Class AA Title Contender Series: Minneapolis North

<p>The North Polars have built a program worthy of another state title.  The talent is there and today we give you the run down of what they will be putting on the floor. </p> <p><strong>Key Wins in 19-20</strong>:  South St. Paul, DeLaSalle, Sioux Falls Christian (SD), East Grand Forks, Maranatha Christian Academy, 12-0 in the Minneapolis City Conference</p> <p><strong>Oops</strong>: Lake City, St. Croix Prep, Caledonia, Waseca, Minnehaha Academy, Hopkins</p> <p><strong>Moving On</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id="956144" first="Quientrail" last="Jamison-Travis"] is the lone regular rotation player from a year ago that has moved on from a 21-8 team.  Quientrail provided North with deep post toughness, rebounding, and 11 points a game.  North will be better this year than last, but they do have some low post toughness to replace.  Freshawn Collins also graduated and he played a role off last year’s bench. </p> <p><strong>Returning Starters</strong>:  The Polars bring back four starters: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="850709" first="Willie" last="Wilson"], [player_tooltip player_id="958665" first="Jacob" last="Butler"], [player_tooltip player_id="774735" first="Davon" last="Townley Jr"], and CJ Brown II</strong>.  That’s one of the top ten seniors in the state (Townley), a top ten junior (Wilson), one of the best up and comers in the junior class (Butler), and an experience veteran Brown (a top 50 level senior).  Wilson can play on and off the ball and I’m really excite to see what he can become as a defender.  Townley has a legit shot to be a Final Five candidate for Mr. Basketball, he’s the type that could put up 20/10 a night on a stacked team.  Add in Brown and Butler, you have a strong returning core of starters. </p> <p><strong>Reserves Playing a Bigger Role: </strong>That’s two reserves, a pair of aggressive, quick, attacking ball handlers that both scored four buckets a game last winter, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="796946" first="Mario" last="Sanders II"] and [player_tooltip player_id="958670" first="De’Meiko" last="Anderson"]</strong>.  I wouldn’t be surprised if one at times - or maybe even all season - started which would result in a four guard line-up with Townley.  Or the pair simply came off the bench and kept pressure on the opposing guards.  Either way, it’s about as good of a backcourt coming off the bench (if that’s what Coach Larry McKenzie chooses to do) as you will find.  Or at least one of the best. </p> <p><strong>Transferring In</strong>:  A big reason the expectations are so high for North, and a big reason they are a top five team in the state of Minnesota in terms of talent (regardless of class), is the transfer in of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="532569" first="Andre" last="Gray"]</strong> from Hopkins.  Gray is the best shooting guard prospect in the senior class and maybe one of the most improved players of the summer.  Andre will make North even better on both ends of the court and be up for Mr. Basketball Final Five consideration.  North does have some size to replace and that’s where the transfer of 6-foot-7 (approximately) <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="774808" first="Marcus" last="Owens"]</strong> of Minnetonka to Minneapolis North helps this team.  Owens is agile and has great size.  </p> <p><strong>Potentials from the JV:  </strong>When you have four returning starters, two key players back from the bench, a player in Gray that will move into the starting line-up, and Owens up front, that’s eight guys.  Sure there will be room for another guy or two in situations or if a player is hurt, but not much.  Another big to keep an eye on is 6-foot-8 sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="962219" first="Elijah" last="Billingsley"]</strong>, North could potentially use him if they need more size.  There are also some seniors that played JV last year in <strong>Lavar Jones, [player_tooltip player_id="774898" first="Terrance" last="Kamara"], and Kesh’on Walker</strong>.  </p> <p><strong>Final Thoughts</strong>:  Minneapolis North is the most talented team in Class AA basketball and if you were taking a twitter vote (four choices) of the four most talented teams in Minnesota, the Polars would be there.  But another contender on that list is Waseca, a team that has beat North the last two years.  For me the Class AA title comes down to those teams and Caledonia.  North certainly has the talent to take the crown.  They also have the talent to play with, and potentially beat the top teams in other Classes as well. </p>