in a close loss to Blake on Friday. Jaylen is Kennedy’s leading scorer this season, and if they want to be competitive down the road, he’s going to need to continue to continue to play at this high level.
Team of the Week
Chaska High School- After winning three games last week, Chaska has propelled themselves into the state rankings. They started off the week with a big win over St. Paul Como Park by a score of 80-43. They followed that up on Thursday, upsetting Lakeville North in a close game 67-62. Cole Nicholson was dominant in that performance, scoring 26 points. Zach Lea and Luke Strazzanti both chipped in double digit totals as well, with 13 and 10 respectively. On Saturday they took down another quality opponent, besting Shakopee 59-56 on the night. Cole Nicholson once again led the team in scoring with 16 points. Over the week, Chaska saw all five of its starters score in double figures atleast once, a sign of a very deep and talented team. They have the big names in Cole Nicholson and Zach Lea, but the talent of the guys around those two are what made this Chaska team so succesful last week.
Upset of the Week
North St. Paul takes down #1 DeLaSalle 79-74- After coming so close against Cretin-Derham Hall, North St. Paul put all the pieces together and took down the #1 team in Class AAA DeLaSalle on the road. The upset was spearheaded by senior guard Dajuan Carter, who had the best game of his high school career, dropping 39 points in the win. NSP got off to a hot start in the first half, and went on a 23-2 run early in the game to take control. The Polars play a fast paced game, and aren’t afraid to let it fly from beyond the arc, and as evident by this win, are very dangerous when those shots are falling.
Sleeper of the Week
Drew White (6’5 2020 W, St. Paul Washington)- Drew White was a player who stood out to me during the fall season, and has been putting together an impressive junior campaign. Last week he put up a dominating 25 point game in a win over St. Agnes. Standing at 6’5, Drew has impressive size for a wing, and combines that with explosive leaping ability that allows him to punish the rims in transition. When not dunking the ball, Drew can also pull-up from mid-range, and has nice looking footwork leading to a smooth jumper. Drew has averaged about 17 ppg so far this season, and has all of the tools to become a very dangerous player in the St. Paul City Conference.
Freshman of the Week
Camden Heide (6’5 2022 G, Wayzata)- Standing at 6’5 as just a freshman, Camden Heide has already drawn the attention of college programs throughout the Midwest. This past week Camden had his two best scoring nights of this season, starting off with a 10 point game against Totino Grace. Camden followed that up on Thursday night, scoring 18 points against a talented Champlin Park squad. Camden is a very athletic player for his size, and can get up and dunk with the best of them. He also has a solid skill set for a freshman, and can shoot and handle the ball with poise. Camden is exciting to watch when he gets aggressive as not too many players in the area can hang around the rim and finish in the way he does.
Other Storylines
Quayavant Douglas (6′ 2023 G, Brooklyn Center)- 8th grader scores 21 and 19 points in two games last week.
Park Center remains undefeated, beating Edina 66-61.
Gavin Patton (6’6 2019 PF, Minnetonka)- Scores 31 points against Prior Lake.
Chet Holmgren (7′ 2021 C, Minnehaha Academy)- 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 blocks vs. Hopkins.