Class AA Title Contender: Minnehaha Academy

<p>Minnehaha Academy’s 2021-22 quest is a 5th state title in six years and a 6th straight finish as the number one team in their class.  This is the Minnehaha Academy Redhawks! </p> <p><strong>Key Wins in 20-21 (20-1)</strong><strong>:  </strong> Duluth East, Wayzata, Edina, Hibbing, Stewartville, Blake, Hopkins, Waseca, Minneapolis North, Richfield, Mahtomedi, Totino-Grace, Byron, DeLaSalle, Alexandria</p> <p><strong>Oops</strong>: IMG Academy</p> <p><strong>Moving On: </strong> [player_tooltip player_id="532574" first="Chet" last="Holmgren"] of course committed to Gonzaga and is a preseason All American as a freshman.  Also graduating was fellow starters [player_tooltip player_id="680229" first="Hercy" last="Miller"] and [player_tooltip player_id="957130" first="Isaiah" last="Davis"].  Both were double figure scorers.  Miller is at Tennessee State while Davis is at a prep school I believe. In addition, reserve forward [player_tooltip player_id="774902" first="Trent" last="Finney"] is now playing football at Grand Valley.  Also, Donovan Smith (who was a junior last year and missed several games to injury) is at a prep in Ohio.  Finally, [player_tooltip player_id="1284189" first="Nick" last="Parten"] and Aiden Phelphs, the 9th and 10th men of the rotation, have graduated.  Parten was listed as a freshman last year on some rosters but he was a senior.  </p> <p><strong>Returning Starters (2):  </strong> Minnehaha Academy has two starters back and they are two of the state’s best players.  Houston committed sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="1284186" first="Mercy" last="Miller"] is ranked as the best sophomore prospect in the state of Minnesota, his 11 points a game returns.  Also back is nationally ranked senior [player_tooltip player_id="850702" first="Prince" last="Aligbe"], a Boston College commit who played some point, was the top perimeter defender, one of the top two rebounders on the team, and an 11 point per game scorer.  </p> <p><strong>Reserves Playing a Bigger Role:  </strong>  [player_tooltip player_id="850707" first="Chase" last="Carter"] will step into the post as an excellent option on the low block, in the high post, facing up off the block, and setting a high ball screen.  Carter is a Michigan State football commit but he’s also coming off a great summer playing with the Grassroots Sizzle 17u squad.  </p> <p><strong>Potentials from the JV: </strong>The Redhawks have three senior guards who played junior varsity last season.  Those guards are 5’9 Malcolm Humes, 5’9 Uyiosa Omorodion, and 6’2 Noah Miesen.   Humes occasionally played some 10th man varsity duty when Smith was injured. He’s a strong 180 pound guard.  There is another group of junior guards that will work against those reserve seniors for some minutes.  Those players are 5’11 Mykelti Dillard, 6’0 Savion Cane, and 6’1 Leroy Barnes.  In addition, the Redhawks have a couple big juniors that they can use for size depth.  Six-foot-7 [player_tooltip player_id="1221177" first="Rolyns" last="Aligbe"] and 6’9 400 pound Peyton Lange is that big depth.  </p> <p><strong>Final Thoughts</strong>: The one thing missing here is some Minnehaha Academy young names that will work into the rotation.  They had some good young players at the younger level but we aren’t quite sure where they figure at the moment.  What we do know is that Aligbe, Miller, and Carter are a fantastic trio that will lead this team as the preseason number one.  They will have to fend off Caledonia and Minneapolis North this year as the favorites for the title. </p>