Minnesota First Look: Perham
Perham went into last year as one of the elite teams in Class AA and broke through, reaching the Class AA State Tournament. The Yellowjackets won 30 games on the year, losing only to the three teams that finished first,…
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Continue ReadingPerham went into last year as one of the elite teams in Class AA and broke through, reaching the Class AA State Tournament. The Yellowjackets won 30 games on the year, losing only to the three teams that finished first, second and third in the Class AA State Tournament. They’ll head into a bit of a transition phase now with longtime stars Jenson Beachy and Josh Jeziorski both graduating, but don’t expect them to drop off.
KEY RETURNERS: Finn Diggins, Charlie Rasmussen, Elijah Morris,
The next star for the Yellowjackets, Diggins averaged 11 points and six rebounds last year in a complementary role. At 6-foot-3, Diggins is a tough guy to match up with because he’s got the physicality and finishing ability to dominate in the paint, but he’s also done great work expanding his game in the last year and change to become more of a perimeter threat. Expect big things from him as an upperclassman.
Rasmussen started last year for the Yellowjackets and does a great job playing his role. He’s a tough-nosed defender who the Yellowjackets can trust to make good decisions with the ball. He might not be a huge scorer, but he’s capable of scoring in doses.
Morris is another breakout candidate for the Yellowjackets this winter. The junior guard came off the bench last year and is one of the best marksmen in the state. He’s an absolutely elite shooter who showed over the summer on the AAU circuit that he’s getting better at creating offense when teams overplay him at the 3-point line.
STEPPING INTO NEW ROLES: Jordan Muench, Carter Mulcahy, Carter Aakre
With three multi-year starters gone to graduation, Perham is heading into a season in which there are going to be a lot of minutes available for guys who haven’t played a whole lot before. Diggins, Rasmussen and Morris will likely gobble up a majority of the minutes at their respective spots, but there’s still going to be 80ish minutes out there between two starting spots and bench roles.
Jordan Muench and Carter Mulcahy saw bit minutes lat year and are logical fits to fill in those roles. Carter Aakre is another guy who could give the Yellowjackets production on the wing. Expect there to be underclassmen who haven’t played at the varsity level to step up too.
QUESTION: What’s the depth look like?
Perham’s sustained an incredible amount of regular season success over the last few years in large part because it always had solid depth. Guys would graduate and their roles would be filled with guys who were just as talented. The team wasn’t relying on just one guy to carry them. Last year, the Yellowjackets had four double-figure scorers and a solid seven-man rotation. What’s that depth look like this year? Who is going to step into prominent roles?
SEASON OUTLOOK
Perham will head into the 2019-20 season ranked in the top-10. A lot of that is projection and belief in guys like Diggins and Morris to evolve into all-conference caliber players and the belief that there is talent in the pipeline ready to contribute. The Yellowjackets are always well-coached and with the talent coming back, expect another 20-win campaign and for them to be a factor late in the season.