Class AAAA: The Ex-Factors/Difference Makers
If you look at the best teams in Minnesota High School basketball they have stars, but they also have a key piece that has come together for teams to make them what they are. They all have star players but…
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Continue ReadingIf you look at the best teams in Minnesota High School basketball they have stars, but they also have a key piece that has come together for teams to make them what they are. They all have star players but let’s honor those guys really tying these groups together.
Amari Carter of CDH. Coming into the season everybody was aware of Jaeden King as a senior plus the many quality transfers (Tre Holloman and Curtis Jones) but an important reason for CDH being a top ten squad despite so much graduation from last year is Carter and his 15 points a contest.
Jalen Dearring of Hopkins. Imagine Hopkins without Jalen in the backcourt for a moment. Who would even play point guard? Dearring’s steady hand directing that offense has been invaluable. Jalen has really grown as a player and is excelling in the role as Hopkins ball handler/playmaker making sure that all the weapons get the right high percentage touches.
Detavious Frierson of Park Center. The Pirates are receiving15 points, rebounding, and a defensive worker at several spots from Frierson. His emergence has helped take this team to number one.
Jacob Johnson of Champlin Park. Johnson was fantastic for the Minnesota Heat last spring/summer but a 16 point per game year as a senior was way beyond what we thought was coming. Add in sophomore center Francis Nwakorie and his team leading board total (plus third leading scorer) as another pig part of the Rebel year. But Johnson has one of the more pleasant surprises in the state.
Tanner Koenen/Brooks Allen of Shakopee. The junior class gets the headlines but Shakopee has become the team they are with the help of senior emergence. Koenen is a ten point per game scorer while Allen is giving four baskets a game from the frontcourt that was needed in a big way.
Connor Krenos of Chaska. Nobody is shocked to see Connor making threes, but I think many are a bit surprised in how he’s become such a consistent 16 point per game scorer against such a tough schedule. Krenos has always been a shooter but he’s done more this year.
Sam Nissen of Prior Lake. We don’t mean Sam emerging as a strong player or shooter, he has always been that. What Sam has done is become a better leader and a better defender for his team. Nissen could be scoring 20 plus a game for a lot of teams but Prior Lake doesn’t need that as much as they need timely shooting, a defender, and an offensive player making the right decisions. Sam has done that.
Gavin Patton of Minnetonka. Gavin Patton scoring 20 points a game against the schedule that Minnetonka plays was far beyond anything I was expected this year. A great year for Patton on both ends, and a big reason Minnetonka has been better than expected.
Jack Rusch of Lakeville North. Jack Rusch has been one of the stories of the 2018-19 season. Last year he was a JV player. As a senior he’s a bust-ass kind of player that is knocking down perimeter jumpers from distance. Jack is the second leading scorer for the Panthers and is headed to Minnesota State-Moorhead with a scholarship.
M’Akil Weems of Tartan. This 6-foot-3/6-foot-4 grinder of a forward has become one of the hardest working defenders in the metro. Weems is a 10 point/6 rebound a game guy that is giving the Titans everything he has on a nightly basis. Tartan isn’t big but they are bigger with Weems play the way he has.
Zach Zebrowski/Patrick Lynott of East Ridge. The Raptors have some big time talents but they become a complete team because of Zach and Patrick. This pair gives the team perimeter shooting in an efficient way, they bring energy, and Zach has become a better leader at PG than many have expected.