Grassroots Preview: Northern Lakers

Matt Bigelow

April 23, 2019 @ 05:00 PM

Grassroots season is underway and the talent pool in the state of Minnesota is incredibly spread out, meaning there should be a lot of really good, competitive clubs. The Northern Lakers is comprised of a lot of the top talent in Northern Minnesota and this collection was one of the underrated groups last AAU season. Here’s a quick look Guards: Peter Soumis, Trevor Spindler, Payton Wefel, Isaiah Hendrickson, Kaden Kucza Soumis is one of the best point guards in the state out of Hermantown and while he doesn’t have elite quickness, he’s strong, smart and highly skilled. He’s very good in ball screen action, shoots the ball well from deep and has a crafty middle game. He’s a solid defender as well, where he uses his length and smarts to make an impact on that end. Spindler and Wefel were stars on the Esko team that went to the state tournament last year and both showed they are capable of putting up big point numbers thanks to their 3-point shooting ability. Spindler has good size and strength and is a very good shot-creator on the wing. Wefel is a 45 percent 3-point shooter and excels off the ball. Hendrickson out of Duluth East provides more shooting and solid scoring ability on the wing. Kucza is a Hermantown swingman who was the third option last year. He’s a solid secondary playmaker and perimeter scorer. His defense is one of his better traits as well. Forwards: John Sutherland, Armon Freeman, Isaac Soumis, Dalton Everett, Kevin Thomas, Sam Mesedahl Sutherland was a scoring machine as a junior at Grand Rapids. At 6-foot-6 with really good athleticism, he’s a matchup nightmare because his length and skill is difficult for bigger, slower guys to stick to, but his strength and motor allow him to abuse smaller guys too. Freeman was uber-productive last year for Duluth Denfeld, averaging better than 20 points and six rebounds. His ability to use his quickness and burst to get into the paint and score is a huge strength and he’s got the athleticism to guard up and down a lineup. Soumis, Everett, Thomas and Mesedahl are all Hermantown guys who saw varying amounts of playing time last year with the Thunderhawks. All four will likely see much more time this upcoming winter and will have increased responsibility with Connor Bich gone to graduation. Mesdahl is a 6-foot-6 forward from Hermantown who defends at a high level, rebound out of his area and score efficiently in transition or off cuts and rotations. Everett is a high energy guy who brings a workmanlike style to the court and he excels playing off guys like Soumis, Kucza and Bich from last year. He’ll give this team good energy and productivity without needing a lot of a usage.