The Top 12 Surprise Teams of the 2018-19 Season (So Far)

All the preseason conversation and chatter, the many previews done by various quality outlets, and the all the expectations, there is always teams that move all of it out of the way and surprise! Here is our run down of the dozen biggest surprises.   Holy Family. With Nathan Hendler and Lincoln Cizek moving on never did we think that Matt Thuli would have his team in the top ten of Class AA already this year. But he does. The top returning player from last year Nick Hendler scored five a game as a sophomore! What's crazier is that four of the five games from that 5-0 record were on the road! Brooklyn Center, Maranatha, Rockford, Maple Lake, and Watertown-Mayer, that's not easy teams to beat with an in-experienced team but all have been victories. Hendler is scoring 17 a game but with him in double figures has been Ryan Bowlin and Jacob Konz, both seniors. Sartell. When we did the power rankings for Class AAA Sartell had to of been about five spots from the bottom. So far this year - without playing a home game - Sartell is 3-0 crushing Sauk Rapids-Rice plus surprising many in beating Detroit Lakes (Rocori too). Thomas Gieske made the game winning foul shots to beat DL in overtime (plus scored 26) and Luke Tillotson has played well next to Gieske. Matt Sieben had a career high 24 in the win over the Storm. Sartell is 3-0. Stillwater. Recent Stillwater past has led to all of us looking past them, but this is a veteran team starting five seniors. Stillwater started the year winning four straight (the teams they beat are a combined 3-17 this season) against some struggling opponents but it's good wins for the Ponies. They may have lost to Roseville over the weekend but Nate Shickenjanksi, Trenton Atwood, and Ben Recksiedler are playing good basketball. Eagan. Between transfers and graduation Eagan lost a lot of players but has learned to win games in this early season starting 4-0. The opponents are a combined 2-17 but what matters is the victories as well as the experience that comes with it. A strong junior class of players led by Kurt Ohlheus, Cam House, Jack Carlson, and Finn O'Malley are paving the way for this turnaround. Holy Angels. The chemistry experiment that has led to a waking up of the Troy Bell led echoes in the hallowed halls of AHA? Seniors finding a groove mixed with the influx of talent that the Johnson Brothers bring. The Academy of Holy Angles is 5-0 on the season led by 6-foot-5 Thor Holien hurling lightning bolts from the arc scoring 18 plus a game. Matt Banovetz and Max Gerstner are scoring 16 and 13 a night respectively plus you have the Johnsons hounding and attacking the other team (scoring 12.5 and 9.5 a game). Great balance as well as a nice mix of players have led to wins over Providence Academy, Blake, Kennedy, Washburn, and Hill-Murray. And four of those five games were on the road. Spring Lake Park. Spring Lake Park was expected to be good. But ranked 6th in the state good? How did that happen in this year of Class AAAA basketball? We go by head to head man and the Panther junior brigade took down a ranked Eastview team plus beat up Rogers, Roseville, and Fridley. Blake Remme is scoring 20 a game and his fellow juniors Gabe Myren, Jacob Say, and Daydoor Phillips are living up to expectations. Can they live up to the ranking now? They have Osseo and Maple Grove this week so we will see. Spectrum. Another ranked team this week that may surprise people is Spectrum. The Sting is paralyzing their opponents. They obliterated PACT, ran all over Rush City, won at Foley, and just beat ranked Albany. Matt Kruse (6-4 senior) and Cole Elrod (6-6 senior) are both enjoying 20pg seasons so far. St. James. Remember that guy Parker Jones we talked about earlier in the month and back at the Fall Expo? The guy that scored 19 a game last year for a team that only one two league games last year? Jones has his team undefeated through five games including huge wins over Redwood Valley (who beat Marshall) and Fairmont. The Saints dominated their other opponents with big number wins. Minnetonka. The Skippers were left for dead when Jalen Dearring and Andy Stafford transferred resulting four of the five seniors from last year out of the line-up. Looked over, looked past, ignored. But the Skippers grabbed everyone's attention by crushing Mayo and giving Prior Lake a run. Cameron Steele has been a star and Gavin Patton has hit the ground running from his 17u year into his high school season (Steele 26 a game, Patton scoring 18 plus). AJ Tolliver and Lyric Radford have stepped up too. Mound Westonka. Andre Phillips continues to do a great job with this program. They are 4-1 entering a big game at Tartan tomorrow night. Usually the White Hawks have been the prey but these days they are looking more like the predator that their mascot appears to be. Blake and Orono are teams most thought would beat MW in past years but now in 18-19. Junior Jameson Sexton could be a 20 a game guy and watch out for freshman Jason Spaeth! Chanhassen. The Storm may have lost to EP last Friday but they battled. This is another team left for dead when U of Mary signed Regan Tollefson went down but the depth is still there resulting in a 4-1 mark. Seven guys are scoring between 8 and 13 a game with Carson Hollowaty leading the way. Jacob Miller, Luke Gitzen, and Charlie Ash are three others playing consistent basketball. Blue Earth. Don't be misled by the "blue" in the name or the green on the Giant you see coming into the town. Blue Earth has been gold so far this year defeating Maple River and rival Fairmont among others. They are 4-1 heading into a big week when they face Le Sueur-Henderson and Waseca. Caelan Sanders, a 6-foot guard, is a key player in the nice start for the Bucs.