Class AAAA Title Contender Series: Shakopee

<p>The next cycle of Shakopee Basketball starts this month and it’s led by [player_tooltip player_id="850728" first="Nick" last="Katona"] and a talented group of young players. </p> <p><strong>Key Wins in 19-20 (23-5):  </strong>Edina, Wayzata, Hopkins, Prior Lake, Lakeville North, Lakeville South, Eastview, Chaska</p> <p><strong>Oops</strong>: Chaska, Eden Prairie, Eastview, Prior Lake, Lakeville North</p> <p><strong>Moving On</strong>:  Shakopee used four senior starters for most of the season and that’s point guard [player_tooltip player_id="721855" first="Will" last="Cordes"], shooting guards [player_tooltip player_id="721939" first="Aaron" last="Bosley"] and [player_tooltip player_id="846157" first="Caleb" last="Druvenga"], and forward [player_tooltip player_id="846112" first="Charlie" last="Katona"].  Sixth Man Bruce Lockwood, and deeper bench reserves [player_tooltip player_id="955942" first="Zach" last="Wood"] and Jacob Schmidt also graduated meaning seven of the top players in the rotation are gone. Schmidt was a starter later in the season. Katona is at UMD while Cordes is playing for Jamestown. Katona, Druvenga, Cordes, and Lockwood played four years of varsity basketball so giant amount of experience was lost with graduation.  </p> <p><strong>Returning Starter</strong>:  The one returning starter is <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="850728" first="Nick" last="Katona"]</strong>, a player that had a 16U First Team All State season as the most consistent player on a balanced, successful Minnesota Fury Wilde team.  At Shakopee as a sophomore, Katona played the role of top defender, aggressive rebounder (grabbed 8.8 a game), led the team in steals (2.3 a game), plus he was a supporting scorer putting in 3-4 buckets a game.  This summer with Fury, Katona took a big step forward as a consistent summer and has done the same throughout the fall in several different events/leagues. </p> <p><strong>Reserves Playing a Bigger Role: </strong>Six-foot-6 senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1071107" first="Mick" last="Wherley"]</strong> played off the bench last year but has a great chance to show how he can impact a game.  He will be the big in the rotation but he’s more than a big body in the paint, Wherley has a nice touch and his face-up game can be used in a lot of different spots.  Mick and Nick, a fantastic forward duo.  Junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="958711" first="Quinten" last="Snell"]</strong> is 6-foot-1 and is known for his defensive efforts but he can also play either guard spot for the Sabers.  Snell is a strong ball handler and a high IQ decision maker that passes well.  </p> <p><strong>Potentials from the JV: </strong>Shakopee has a deep, talented group of juniors coming up from the JV that are very familiar with Katona and Snell.  Several players will step into big roles starting with point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="850717" first="Cade" last="McGraw"]</strong> who was injured part of last season but should be a trusted leader with the ball on day one (a 15U All State player from two summers back).  With a couple forwards and a couple guards mentioned already that are likely starters we know think about the wing spot.  Junior <strong>Sam West</strong> seems like a good candidate to move into that starting role if they go with a bit more size.  He was a top JV producer along with McGraw.  Two other junior names to watch are <strong>Josh Magin</strong> and <strong>Yonis Mohamud</strong>. Also keep an eye on freshman guard <strong>Isaac Snell</strong>.  Isaac played JV last year as an 8th grader and will likely progress to a spot in the varsity rotation.  </p> <p><strong>Final Thoughts:  </strong>Shakopee has a fantastic junior class that will lead the way. While the talent is there, the one issue is that only [player_tooltip player_id="958711" first="Quinten" last="Snell"] and [player_tooltip player_id="850728" first="Nick" last="Katona"] have varsity experience.  However, it won’t take long for McGraw and West to apply themselves.  Wherley is a nice piece in the senior class and you know a couple other seniors will step into a role (<strong>Carter Goltz, Michael Pennington</strong>, and/or <strong>Jason Clossin </strong>are candidates).  Shakopee has a good mix of talent at all spots and they are a traditionally well coached group so we expect them to be top ten level squad.  Maybe they mature into a state contender this year (we know they will be next year). </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>