Who’s Dancing? Minnesota Preps in the 2018 NCAA Tournament
Selection Sunday has just become official and plenty of Minnesota talent will be looking to make their mark as March Madness gets underway. Here is a list, by graduating class, of all the NCAA participants that competed in high school basketball in Minnesota.
Class of 2011
Zach Lofton, New Mexico State – The senior point guard has reached his final year of eligibility after stints at San Jacinto College, Illinois State, Minnesota and Texas Southern. A season ago he was named All-American Honorable Mention and SWAC Player of the Year for his 16.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game at Texas Southern. He transferred to NMSU this season and is averaging 19.1 points per game along with 5 boards. The 6-foot-4 Columbia Heights grad was widely considered one of the best players in Minnesota by the end of his career.
Class of 2012
Kyle Washington, Cincinnati – The 6-foot-9 Washington was a star forward at Benilde-St. Margaret’s from 2009-11 before moving out east to the Hotchkiss School and Brewster Academy for the next two years. He played good minutes at NC State for two seasons, averaging about 6 points and 4 rebounds per game. He then transferred to Cincinnati and is now a senior averaging 11 points and 5 rebounds for the Bearcats as a starter. Washington was a top prospect in Minnesota before moving to Connecticut.
Class of 2013
Carson Shanks, Prior Lake – Carson has made previous stops at Utah State and North Dakota before catching on at Loyola-Chicago this season as a grad transfer. He’s seen action in 11 games for a total of 29 minutes. A Prior Lake alum, the 7-foot Shanks was the #4 prospect in the class of 2013 in Minnesota.
Class of 2014
J.P. Macura, Xavier – The hero of the 2014 Minnesota state tournament, Macura extended his career at Xavier and has played an invaluable role for the Musketeers all four years. J.P. is averaging 12 points and 4.5 rebounds as a senior, becoming an all-around producer for his 1-seeded squad. Macura was the third-ranked prospect in Minnesota’s class of 2014.
Ian Theisen, South Dakota State – The 6-foot-9 forward is a senior for the Jackrabbits averaging 4.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Theisen became an inside-out force at Osseo High School during his five-year stretch of varsity play. Ian was NHR’s seventh-ranked prospect in 2014.
Class of 2016
Brock Bertram, Buffalo – The 6-foot-11 Apple Valley grad is a redshirt freshman for the Bulls and has seen time in 16 games for Buffalo. Bertram terrorized South Suburban big men for four years as an Eagle. Brock was the fifth-ranked prospect in Minnesota’s class of 2016.
Reed Nikko, Missouri – A 6-foot-10 center from Maple Grove High School, Nikko was a defensive force for the Crimson, setting school records for blocked shots during his three years as a varsity starter. He has seen time in 32 games for Mizzou this season scoring 2.4 points and grabbing 2 rebounds per game. Reed was the #3 prospect in Minnesota’s class of 2016.
Landon Kirkwood, Cal State Fullerton – The 6-foot-4 guard was one of the most electric players in Minnesota and put together a nice career at Brooklyn Center, averaging 15 points and eight rebounds as a senior. He has seen time in ten games for the Titans. The 14th-ranked prospect according to NHR in 2016.
Class of 2017
Gary Trent, Jr., Duke – Trent, a consensus top-10 recruit nationally, played at Apple Valley through his junior year of high school before transferring to Prolific Prep in California. He averaged 26 points for the Eagles as a junior and now averages 14 points per game for Duke as the starting small forward. Gary was the top prospect in Minnesota before transferring out.
Jericho Sims, Texas – A lethal athlete who tore up the Colin Powell Center with dunk after dunk playing for Cristo Rey Jesuit, the 6-foot-9 Sims has given great minutes for Longhorn head coach Shaka Smart as a big man off the bench. Jericho is averaging 5 points and 4 rebounds per game. He finished his high school career as the top-ranked Minnesota prospect in 2017.