Grassroots Preview: SW Minnesota Stars

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">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. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Southwest Minnesota Stars are a compilation of some of the top talent in the southwest corner of Minnesota with some guys coming over from South Dakota and sometimes even Iowa.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here’s a quick look at this year’s squad</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Guards:</strong> Matthew Hmielewski, Jack Hested, Jordan Sagedahl, Blake Wadsworth, Matthew Moorse, Damon Walhof</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sagedahl is a player to watch here as he’s been one of the better players for BOLD over the last couple seasons. He’s a terrific perimeter shooter but also rebounds well for a guard, defends at a high level and plays with an intelligence that allows him to impact the game in a lot of ways. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hmielewski is a 6-foot-2 point guard from Marshall who is excellent from the mid range area of the floor and excels in ball screen actions. His size and length give him an advantage as a defender. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hested, out of Fairmont, is one of the better players in the Big South Conference and should provide some scoring juice. Moorse isn’t the biggest point guard but he’s a solid on ball defender and uses his speed and quickness to be effective. Wadsworth is a do-it-all wing who impact the game on both ends of the floor. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wahlof is out of Sioux Center, Iowa and while he is a bit of an unknown, he’s got good size on the wing and brings an effort level that should allow him to fill a strong role. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Forwards</strong>: Zach Durfee, Matt Haken, Wyatt Frank, Nathan Ross, Max McCulloch</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Durfee was one of the better players for Dawson-Boyd last season and will be a featured guy next year. At 6-foot-4, he’s a strong finisher inside and rebounds his area well. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ross is one of the better shooters on this team and while he is more of a guard, he’s got good length and size to defend up and down a lineup. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">McCulloch from Milbank, South Dakota, is a high-energy, rim-running big man. He’s not the biggest kid but he plays with a lot of physicality and to his strengths.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Frank is a solid big man who can finish around the rim and rebound in his area effectively. At 6-foot-7, he’s a big body who will benefit from going against top-notch bigs around the midwest. </span></p>