Friday Night Selections: Top Prospects and Predictions
GAMECOMMENTPREDICTIOND1 TO WATCHD2 TO WATCHD3 TO WATCH Hopkins at Eden PrairieHopkins is the best team in state, EP is struggling in a big way. Can EP turns things around today? It would take quite an upset.HopkinsSimon Wright (Hopk). He's taken…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingGAME | COMMENT | PREDICTION | D1 TO WATCH | D2 TO WATCH | D3 TO WATCH |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hopkins at Eden Prairie | Hopkins is the best team in state, EP is struggling in a big way. Can EP turns things around today? It would take quite an upset. | Hopkins | Simon Wright (Hopk). He's taken some big steps this year, at his size with effort and touch the looks are deserved. | Nick Geolat (EP). Can Nick be that partial scholarship worker that your team needs? He was for the Heat. | Erik Davis (Hop). I think he would be fantastic in the MIAC, maybe as a worker at a D2 on a partial as well. |
Cooper at St. Louis Park | Two of the best stories of the season as the 10-1 Hawks take on the 11-4 Orioles. Nobody expected these teams to be where they are at right now but here they are working for the top of the Metro West. Very similar squads in terms of where they are at, Orioles have had a bit tougher schedule. | St. Louis Park | Beijan Newbern (Cooper). Few 2018 kids have taken the steps forward that he has. Scoring 17.3 points per game right now, bright future | Melvin Newbern Jr (Cooper). Athletically and defensively he would be a great grab for an NSIC team. The interest has been there in the past, I would expect it to be there when he decides on his four year school whenever that maybe. | Ray Whitlock (StLP). Creator, scores, leads, teammates love him. This is a guy that players will follow and what he is doing this year is proof that hard work pays off. |
Eagan at Lakeville South | Eagan has six wins and that is more than people expected. South has won six in a row. Both teams looking better than they were a month ago and this could be the sleeper pick for a game to see. | Lakeville South | Shae Mitchell (South). Scoring 16 a game and has the length and bounce that schools at the highlest level want to work with. Starting to tap that immense potential | Sam Schuberg (Eagan). Length and agility is there for a school to go and get a look at. Sam is a senior and one of numerous Wildcats just under ten points per game to lead the team. | Jake Van Wyk (Eagan). Possible name for the future as the 6-foot-2 wing is one of the top scorers for the Cats. |
Apple Valley at Shakopee | The Sabers have made it to state the last two years and now is the year they are going to make a run at the crown at AAAA if it's ever going to happen. Can they? How they perform agaisnt the defending champs tonight will give us an indication. | Apple Valley | Cameron Kirksey (AV)/ Steffon Mitchell (Shak). What seniors do I get asked about the most from the D1 level? It would be these two and they will see a lot of each other. I would expect a few coaches travleing to see this game. | Booker Coplin (Shak). I don't know if you can find a guy doing more for his team. Playing PG, top outside threat, running the offense, guarding the other's teams top scorer, boarding, etc. | Taylor Triplett (Shak). Congrats to Taylor who has committed to Crown College. |
Mt Iron-Buhl at North Woods | The Rangers have lost three of four since being smacked by North Woods the first time, now they hope to get back on track. North Woods, they were ranked after beating MIB the first time and after the lose to South Ridge they need another eye catching W. | North Wods | None | Archie Winans (MtB). He's been running a team very well for a long time and knows how to create. Could be a nice walk-on to look at for a nothern team. | Darnell Goggleye (NW). The numbers that this guy is able to produce, may be worth a look for the UMAC squads. |
Osseo at Maple Grove | Outstanding Friday Night game. Sucks that Tywhon Pickford is out, best wishes to him in his recovery. Maple Grove has the talent to recover but his hole the line-up is tough to fill. Even tougher to try and fill it in the first game against undefeated Osseo. Tough task, but I bet Brad Davison has a huge night. If this game was a week later, I would say Osseo but the Crimson have been re-focused but this injury so they will be fired up. | Maple Grove | Reed Nikko (MG). With Tywhon out, everybody has to pick it up, Reed will have more chances. The Mizzou signed talent's role will be huge. | Allen Anderson (Osseo). It's getting to the time that some NSIC schools want a new PG and Allen is one to go see as he is leading the team to a 14-0 start | Kameron Bettie (Osseo). Second leading scorer, top worker, looks like he could be a football prospect, worth looking at the MIAC league |
Tartan at Maple Grove | The two schools in the same district go at it not just for positioning in section and conference but also for area bragging rights. These groups of coaches teach there and go to the same teacher development meetings and the students see each other all the time. Good rivalry game. Tartan has been upset twice this year while the Polars are 11-4 so all focus will be there. | Tartan | Jarvis Thomas (Tart). He plain and simple gives the Titans something that the Polars don't have so he could be the difference in the game. | Noah Whalen (NSP). Love his touch, agility, and effort. Seems like a nice shooting guard in the NSIC | Adreon Wadlington (NsP). Leads the team in scoring, outstanding on the glass, fighter, slashes. |
Red Lake at Park River-Backus | Pine River- B has burst on the scene beating Cass Lake-Bena and Nevis and now they are going for the area trifecta against Red Lake. Can they maintain their spot in the ranking against Red Lake? | Red Lake | None | Rob McClain (Red Lake). Rob is a fairly athletc junior wing at 6-foot-4 who has had numerous double-doubles this year. We donŐt know what level of player he is but he's had a lot of success | Konrad Bueckers (PLB). He is 6-foot-4 at small forward averaging 17/8 a game. We have not seen him play but know he has good size. Maybe worth a video check on. |
St. Charles at Rushford-Peterson | St. Charles is 14-1 while the Trohans are reeling about at 9-4. Justin Ruhberg wants to put on a show tonight and we really think he will as his team needs this win to take a step | St. Charles | None | Justin Ruhberg . You will see him play this spring and summer in Grassroots and maybe sometime in the playoffs as Justin is quite talented | Matt Culhane . Stands 6-foot-8 inside and puts up 12 and 8 plus you know he is well coached. |
Jordan at NYA. | Jordan has dealt with inuries this year so they have lost more than they would like while NYA is 11-5 and wants to get a win to earn more respect than they are getting. | NYA | Jimmy Vollbrecht (Jor) Is Jimmy this level of player? The way he has improved you can put nothing past him and there are schools asking after his 47 points. He does stand 6-foot-8 and work extremely hard | Jimmy (Jordan). Yes same guy. A top D2 target for sure as he is putting up 24.4 points per game with ten boards | Brice Panning (NYA). The 6-ft-2 senior is averaging nearly 20 points a game and that was not expected |
Delano at New Prague | The Trojans had some early troubles but are now won 10 of 12 with one of the top teams in Class AAA coming to town in Orono. The Lucas Walford vs Matt Kreklow match-up should be excellent. | New Prague | Cal Wishart (Del). If it's going to be anybody from this game it will be Wishart who has an outstanding separation game plus we love the way he competes. | That Walford vs Kreklow match-up can be relived when Augustana plays U of Mary in the future | Austin Greenwalt ( NP). A worker small forward who does what ever a coach wants him to at 6-foot-5 |
Brooklyn Center at St. Croix Lutheran | BC has not quite won the games they wanted but this is a game that could put them back in the race as St. Croix Lutheran is the number one ranked team in state | St Croix Lutheran | Ade Murkey (StCL). Schools like NDSU and Furman have recently called on Ade who is having a great year as a senior | Davonta Prince (BC). Great athlete who loves to defend and has had D1s ask about him, we put him at D2 just to get him on here plus he could play there too. Scoring 15 a night. | Aage Rovney (StC L). He has had some D2 interest in the past as a shooter that can handle, we think he would also be a really nice D3 player |
Eastview at Farmington | 9-6 Lightning and a 8-6 Farmington team that needs to get back on the winning side. If Farmington is to turn things around they need to beat a team like Eastview but their guards are tough | Eastview | None | Jameson Bryan (EV). Love the way he plays, not big though so for a D2 to take him he would really have to get even better, but love him as a PG | Sean Ryan (EV). Would be an excellent MIAC player. Very good shooter and knows how to play position D in the way that colleges wouldnŐt have to spend a lot of time teaching |
Wayzata at Minnetonka | Trojans grabbed that win over EP, now they need to beat Tonka if they are to stay on track with the teams they want to be on the same level with. Same goes for Tonka who is playing better after that bad loss to Eagan | Minnetonka | Amar Miller. Amar has talked many different college options, at some point he has the talent to run a D1 fast paced offense | Jack Sowada . The guy is 6-foot-5, has a great touch, is the second leading scorer on the team, and should get a look at that level. | Max Cooper (Tonka). Moves well as a 6-foot-5 big, he would be really good in the MIAC. Active player in the frontcourt. |