Seize the Season Tipoff Jamboree: The Future is Bright
On Saturday the Timberwolves and Lynx hosted the first annual Season Tipoff Jamboree at Shakopee highschool. The event was a huge success with over 74 youth teams participating from grades 4th-8th. The teams played in scrimmages that did not keep score which gave coaches a great opportunity to examine their teams and for the kids to have some fun before the season begins. Prep Hoops was fortunate enough to be a partner for the event and wanted to highlight some of the kids at the 6th/7th grade level that showed tremendous effort and hustle to make it a great time.
6th graders Class of 2026
Caleb Francois, Minnetonka
The Skippers 6th grade team was impressive with how much their kids communicated. #30 Caleb Francois seemed to be a key part of this as he was incredibly vocal while on the floor and contributed to good team defense. On more than one instance Francois got on the deck for loose balls and teammates would rush over to help him up.
Aiden Mbinda, Prior Lake
Aiden Mbinda was not the tallest player on his team but certainly played like it. He did not give up on any rebounds and fought for each possession as a guard. He very frequently could come down with a rebound on the defensive end and start out in a sprint towards the other basket as teammates would run the floor with him. We got a chance to talk to Prior Lake’s 6th grade coach Casey Brinkman between games and he mentioned that the biggest thing he tries to make sure is that his kids are having fun and this was evident as his kids ran the floor with grins across their faces.
Woeser Jenpa, Prior Lake
In the backcourt with Mbinda for Prior Lake was Woeser Jenpa and the two teammates showed tremendous chemistry with each other. They communicated switches on the defensive end without allowing their opponents to get easy layups and Jenpa was frequently the other player running with Mbinda on the break. On the offensive end they frequently set ball screens for one another leading to open shots and showed fluidity in half court sets that can take over half of a season to establish. Jenpa was a very good shooter paired with Mbinda’s driving ability.
7th graders class of 2025
Landon Majerus, Waconia
Landon Majerus of Waconia battling for a reboundWaconia’s 7th grade team was very impressive and Landon Majerus on the interior was a key part in helping their team on both ends of the floor. Majerus was one of the tallest kids in the gym on Saturday and his length caused difficulties for opponents as he got several blocks and steals. Shooting seems to get better and better at the youth level as well and Majerus was another stretch 4 that knocked down three point shots as well as worked down low in the post. His tenacity for rebounding stood out greatly and all came from the effort that he was putting in underneath the rim.
Duke Richardson, Minnetonka
Duke Richardson caught our eye without even being on the floor. While on the bench he was vocal as he cheered on his teammates after big plays and showed himself as a great teammate. While on the court, he was very athletic and when running with the ball had his head up in transition to look for teammates. Richardson displayed a great ability to finish himself when called upon and made his left handed layups look as natural as his dominant hand which is something every player can improve on in the gym.
Carter St. Martin, Shakopee
Hustle gets you results and Carter St. Martin seemed to be at the free throw line all of Saturday from his effort. He drove to the rim frequently drawing fouls and as his teammates shots went up was always aggressive with his offensive rebounding and going back up for easy points. Twice in the same game St. Martin would come down with an offensive rebound, pass out to a guard and then run out to the three point line for an uncontested shot as defenders would lose track of him. Being from Shakopee, St. Martin looked like he had shot on these rims before as he made several of his open three point shots.