Five Points of Emphasis: Waseca 77 Minneapolis North 64
The Jays went into a tough but exciting environment in Minneapolis and came out a winner. This was the game that made all watching say “The Jays are a legit contender”. Main Point. Waseca is a Legit Contender. The Jays…
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Continue ReadingThe Jays went into a tough but exciting environment in Minneapolis and came out a winner. This was the game that made all watching say “The Jays are a legit contender”.
Main Point. Waseca is a Legit Contender. The Jays are now in the conversation for “should they be number one?” We don’t feel they are quite there yet resume wise with DeLaSalle but they are close. Matt Olsem may be the best player in the state that never needs to take a shot. Ever. His toughness, defensive leadership, passing out of the post, boards (such strong hands), and screens make a huge impact on the game. Olsem pairs with Malik Willingham as the key seniors followed by six, count em SIX sophomores that form the rotation for an undefeated team. The Jays have a strong point guard in Ryan Dufault, athletic and talented wings in the Willinghas (Malik and Kyreese), tough guy (Olsem), and the agile big at 6-foot-8 in Andrew Morgan that most teams don’t have a physical answer for.
Point to Know. Minneapolis North games are fantastic. From looking at the historic trophies, to the smell of popcorn, a fun starting introduction with lights off and the scoreboard showing graphics, and well sung national anthem the atmosphere was fantastic. The gym was packed and the talent on the floor was excellent. From a sheer enjoyment standpoint, you can’t ask for a more entertaining high school basketball experience both talent and atmosphere wise than the Polar home in North Minneapolis. Credit Larry McKenzie and the Minneapolis North staff for the efforts.
Another Key Point to Know. Jays Sophomore Core. There have been a couple posts about the best sophomore groups around the metro but the truth is the best group of sophomores in the state of Minnesota play at Waseca. If it’s rankings you want the Waseca Jays have three of the top 20 prospects in the state’s 2021 group. Andrew Morgan is in the top ten as is North big Davon Townley Jr. The result? Andrew Morgan had a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds making 7 of 15 shots while Townley put up seven points and nine boards. The length of Morgan bothered Townley into a tough shooting night while the entire North line-up had issues with Morgan’s combination of size and agility. Morgan ran the floor for a buzzer beating dunk and definitely showed he’s even better than his ranking of eight. Then you have Kyreese Wilingham who is way more explosive athlete than I thought. His bounce to boards and shot contesting really cut me and likely many of the North players off guard as Kyreese had 13 boards and several blocks/contests. He also scored 13 points on 5 of 7 field goals. Add in the big treys and the pace push of Dufault (14 points, six boards, five assists) and you have a great group of three. Also, the three guys off the bench are also sophomores.
Supporting Point. Nasir El-Amin gives me the impression that he’s Emmitt Smith on the basketball court. El-Amin scored 18 on 7 of 13 field field goals being patient with the attack but once the lane opened Nasir hit it and his strength in completing plays led to a team high scoring total. Waseca wasn’t able to move defenders into the right space to stop Nasir’s advance nor were they able to get enough contact on Nasir to stop him from completing plays. Nasir, Omar Brown (13 points and five assists plus Omar is a top Minnesota defender), and Eli Campbell are a great senior core.
Support Point 2. The 5AA race is going to be excellent. Minneapolis North has the best QRF score with a 16-6 record but right on their heels is Breck, Maranatha Christian, Litchfield, and Holy Family. MCA and Litchfield are two loss teams, Breck has only lost four games, and Holy Family was ranked at one point. North still seems like the favorite but the games in March will be great.