The Race for Mr. Basketball – The Final Five
Earning a way to the Minnesota Mr. Basketball Final Five is one of the biggest resume accomplishments in Minnesota High School Basketball. Yesterday the final five was announced so we honor those players plus add in the obligatory “most snubbed”…
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Continue ReadingEarning a way to the Minnesota Mr. Basketball Final Five is one of the biggest resume accomplishments in Minnesota High School Basketball. Yesterday the final five was announced so we honor those players plus add in the obligatory “most snubbed” player.
The Final Five
Isaac Fink of Springfield. Springfield was preseason number one and Isaac Fink has his team in the top five with a 24-2 record on the year making that push for a Class A state title. Isaac is a top ten scorer all time in Minnesota High School Basketball history and is averaging 31.6 points, 12.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and a couple steals a game. Turned down a couple D1 offers to play basketball and baseball at Augustana. Fink and his team begin their playoff run tonight at home versus Loyola.
Matthew Hurt of Rochester JM. The Rochester JM Rockets had a rough start with many new and experienced players but Hurt has pushed the group to 20 wins once again with a run of 16 wins in 17 games. Hurt leads the state in scoring with 36.7 points per game while also grabbing 12.5 boards and dishing out five assists each game. Matthew heads into section play with 3,704 career points (3rd all time, number one among big schools) and 1,427 career boards (5th most ever, number 1 among big schools). Add in a career 121-24 career record and lead the state in scoring for three straight years and it’s been a strong career.
Zeke Nnaji of Hopkins. Nnaji is scoring 24.6 a game for the 22-4 Hopkins Royals who are ranked in the top five of Class AAAA and overall in the state. Nnaji was recently named to the Iverson All America game along with some of the top 2019 talents in the nation. He is headed to Arizona ranges from a top 30 to top 50 player nationally. In three years on the Royals varsity Zeke has guided them to a 71-12 record.
Tyrell Terry of DeLaSalle. The future Stanford point guard has two state championships to his name and he’s working on a third. Only this team he’s working on the trophy as the upperclassmen captain. Tyrell is averaging 22.6 points per game for the 21-5 Islanders who are the favorite to win the 2019 Class AAA crown. Tyrell was recently selected to participate in the national 3-point contest that will take place at the Final Four in Minneapolis.
Tyler Wahl of Lakeville North. The North Panthers are a top five team in Class AAAA with a 22-4 record and Wahl is leading the way as a top scorer, rebounder, lead guard at times, and he’s the most consistently excellent defender on this list. Wahl is averaging 18.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 2.1 blocks, and two steals per game. Wahl has led his team to the state tournament every year he’s been on varsity.
Snubbed
My #1 Snub. David Roddy. David was my fifth pick for the Final Five and I feel he earned it with a fantastic career. The future Colorado State forward has led Breck to a top ten spot in Class AA nearly the entire season with a 20-5 record. David is averaging 29.6 points, 17 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and a couple blocks a game.
Collective #1 Snub. Many feel that the other big snub from the final five was Jack Middleton of Edina. Jack is having a Joe Rosga – now at Denver – like senior year rising his play in a way that is driven on both ends like few others can match. Jack isn’t the same type of player as Rosga, his trademark is his defense that ranks with the state’s elite. Edina is 18-8 and finished second in the Lake.