Welcome Back: Jared’s Preseason Guide For The 2017-18 MN HS Season
Hey, everybody.
It’s been a while, hasn’t it?
(Not really. Grassroots season only ended three months ago.)
But in 2017, basketball never stops. And that’s not a plug for the swoosh brand; that’s the truth. Three months seems like forever because social media doesn’t have the capacity to shut down. Yet in all the chaos and constant news breaks, we can’t get enough. Twitter feeds us what we want to consume, every second of every day. And that’s really fun, whether you’re a player, coach, fan or gym junkie like me.
But just like that, it’s November. What does November bring? Tryouts. What do tryouts bring?
The season. Welcome to the 2017-18 Minnesota high school basketball season.
A Changing of the Guard
As we’ve noted multiple times in the past with extensive coverage and Senior Salute articles, the class of 2017 was one to be revered in the history of the state. More than 20 prospects gave commitments to Division 1 institutions, and several of them are on their way to being key pieces early on their respective squads. More than 120 players ranked on Northstar Hoops Report have decided to play college basketball this season. They deserve one more sign of appreciation for making the 2016-17 season a very memorable one.
With 2017s moving on, the former juniors are now seniors, and that means increased responsibility and expectations. The class of 2018 is no slouch, however. This spring and summer we saw many guys make leaps from Division 2 caliber to Division 1, Division 3 to Division 2, and completely off-the-radar prospects garner interest from Division 3 and JUCO. The 2017 grassroots season had as much parity as any year in recent memory; that indicates a lot of really good talent across the board, but even more tells of the way these guys compete with each other. There are some really fantastic matchups to check out this winter that will carry over from the summer.
Location, Location, Location
It’s pretty common knowledge that if you want to see great players, great teams or even just great basketball atmosphere, Hopkins High School is the place to be during the second weekend of December. (Don’t sleep on the week before, either, with the Girls’ Tip-Off and a few high-powered boys games closing out the evening on Dec. 2.) Breakdown Sports USA’s Tip-Off Classic attracts talent, fans and coaches from every corner of Minnesota and beyond into one facility for the most voluminous single day of hoops each year. It’s undoubtedly Christmas two weeks early. Y’all should be there. Some of the most interesting games on the Saturday docket this year:
Park Center vs. Minnehaha Academy: Two of the best young teams in the state. Jalen Suggs leads the Redhawks as a top 5 sophomore in the nation plus a plethora of outstanding scoring options, while fellow 2020 Dain Dainja anchors the Pirates alongside their athletic, quick mix of guards that’s sure to wreak havoc.
Caledonia vs. St. Cloud Cathedral: The King brothers are still atop the southeast corner of the state and face a scrappy Cathedral squad led by Michael Schaefer. Dynamic guards will make this battle extremely fun on the East court.
Minneapolis North vs. Apple Valley: Champion faces champion in a high-octane game to end the night. Tre Jones and the Eagles of AV are back with inseparable chemistry looking for another title, while Larry McKenzie’s Polars reload again as a top 2A contender. This game could come down to all-out guard performances on both sides.
Other games to watch for throughout the season:
Granite City Classic: Holiday event in St. Cloud that rarely disappoints. Featuring Apple Valley, Cretin-Derham Hall, Park Center, Minnehaha and more. Don’t miss it.
Lake Conference clash: The five-school Lake Conference is pretty even across most of the board, with Hopkins the favorite. But spots 2-5 will be a battle, and you can bet Edina, Wayzata, Minnetonka and Eden Prairie will be going after each other hard all season, along with their difficult non-conference slates.
3A thrillers: The Orono Spartans non-conference schedule: Monticello (solid), Cretin-Derham Hall (very very good), Edina (good), Marshall (historically very good), Mankato East (primed for a big year), Hopkins (very very good), Chaska (solid), Big Lake (solid), Chisago Lakes. Wow. They’ll have their hands full. Not to mention the Wright County East rivals that stand in the way. Orono will be battle-tested come March.
The Raptor Rise: East Ridge! The Raptors surprised us all a year early, coming within a few possessions of a state berth with a very young roster. Sophomore stud Ben Carlson and junior forward Courtney Brown, Jr. lead an upstart group that’s sure to have scouts peeking into that cavernous gymnasium. Catch a Suburban East game over on that side of town!
Jared’s Preseason Section Champions, 4A/3A
4A
1 — Lakeville North
2 — Eden Prairie
3 — Apple Valley
4 — Cretin-Derham Hall
5 — Osseo
6 — Hopkins
7 — Forest Lake
8 — St. Cloud Tech
3A
1 — Austin
2 —Mankato East
3 — St. Thomas Academy
4 — Columbia Heights
5 — Monticello
6 — Orono
7 — Grand Rapids
8 — Fergus Falls
I’m hoping to make some appearances at games throughout the season, but school and my own hoops come first, so we’ll see how it shakes out. Nevertheless, you can bet I’ll be paying attention and interacting on Twitter all year for the best news, games, stats and excitement that stems from this fantastic basketball community in this fantastic state. We’re moving into a new stage of Minnesota high school basketball, but the most thrilling part of that transition is the wave of new talent arriving we get to watch and learn about.
See you later, Minnesota hoops fans. You’ll spot me in the gym sometime soon.