Class AAAA Title Contender Series: East Ridge

East Ridge returns three starters and has unlimited size with college potential. It’s once again a top ten team in the state and a state title game contender. Key Wins in 19-20 (23-6): Park Center, Wayzata, Edina, Woodbury, Mounds View, Cretin-Derham Hall, Tartan Oops: Cretin-Derham Hall, Minnehaha Academy, Eastview, Prior Lake, Eden Prairie Moving On: East Ridge lost top 100 recruit [player_tooltip player_id="846105" first="Ben" last="Carlson"] to graduation and he’s now at Wisconsin. How will they recover? The same way they responded when when [player_tooltip player_id="532557" first="Kendall" last="Brown"] went to Sunrise Christian, Sid Tomes went to Air Force, and when Courtney Brown Jr went to Milwaukee, they press on with more and more talent. East Ridge also lost starter [player_tooltip player_id="721938" first="Brody" last="Kriesel"] (at Lake Region State), Rob Jeter (walking on at Eastern Illinois), and [player_tooltip player_id="955900" first="Nolan" last="Goetz"] to graduation. Returning Starters: The Raptors have three starters returning led by junior [player_tooltip player_id="850708" first="Kendall" last="Blue"], a nationally ranked guard/wing prospect that’s earned high major attention (offer from Marquette). Blue can play on the ball or on the wing with the explosive ability to score 20 a game this year. At forward is 6’7/6’8 forward [player_tooltip player_id="774745" first="Drew" last="Adams"], a Winona State committed stretch four style player that has the skills for a big senior seasons. Then you have [player_tooltip player_id="957208" first="Ben" last="North"], a senior point guard that may not blow you away with numbers but he’s experienced, tough, and intelligent with the ball in his hands. North really improved last year and may be the perfect lead distributing lead guard for a team with talent like East Ridge has. Reserves Playing a Bigger Role: The top returning reserve from last year’s rotation is [player_tooltip player_id="774754" first="Zac" last="Thomas"], a 6’7 four man that can face up with skill. Has a good touch but can also play around the block as well finishing at a high percentage. Thomas is also an educated defender and solid rebounder. He could be used at the four and the five. Potentials from the JV: With only four players returning with varsity experience the Raptors will be starting a player (or two) from the junior varsity as well as using last year’s JV talent for depth on the bench. This is not a concern at all as the Raptors have a lot of quality talent coming up. There are three seniors that should move from the JV right into key varsity spots especially up front. Both 6’7 forward [player_tooltip player_id="1071192" first="Luke" last="Budzyn"] and 6’6 center [player_tooltip player_id="1071108" first="Roderick" last="Payne"] have been limited to mop-up varsity time in blowouts but both are coming off excellent summers where colleges have been in contact about playing at the next level. Budzyn is more of a face-up big while Payne does things with his back to the bucket. Both have some explosion to their games. Then you have 5’11 senior Owen Bretoi who could support as a reserve ball handler. Need more help in the paint? [player_tooltip player_id="958690" first="Logan" last="Larson"] is now a 6’4 255 pound football recruit that is also a quality basketball player. He can figure into the rotation with Paybne, Budzyn, Thomas, and Adams. Does East Ridge have enough scoring support on the wing and in the backcourt? That is where sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="962211" first="Alex" last="Mattes"] comes in. [player_tooltip player_id="962211" first="Alex" last="Mattes"] is a multi-dimensional scoring threat on the wing at 6’3. He has the ability to stop and pull up, or get to the rim and complete. With teams worried about Blue, and needing size on the stretch fours, teams will have a lot of trouble defending Mates who I think will be a starter. We’ve given you five bigs, a couple ball handlers, and two highly talented scoring wings. Team will need a bit of wing depth and that could come from a handful of four or five different upperclassmen that were on JV last year. Final Thoughts: I believe East Ridge has top five talent, maybe top three in the state talent actually. But a lot of it - Larson, Payne, Budzyn, Mattes - isn’t varsity experienced at all. This makes it tough when it comes to ranking them, and predicting them. Also, there are lot of questions. Is Blue ready for that main scoring role quite yet? How much PG will Blue play to get the best sizable line-up on the floor? How will the big man rotation look? Can you maybe use three of those bigs at a time? This is surely a top ten team. I believe they are likely a top five team although may not start there. I believe they have top three talent but can they get there this year? East Ridge is certainly one of the most interesting teams to watch. And they are certainly among the State title contenders.