2022 – The Top Spot in Minnesota
The 2022 Class of Minnesota basketball talent is strong. So strong I’m having a hard time with who the best of the best is. I explain further in today’s feature article.
Who is #1?
If you went to a Wayzata game this year their fans would say 6’6/6’7 wing Camden Heide Camden Heide 6'7" | SF Wasatch Academy | 2022 State #129 Nation UT , and I would have a hard time arguing against it. Coaches from D1 Minnesota will of course think so as well.
What if you went and saw Minnehaha Academy play, what would their fans say? They most certainly would say the state’s best is 6’6 wing Prince Aligbe Prince Aligbe 6'6" | SF Minnehaha Academy | 2022 State #167 Nation MN , Grassroots Sizzle members would agree. And so would I.
And if you saw Cretin-Derham Hall defeat East Ridge in the playoffs and then asked their fans, who do you think is best? The answer from the Raider faithful and the Howard Pulley crew would certainly say Tre Holloman Tre Holloman 6'2" | PG Cretin-Derham Hall | 2022 State #57 Nation MN . I can’t disagree.
Prince Aligbe Prince Aligbe 6'6" | SF Minnehaha Academy | 2022 State #167 Nation MNThree Number 1s?
Years ago I would of tried to list all three number one and let things play out but Prep Hoops has national rankings to consider as well so the three must be separated! Sure, when those national rankings come out Tre, Prince, and Camden will all be top 50 players and most likely will be right next to each other. What makes this even harder is that we don’t get to see how Tre does in the E16 events, or how Prince plays with Sizzle in the UAA 17u games, or Heide on the Adidas Gauntlet 17u tour.
No I can’t have three number ones, I have to pick a guy. Even though in the grand scheme of things it means little, but let’s be honest people are going to look at this and it’s going to mean a lot. And it’s been a long time since we had a situation like this:
2021: Chet Holmgren Chet Holmgren 7'0" | C Minnehaha Academy | 2021 State #1 Nation MN has been our #1 for a very long time
2020: Jalen Suggs Jalen Suggs 6'5" | SG Minnehaha Academy | 2020 State #6 Nation MN has been the top guy since he was born
2019: Matthew Hurt was the top guy since he played varsity as a 7th grader.
2018: Tre Jones was always the top guy (although there was some Daniel Oturu talk at the end)
2017: Gary Trent Jr was the top guy for many years before going prep
2016: Amir Coffey earned the top spot quickly and never gave it up
2015: It was Alex Illikainen or Jarvis Johnson. Maybe should of been Sacar Anim at the end.
2014: Always Tyus Jones although Rashad Vaughn had a moment on top when he was drafted seven spots earlier
2013: Graham Woodward had it at the end, Carson Shanks had it early, Reggie Lynch should of pry been the choice
2012: A total cluster. Sanjay Lumpkin, Isaiah Zierden, Johnny Woodard, Joey King, Siyani Chambers, and Marcus Marshall were all #1 at one point. I switched it every time. Still don’t have a real answer.
2011: Joe Coleman was always 1
2010: Kevin Noreen had the crown
2009: Royce White from day 1
Get my point? It’s not always hard to see early but this year we have three really good players. So let’s dive in more.
Tre Holloman Tre Holloman 6'2" | PG Cretin-Derham Hall | 2022 State #57 Nation MNWhat Do Others Say?
We at Prep Hoops say our national rankings are the best because they are put together by our entire network of writers. BUT we do not pretend we are the only experts out here. Here is what others say:
247 Sports – They don’t have Tre ranked which is ridiculous. Camden Heide Camden Heide 6'7" | SF Wasatch Academy | 2022 State #129 Nation UT is 32nd nationally for 247, a spot that I would agree with. Prince Aligbe Prince Aligbe 6'6" | SF Minnehaha Academy | 2022 State #167 Nation MN is ranked 73rd which is also crazy to me.
Rivals – Camden at 37, Prince at 46, and Tre not ranked.
What does this mean? It means that Camden was seen playing a game or two with D1 Minnesota and on that team he was a top option so they liked what they saw. The biggest thing though is that Heide did very well at the 16U USA try-outs which is the biggest reason he is in top.
How about offers? Prince has the most, but they will all have great options when it comes down to it. Most of their offers will be similar in the end.
The Case for Prince
At 6-foot-6, strong, explosive, and really quick laterally Prince is the most athletically gifted of the bunch. Because of his strength, lateral speed, and defensive desire he has a chance to be an elite defender that can guard several spots. I saw him move his feet with Holloman at one point and then later in the year guard a top power forward and limiting that player as well. Prince has a good looking jumper and better ball handling skills than people know, but playing at Minnehaha Acadmey and with Grassroots Sizzle you don’t get to see him do those things all that often (deep teams of talent).
Coaches are concerned about his ball skills but that’s got more to do with not seeing him do it as opposed to not liking them (scored 11 a game this year on about 6-7 shots a game). He’s the safest pick as “top guy in the class”.
The Case for Camden
Camden is a big wing at 6-foot-6/6-foot-7 with a perimeter shooting touch and more bounce to his game than anybody ever expects (until it’s too late). Heide impressed in a big way at Team USA 16u tryouts because he shoots the ball so well. He is a three but played as a four a lot this year for Wayzata leading to him playing in more of a frontcourt way (in the games I watched anyway).
With D1 Minnesota he will be a straight wing shooting at the arc and going at the rim for highlight finishes. Started this high school season off with an ankle injury and his Wayzata team never got going finishing under .500. He finished scoring 16 a game this season and schools are wondering what happened to the team this winter. Not a great sophomore year but he will bounce back. Most respected Minnesota sophomore nation wide.
The Case for Tre
When you look at Tre think Al Nolen with about another inch or two. Holloman is fast like Nolen although more explosive going at the rim. The high school/college version of Al Nolen would beat anybody on the court in a straight sprint or lateral movement contest but Holloman is pretty good in those areas too.
Tre’s vision is fantastic, his motor is outstanding, and his teammates love competing with him. He’s a nine assist a game kind of guy and his teams simply win. College coaches are worried about his jumper. I think Tre has a special quality to him that guys just love being around. He had the best high school season of the trio as he had the ball in his hands a lot more than the others had a chance to.
The Final Verdict
The final answer is they are all very similar (in where they stand nationally) and we will have a better answer when the 17u/16u games are played this summer (if they are played this summer) and when camps occur in various spots. The final verdict is it’s too close to call right now. The final verdict is a draw. But there are no ties in our rankings so next week when the 2022 rankings come out you can find our who our choice is… for now.