Class AAAA Title Contender Series: Woodbury
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Our next contender for championships gold? The Woodbury Royals led by Bradley Cimperman Bradley Cimperman 6'5" | SG Woodbury | 2021 State MN and a good group of returning players. Key Wins in 19-20 (19-9): St. Paul Central, CDH, Rosemount,…
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Continue ReadingOur next contender for championships gold? The Woodbury Royals led by Bradley Cimperman Bradley Cimperman 6'5" | SG Woodbury | 2021 State MN and a good group of returning players.
Key Wins in 19-20 (19-9): St. Paul Central, CDH, Rosemount, WBL
Oops: CDH, East Ridge, Mounds View, Lakeville South
Moving On: The biggest loss from last year was second leading scorer and all league player Parker McMorrow Parker McMorrow 6'5" | SF Woodbury | 2020 State MN . Parker was a 6-foot-5 frontcourt player that will be tough to replace. Reserve size Charlie Wilson and Joe Frommelt are now playing college football and reserve active big Davionte Culpepper Davionte Culpepper 6'4" | PF Woodbury | 2020 State MN is playing college hoops. This isn’t a lot of scoring production but it is a lot of toughness and muscle that’s gone.
Returning Starters: This is a little tougher to figure out. I watched three different Woodbury games in the past 12 months and all three of them had different starting line-ups. The one starter that is returning this year that started every game was Bradly Cimperman. Cimperman is a 6-foot-5 senior scoring weapon that hits shots from the perimeter and also scores around the paint. He’s a hard worker and a good leader that is a top 50 caliber player in Minnesota.
Reserves Playing a Bigger Role: This is reserves and I guess I would call them part time starters. Six-foot-2 senior point guard Mac Lockner Mac Lockner 6'3" | SG Woodbury | 2021 State MN , six foot guard Devin Padelford Devin Padelford 5'10" | PG Woodbury | 2021 State MN , 6-foot-1 junior guard Blake Rohrer Blake Rohrer 6'2" | SG Woodbury | 2022 State MN , and 6-foot-4 junior forward Donald West Donald West 6'3" | SF Woodbury | 2021 State MN are all players I noticed starting a game a year ago.
Lockner is player that often controls the heart beat of this team. He’s vocal, the main ball handler, a very good passer, and an active defender. Padelford can handle or he can play off the ball. More importantly he’s an active, agile athlete that was named first team all state in soccer and they will use him in a few different roles. Rohrer is yet another ball handler that competes with toughness that makes him a good finisher in the paint as well as a top guard rebounder. West will likely spend a lot of time defending size in the paint but he moves well so he can guard the perimeter too. Active off ball scorer that is 220 pounds.
Potentials from the JV: The junior class expects to compete for the several available bench roles and all of the players will look to add guard depth. James Maier, Prince Nde, and Isaiah Williams are all guards that played on the JV last season as sophomores and now hope to make a varsity impact. With a total lack of size on the roster, seniors Joseph Manor and Dominic Cuoco will be looked to for depth as front. Both stand about 6-foot-2 but both are forwards.
Final Thoughts: The biggest reason I like this team is their experience. Cimperman and Lockner have a lot of varsity games under their belt and just behind them are fellow seniors Padelford and West. The athletic gifts of Padleford and West have been clear not just in hoops but in other sports. Throw in Rohrer and you have a bright, intelligent, experienced five. My concern though is a lack of size. Cimperman and West will have to play bigger than they likely want to having to compete one possession deeper in the starting five than they would like. Also, the bench will be upperclassmen but they will be small and fresh.