Minnesota Class AAA & AAAA Surprise Teams

Minnesota Class AAA &#038; AAAA Surprise Teams

Matt Bigelow

January 25, 2020 @ 02:24 PM

Somehow, we’re at about the midway point of the season already. Standings are taking shape for the postseason. Teams are rounding into form and it’s easier to get a sense now of what teams are truly capable of with regards to the rest of this season. Here are some of the surprise teams from Class AAA and AAAA at the midway point of the year: Class AAA Delano The Tigers are pretty clearly the favorite in Section 5AAA and while the section as a whole isn’t great, this team is good enough to win games at state. Armed with a jumbo lineup of guys who can defend, switch and pass, this is a group that is going to give a lot of teams fits. Trey Longstreet is a terrific two-way guy who sets the tone but it’s been the emergence of Terron O’Neil and Keagen Smith as offensive engines that give this team an even higher ceiling than previously perceived. Minneapolis Henry Patrick Henry was decent last year, going 16-12. But the Patriots were graduating a number of key guys and went into this year with a lot of newcomers playing key roles. So far, things have gone quite well, as they are 11-3 with a handful of solid wins to their name already. The trio of senior guards, Glentrell Carter, Lamar Burgess and Jamar Gardner have been the catalysts for a team that has a shot at hitting 20 wins this year. Princeton The Tigers had one of the best seasons in school history last year. Led by a terrific senior class, Princeton won 25 games and reached the state semifinals. With that core gone to graduation, the Tigers were supposed to be rebuilding somewhat this winter. That hasn’t been the case at all, as they’ve still got one of the most explosive offenses in the state. Tate Laabs is back and he’s been the engine at the point guard spot, averaging 11 points and nine assists. Cody Miller has enjoyed a breakout season too, averaging 16 points and eight rebounds. Five guys average double-figure scoring for a team that is the frontrunner in Section 7AAA. Class AAAA Tartan At this point, Tartan piling up wins every year shouldn’t be a surprise. But the Titans are 14-1 on the year and on their way to a conference title. They don’t have the Division I type talent like they did a year ago but guys like Joseph Kearney (14.7 points per game) and Langston Binns (14.9 points per game) have given the team stability in the backcourt and go-to bucket-getters. The defense has been excellent as well, as the Titans allow just 52 points per game. Wayzata A preseason top-10 team, things haven’t gone well for the Trojans. Currently 3-12 on the year, Wayzata has been the victim of a combination of an absolutely brutal schedule and a variety of injuries that have kept the team from finding consistency. Camden Heide missed the first five games of the year and is just now rounding into form. The Trojans are going to be a low seed in their section when the time comes, which will make them a scary early-round opponent for someone in March. Maple Grove For the second time in three seasons, Maple Grove went into a season with a lot of question marks. After graduating a huge senior class that was influential in the last two state tournament runs, the Crimson were going to be breaking in a big batch of varsity players. So far, things have gone better than expected as Maple Grove is 10-3 and tracking towards another top seed in Section 8. Depth has been a big strength as eight guys average at least four points per game. Lovell Williams has been terrific at the point guard spot, averaging 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals.