Class AAAA…A Taste
It’s going to be three months before we can get the full basketball season but that doesn’t mean Prep Hoops can’t give you….A Taste.
Section by section every week we give you something to chew on until games begin. News, notes, thoughts, surprises, guarantees, you name it. Something. Week by week (yes we will do other classes too).
1AAAA. The biggest thing right now is Rochester Mayo and the changes there. New Coach Luke Madsen brings with sophomores Gabe and Mason Madsen. Both were top ten ranked players in their class in Wisconsin after a fantastic summer. To make things even better the team returns starter and double figure scorer Stephen Douglas at guard as well as three other guys from the rotation.
2AAAA. Don’t forget about the Skippers of Minnetonka. If we are being honest I can honestly saw I was sleeping on them myself. Then I recalled what Jalen Dearring did last year, saw Jon Martens play well this summer, saw Cameron Steele do things, looked through the season box score and saw more names returning, and then they added Andy Stafford. Don’t forget about them.
3AAAA. A player that I think highly of is Park of Cottage Grove junior Charlie Gorres. This forward is a do everything kind of guy that led his team in everything last year. His team improved and this is an agile and tough young man who I think will have a huge season.
4AAAA. I look at this section and think about the coaches. They already had one of the state’s best in Mark Klingsporn, one of the state’s most respected in Kent Getzlaff, and one of the most beloved in Jerry Kline. Now they add one of the state’s elite young coaches in Bryce Tesdahl (East Ridge) and a known Gopher name in Damian Johnson (NSP).
5AAAA. It’s Park Center’s time, will they step up and grab it? The Pirates surprised people by making it into the top five for much of the year a season quicker than expected. Now all the spotlight is on them. They will be a top five squad starting the season with Jarius Cook, Dain Dainja, Khari Broadway, Emmanuel Tamba, Tommy Chatman and others. Osseo and Champlin Park won’t be pushovers but PC has the most talent.
6AAAA. Armstrong was caught off guard by Race Thompson going to school early and heading to Indiana. The Falcons lose eight of their top ten scorers from last year. That said Isaiah Miller and Ben Inniger return with varsity minutes and the JV was solid a year ago. Adam Biewen and Cole Priem are young guys to take note of.
7AAAA. The dangerous 1-2 punch of John Schrader and Manny Jingco gives Forest Lake a team that will win a lot of games and will surprise people. You can bet on them upsetting somebody this year and you can expect them to hit 20 wins when the playoffs are completed.
8AAAA. A name I think a lot of people should learn is Moorhead’s Maleeck Harden from Moorhead. The 6-foot-4 Harden had a great 16u year playing with the ECI Prospects and is a coming off a solid year with the Spuds. All 16u state in the Dakotas and a guy that has a lot of potential.