Minnesota First Look: Waseca

Matt Bigelow

November 30, 2019 @ 06:44 PM

The Waseca Bluejays were one of the elite teams in Class AAA last year, reaching the state title game and giving DeLaSalle a good run in the championship before ultimately claiming a runner-up finish. Not only do the Bluejays return three double-figure scorers from that squad, but they are moving down to Class AA for the upcoming season. All of that adds up to expectations of state title contention. KEY RETURNERS: Andrew Morgan, Ryan Dufault, Kyreese Willingham The best trio of returners in Class AA, Waseca brings back its star point guard, swingman and center. Andrew Morgan, a 6-foot-8 junior, is the best of the bunch after averaging 17 points and 11 rebounds as a sophomore. Morgan had a terrific summer on the AAU circuit and looks like a future Division I big man. His blend of athleticism, motor and emerging skill is rare. Dufault averaged 17 points per game last year for the Bluejays as a sophomore and showed a lot of growth over the summer when it comes to running a team and being a primary ball-handler. He will take on an even bigger role this year with the ball in his hands with Malik Willingham graduating. He’s a terrific shooter, excellent finisher in traffic and sound decision-maker. Willingham averaged 14 points and five boards last year as the fourth-option but he’s more than capable of taking on a bigger role as a junior. He’s 6-foot-4 or so with a good outside shot, the athleticism to get to and finish at the rim and the floor game to make an impact without scoring a ton. STEPPING INTO NEW ROLES: Zac Hoehn, Jay Lewer, Tave Ball Hoehn was the first guy off the bench most of last year for the Bluejays and he’ll move into the starting lineup as an upperclassman. He’s a big guard who should be able to excel playing next to Dufault and Willingham on the perimeter. Lewer and Ball saw sparing minutes last year and got in during Waseca’s run at the state tournament last year, though the Bluejays mostly kept a tight rotation. Those guys will need to contribute more this year, either as starters or in a key bench role. QUESTION: How much will the Bluejays miss Malik Willingham and Matt Olsem? This a question every team faces but it certainly is something to track for the Bluejays. Malik Willingham is one of the school’s all-time best players. He was the go-to guy for the Bluejays for three years and one of the elite guards in the state. And Olsem was the quintessential glue guy every great team needs. He didn’t score a lot, but he was excellent defensively, a good rebounder and did a lot of the things that don’t show up in the stat sheet that made everybody better. Who does the dirty deeds that Olsem did? The Bluejays have more than enough raw talent to win a state title. But reassigning new roles to replace those departed seniors could be more difficult than some may think. SEASON OUTLOOK Waseca will go into the year as the No. 1 ranked team in Class AA and the undoubted favorite to win a state title. With three potential all-state juniors leading the way, few teams can match the Bluejays high-end talent. They’ll play a tough schedule including matchups in the Big 12 and Tip Off Classic plus games with all the typical powers in Southern Minnesota, but expect another 20-plus win season and for the Bluejays to be in the mix come March.