North Dakota Preview: Class A Top Wings

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s never too early for too-early-season. With fall sports and school underway, it’s only a matter of time before the winter sports season is upon us. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the top wings in Class A:</span></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="731865" first="Will" last="Obioha"], Grand Forks Red River</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Obioha missed a good chunk of his junior season with a knee injury but when healthy, there’s little doubt that he’s an elite level talent. At 6-foot-6, he’s one of the best all-around defenders in the state, as he’s got the athleticism and size to guard three-plus positions and impact the game as a helper. His defense is ahead of his offense but he’s excellent as a slasher and cutter. And he’s improved as a shooter. He’s the favorite to be the Player-of-the-Year in the EDC. </span></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="731866" first="Gunner" last="Swanson"], Bismarck</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Swanson was the leading scorer and rebounder for a Bismarck that exceeded all expectations last winter, reaching the state semifinals before the state tournament was canceled. He showed this summer playing with ECI that he’s capable of doing even more, as he’s a multipositional defender who can shoot it at a high level and get to the rim. He shot 40 percent from the 3-point line as a junior and at 6-foot-5, he’s got the athleticism and size to cause matchup problems for just about everybody. </span></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="750168" first="Brooks" last="Carroll"], Jamestown</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Carroll was one of the breakout stars last season, emerging as one of the best pure shooters in the state while seemingly upping his game consistently as the season went along. He averaged better than 20 points per game in the postseason and showed over the summer that he’s capable of being even more than a dead eye shooter. He’s got the size and toughness to guard up in a lineup, but also the length and quickness to stick to smaller guards. If he starts putting it on the floor a little more to complement his shooting, he could be the top scorer in the WDA. </span></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="812219" first="Carson" last="Hegerle"], West Fargo</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hegerle had a solid sophomore season for the Packers, averaging 10 points and nearly four assists while showing he can impact the game defensively and in transition. He’s a big, athletic combo guard who can guard three-plus positions, get in the passing lanes, score in transition and make plays off the dribble. He’s got Player-of-the-Year potential if he shows improvement with the jumper. </span></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="750176" first="Jayce" last="Lowman"], Mandan</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lowman emerged as one of the top wings in the WDA last season and should be even better as a senior with more responsibility on the offensive end of the floor. He’s got good length on the wing, shoots it at a high level off the catch, has more off-the-dribble juice than you might think and has improved as a playmaker over the last two years. He’s just so solid.</span></p>