Under-The-Radar 2022 Post Prospects

The 2022 class is filled with talent at every position, and the center position is no exception. With plenty of big names drawing scholarship level attention, these are seven talented post prospects who may be slipping under the radar in Minnesota. Stephen Kesti (6’8 2022 PF/C, Spring Lake Park)- After averaging 1.3 ppg as a junior, I think that Stephen is in line for a much bigger role this upcoming winter. At around 6’7-6’8 he has solid size on the block, and moves his feet well to get into good position defensively. Though he’s not jumping out of the gym, he can get off the floor pretty quickly allowing him to block/contest shots and also finish above the rim off two feet. Stephen showed some inside-out potential this summer as he was able to score with his back to the basket when isolated in the post, and also knock down open threes in pick-and-pop situations. A hard worker who rebounds well, defends, and can produce offensively. [player_tooltip player_id="958750" first="Nathan" last="Johnson"] (6’8 2022 C, St. Thomas Academy)- I had the chance to watch Nathan play a couple of times this spring and he’s another player who looks ready to take a step forward as a senior. Johnson is able to stretch the floor with his outside shooting, and that forces the opponent’s size to come out and guard him on the perimeter. Without any bigs to defend the paint, Nathan is able to use his passing vision to find cutting teammates and lead them to the rim to score with accurate passes. He has the touch to finish efficiently with his right hand, turning over his left shoulder and scoring with a nice baby hook. [player_tooltip player_id="1234301" first="Judah" last="Land"] (6’10 2022 C, Holy Family)- Though talent wise he may not qualify as a "sleeper", but as someone who just transferred in from Vermont, he may not be well known yet in Minnesota. At 6’10 he has plenty of size down low, and is mobile for a player of his size. In getting to watch him live this summer with the Minnesota Heat, as well as some film from his high school season, he can get off the floor quickly to finish above the rim and is also a rim protector defensively. Most of his production comes in the paint, but he’s shown that he can handle a bit in the open floor, and he also runs hard in transition to try to beat opposing bigs up and down the floor. He’ll pair up with [player_tooltip player_id="962212" first="Boden" last="Kapke"] this high school season and could form a scary frontcourt duo of 6’10 players. [player_tooltip player_id="958698" first="Dane" last="Lusty"] (6’8 2022 PF/C, Edina)- Dane averaged 1.1 ppg last season as a junior at Edina, but this spring/summer he proved he can produce at a high level in the paint for Minnesota Select-Mantey. He scored 25 points in one game, with double-figure scoring totals in multiple other games, proving he can produce when he gets touches. Dane is a grinder down low who isn’t scared to play physical, and because of this he earns a lot of high percentage looks with his ability to clear out space and battle on the offensive glass. He’s a hard worker who may not always get a bunch of looks offensively, but is always going to bring the effort on both ends of the floor. [player_tooltip player_id="958789" first="Luke" last="Kottom"] (6’8 2022 PF/C, Rochester Century)- Another workhorse down low, Luke won’t impress you with anything flashy but he simply gets the job done. Running with the Minnesota Lightning he was a rebounding machine, and that effort on the glass led to multiple put-back buckets in all of his games I watched. Luke is a high percentage finisher who has a strong, lean frame that allows him to withstand contact and remain balanced when going up to score. He also does a really nice job of moving without the ball to secure good position for his guards to set him up for clean look around the rim. High academic student as well. [player_tooltip player_id="958709" first="Patrick" last="Ebeling"] (6’9 2022 C, Totino-Grace)- Due to the depth that Totino-Grace has, PJ played primarily at the JV level last season as a junior. With his size at around 6’9-6’10 he immediately stood out at that level, but was more than just a big body on the floor. He has soft touch to finish around the rim, and doesn’t force many shots especially when the double-team comes in. PJ has the patience and vision to kick it out to an open shooter or find a cutting teammate once a second defender comes over. He has a couple of post moves in his arsenal to get off looks around the rim when left isolated on the block, and he does a good job of initiating contact to box out players and attack defensive rebounds off the rim. [player_tooltip player_id="1268458" first="Miles" last="Hettinger"] (6’8 2022 PF/C, Stewartville)- I think that Miles has a chance to make a huge jump statistically as a senior. Last winter he averaged 5.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per games as a solid role player, but could step into the leading role this winter. At 6’8 he’s a good athlete for his size with some mobility in the open floor and explosiveness around the rim. Miles isn’t afraid to play physical, and is battle tested after practicing against a high major big man the past couple of high school seasons. Offensively he can finish at the rim but is also a threat from beyond the arc. Defensively he can contest around the rim but he has the mobility where he can switch off screens and defend on the perimeter when needed.