Senior Salute 2018: #1-25
Each year, we say a sentence or two about the best basketball players in Minnesota’s graduating class before they move onto their next phase of life. The first installment is made up of players No. 1–25 in our 2018 rankings.
Ranking | First Name | Last Name | High School | Plans After High School | Notes |
1 | Tre | Jones | Apple Valley | Duke | Tre marks the end of a historic Jones run in Apple Valley hoops. He spent four years as floor general while his brother Tyus held the position for five seasons before him. Helping lead the Eagles to multiple state titles against huge odds cements him as one of the best to ever do it in Minnesota. |
2 | Daniel | Oturu | Cretin-Derham Hall | Minnesota | The CDH center walked off on his high school career in legendary fashion: a buzzer-beating alley-oop to win the state title. No doubt he’ll be an impactful presence on both ends in Dinkytown. |
3 | Jarvis | Omersa | Orono | Minnesota | Another very unique player to come through Minnesota, Jarvis became famous for his constant (and I mean CONSTANT) threat of yamming a dunk on someone’s head. Everyone itches for a fast break when he’s in the game. But he’s also working to develop better ball skills and is another promising guy for the Gophers. |
4 | Gabe | Kalscheur | DeLaSalle | Minnesota | I remember watching Gabe dominate my little brother’s team in middle school travel ball as a power forward. Then he started growing and shooting the ball and he’s now one of the top Midwest snipers. |
5 | Joseph | Hedstrom | Hopkins | Wisconsin | Joe’s as competitive as they come and has built a big frame to back it up. He’ll head to Madison to be a Badger. |
6 | Calvin | Wishart | Delano | Georgia Southern | Going out with a state title had to be the best feeling for Calvin, who had a monster season at point guard. His triple-double talent and athleticism will serve him well at the next level. |
7 | Michael | Jones | Woodbury | Davidson | Few score the basketball as naturally as Jones, who demanded double- and triple-teams for multiple years in the SEC. He’ll head south to Davidson, where I hear they’ve produced a prolific scorer in the past. |
8 | Brevyn | Spann-Ford | St. Cloud Tech | Minnesota (football) | A physical specimen in every sense of the word, Brevyn runs like a deer and has strength of an ox; that is a good mix for a Big Ten tight end. |
9 | Sy | Chatman | Cretin-Derham Hall | Massachusetts | There’s always a couple prospects each year who burst onto the Division 1 scene a little later than others. Sy’s a great example of a guy who stayed true to his potential and worked hard his senior year to garner interest. He’ll head to the East Coast. |
10 | Owen | King | Caledonia | South Dakota State | Consistently very good. That’s the best way to describe Owen and his five terrific years of varsity basketball. Caledonia is a powerhouse even by metro standards and Owen’s stance at the forefront has always been strong. Jackrabbits win on this guy. |
11 | Jarius | Cook | Park Center | North Dakota State | The class of 2018 is so full of elite shooters and don’t forget Jarius Cook on that list. He’s been a vocal leader and on-court producer in both winter and summer seasons. |
12 | Shae | Mitchell | Lakeville South | Milwaukee | Athleticism, length and a steady improvement of perimeter skills are traits that will help Shae in college a great deal. He’s been a mainstay at Lakeville South and will be remembered as an exciting player to watch. |
13 | Ryan | Larson | Cretin-Derham Hall | Wofford | I can’t help but sit on the edge of my seat when Ryan orchestrates an offense in halfcourt or transition. His vision and creativity are unparalleled as a point guard. Wofford gets a gamer. |
14 | Adam | Trapp | Esko | SD School of Mines | Trapp is a one-man dribble drive eraser and that’s not an exaggeration. His 7-foot-3 frame made it impossible to get a layup. After a high school career that seems somewhat incomplete because of injuries, Adam’s headed to South Dakota to play hoops at the School of Mines. Best of luck to him! |
15 | Matt | Todd | Monticello | Highland CC | The Mississippi 8 was terrorized by the all-around skill of Todd at point guard. D1s peeked, but ultimately Matt decided to go to Highland CC in Kansas. |
16 | Michael | Schaefer | St. Cloud Cathedral | Augustana | A versatile shooter, rebounder and energy guy, Mike is one of the most well-rounded prospects we’ve seen in some time, and he goes to Sioux Falls to play for a premier D2 program in Augustana. |
17 | Josiah | Strong | Champlin Park | Navy | The explosive scoring guard became a hot commodity with Powerhouse last summer, shooting the lights out at all levels. Good luck to him at Navy! |
18 | JaVonni | Bickham | Minnehaha Academy | Denver | JaVonni made big strides athletically inside and out for the Redhawks. His partnership with Jalen Suggs and company has culminated two state titles the past two years. He’ll have great chances at Denver, a unique MN prospect hotspot. |
19 | Goodnews | Kpegeol | North St. Paul | TaylorMade Academy (FL) | Goodnews has a crazy good frame as a wing and his play on the Under Armour circuit as an unsigned senior has recently attracted some low-major and mid-major offers. He’ll go south to TaylorMade Prep in the fall. |
20 | Anthony | Davis | Hopkins | Williston State | Explosive and intense on both ends, Davis was a key piece to the uber-talented Hopkins squads in recent years. D1 juco Williston State is going to be happy with the effort he brings. |
21 | Anders | Nelson | Edina | St. Thomas | After a stellar Hornet/D1 MN career during which he picked up lots of NSIC offers, Anders is off to UST to join a program that always reloads and is an automatic MIAC playoff team. No doubt he’ll be a welcome addition with his playmaking and scoring. |
22 | Beijan | Newbern | Maranatha | Montana-Billings | Beijan’s natural bucket-getting instinct went into high gear as a senior and he helped Maranatha to a very successful season. He’ll go to Montana-Billings, where his older brother Melvin (2016 grad) will also play! |
23 | Eric | Tiedman | Jordan | Augustana | Quiet, reserved, but one of the best defenders across the state, Eric was a stud at Jordan and for MN Fury. His sneaky athleticism and motor were big reasons for his teams winning. Another quality Augustana recruit. |
24 | Wendell | Matthews | Columbia Heights | NIACC | The springy, lanky forward from Heights took steps each season to get himself in peak shape as a rim-running center. He helped the Hylanders reach the state title game along with the upset of DeLaSalle. He’s a package to NIACC with three teammates; we’ll talk about them soon. |
25 | Mitchell | Plombon | St. Cloud Cathedral | Winona State | The skill at 6-5 that Mitchell expanded upon the last 12 months made him a force in grassroots and Class AA action. Scoring, rebounding and defending all positions are strong traits to build on. |