Recruiting Report: Jon Zinniel (2020)
New Ulm Cathedral’s been solid the last few years and while the Greyhounds lose a lot from last year’s team, they’ve still got Jon Zinniel, which means they’ll be competitive. Zinniel, a 6-foot-6 forward, spent the grassroots season playing with…
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Continue ReadingNew Ulm Cathedral’s been solid the last few years and while the Greyhounds lose a lot from last year’s team, they’ve still got Jon Zinniel, which means they’ll be competitive.
Zinniel, a 6-foot-6 forward, spent the grassroots season playing with MN Rise, where he had a chance to play a big role on of the better 17U teams in the state and test himself against top-flight competition throughout the summer.
“It was a great experience,” Zinniel said. “Kory [Kettner] runs that program really well and it’s a great time getting to play with some of the top players from the area. It really did a lot for me developing as a player.
“It’s definitely nice playing with dudes like that. They are really good and you can learn a lot playing with them. And their styles mesh well with mine since I can step outside a little more then. It’s nothing like what we see in the high school season. It’s a lot faster and more physical. It’s great for understanding the game because it’s a lot tougher. I love that competition.”
Zinniel can do a lot of things on the court. He’s a terrific shooter on the offensive end and is a really solid shot-blocker and interior defender on defense. He’s a solid finisher in traffic and showed improvement over the summer as a ball-handler and overall defender.
“I’m trying to make my shot faster and smoother,” Zinniel said. “I’ve had a consistent stroke but I want it to be faster. Developing my ball handling further makes me a lot more versatile and harder to guard.”
New Ulm Cathedral won 21 games last year behind Zinniel and a really strong group of juniors and seniors. There will be some questions as to who can step up and fill in new roles this winter, but there is still enough talent in the program to contend in the Tomahawk Conference.
“We’re losing some really good seniors but we bring back a lot of guys with good experience,” said Zinniel. “We have some versatile guys and a lot of size. We just have to keep working. We’ll need some younger guys to step up but I like our team.”
There’s a lot to like about Zinniel as a prospect given his variety of skills and physical tools. He’s earned quite a bit of interest at the Division III and NAIA level.
“I’ve talked and visited with St. Johns and Gustavus, I’ve been talking to Dakota State and Bemidji State and I’ve taken a visit to Bethany,” said Zinniel.