Postseason Preview: Section 4AA
Section basketball is just around the corner and as the season comes to a close, it’s time to start looking at individual sections. Here’s the lowdown on Section 4AA: Favorite: Minnehaha Academy The Redhawks have the most collective raw talent…
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Continue ReadingSection basketball is just around the corner and as the season comes to a close, it’s time to start looking at individual sections.
Here’s the lowdown on Section 4AA:
Favorite: Minnehaha Academy
The Redhawks have the most collective raw talent in Class AA (and perhaps the entire state) and have played consistent basketball since January.
Jalen Suggs is the next big-time prospect in the state and has put forth several dazzling performances this season as just a freshman and he’s got the ability to dominate a game in ways only a select few players in the entire state can do.
He’s not alone though. The Redhawks have five guys that average at least 10 points per game.
A big difference-maker for them is junior big man JaVonni Bickham, who missed time early in the season. He’s another Division I prospect who can not only control the boards and the paint with his size and strength, but step away from the basket, handle the ball and space the floor.
Kaden Johnson and Terry Lockett are two excellent freshmen in their own right and Lorenzo Smith sets the tone of the defensive end.
The Redhawks should be favored to win Section 4AA and if they do, they should be on the shortlist of teams favored to win state.
In the Hunt: New Life Academy, Minneapolis Roosevelt
New Life Academy looks like the top competition for the Redhawks in Section 4AA given the two teams met in January with Minnehaha winning by five.
Kyle Kaemingk can create matchup problems given his size (6-foot-4) and shooting ability (41 percent 3-point shooter), Kris Ketena is a jack-of-all-trades type player averaging 13 points, six rebounds and three assists and the Eagles have a good mix of solid complementary players with Adam Busch and Drew Wynia.
The Teddies are right there with the Eagles and might actually present a better matchup given their balance and strong defense. Roosevelt allows just 49 points per game (best in the section) and the only teams to break 70 against the Teddies were Minneapolis North, Osseo and Minneapolis Patrick Henry.
They’ve also got five guys averaging double-figures and three guys averaging nearly seven rebounds.
They start four upperclassmen led by Devon Hannah (pictured) and Reginald Rogers, both of whom excel at getting into the paint and creating shots for others. Jordan Johnston is a sniper from the 3-point line and Desi Rogers and Leo Buckwald provide a little bit of everything.
If there’s one thing the Teddies don’t have a lot of, it’s size. They team rebound extremely well and have terrific range defensively due to their abundance of speed and athleticism though.
Teams to watch: St. Croix Lutheran, St. Paul Washington, St. Paul Prep
St. Croix Lutheran doesn’t quite have the juice it did a year ago when it finished third in the state tournament but the Crusaders still have plenty of talent to make an extended run in the postseason.
Garrett Maag has been terrific, especially of late as he’s averaging 18 points over his last 10 games. He’s one of the top prospects in the 2018 class and at 6-foot-4, he’s got a great blend of strength and athleticism to go along with a budding skillset.
Jamaris Johnson (pictured) is another guy to watch for the Crusaders. He’s one of the top bigs in the section and his blend of quickness and strength in the paint, plus overall activity level makes him a handful for opposing post players.
St. Paul Washington is under .500 on the year but the Eagles have a shot to win a game in the tournament if only because they’ve got Curtis Bell. Bell is one of the top scorers in the state, averaging more than 25 points per game. Maurice Carter and James Boua-Taylor give the Eagles two waterbug guards who can wreak havoc on both ends of the floor as well.
St. Paul Prep hasn’t been tested quite as much as some of the other teams in the section given the Eagles played a lot of games in the Twin Cities Athletic Conference – a top-heavy league with Prairie Seeds Academy and Cristo Rey Jesuit. But they do have some exceptional individual talent, namely seniors Aaron Gill and Malcolm Golden. Both guys have enjoyed terrific seasons and regularly put up 20-plus points per night. So the Eagles certainly have the requisite firepower to make an extended run.
Projected Seedings
- Minnehaha Academy
- New Life Academy
- St. Paul Roosevelt
- St. Croix Lutheran
- St. Paul Washington
- St. Paul Prep
- St. Agnes
- St. Croix Prep
- St. Paul Academy
- St. Paul Humboldt
- Trinity School
- Concordia Academy
- Math and Science Academy
- Charter Stars
- Mounds Park Academy