Class AAA Title Contender Series: South St. Paul

Ryan James October 8, 2021 @ 12:08 PM

The Packers went 19-2 last year taking another amazing step with the South St. Paul program. What's the next step? Getting to state for the first time in 1970. SSP is next in the Contender series. Key Wins in 20-21 (19-2): Mound-Westonka, Tartan, Mahtomedi, St. Croix Lutheran Oops: Richfield Moving On: The Packers lose one starter but it's [player_tooltip player_id="774816" first="Marquise" last="Gleb"] who averaged a dozen points and 5-6 boards a contest. Gleb was one of the key figures in the SSP resurgence the last several years and one of the team's top workers. His graduation loss is pretty big. The other senior that graduated was Jaylin Nieman-Burnett, a six foot wing who was a good reserve. Returning Starters (4): This four man guard group ranks with the elite units in the state. All State division one talent [player_tooltip player_id="958636" first="Alonzo" last="Dodd"] is obviously the heart of the unit. Dodd averaged 21 points, 10.5 rebounds, and eight assists a contest. He does everything for the squad. The main weapon next do Alonzo is fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id="1143864" first="Devin" last="Newsome"], a sharpshooter with strength that scored 17 points a contest last year. Newsome grabs 6-7 boards a contest in addition to his scoring. The slasher is [player_tooltip player_id="958644" first="Shawn" last="West-Zimpel"], another scoring weapon that has to be gameplanner for. Shawn does a lot of his working attacking the cup. The other returning starter is [player_tooltip player_id="958773" first="Ramontay" last="Harmon"]. Harmon will score 3-4 times a game but his main role is being a hard working defender taking on the challenge of the other team's top scorer. Reserves Playing a Bigger Role: Often times when Ramontay needs a rest from his hard working role, brother [player_tooltip player_id="958806" first="Ramontre" last="Harmon"] steps in and picks up where Ramontay left off. Harmon is another senior guard. A guy that I think could have a bigger role this year is 6'2 forward Keon Moore-King who started some games last year and was commonly the 6th man. Moore-King, also a senior, is a good rebounder and a hard worker. The Packers will need size which means 6'5 [player_tooltip player_id="958744" first="Anthony" last="Faulk"] is very important. Faulk, another senior, could enter the year as the 5th starter so SSP can get some size on the floor when they play bigger teams. Potentials from the JV: There were times when SSP went past their main nine guys. There were games missed, or times when guys had to sit, and when that happened Hafit Hussein and Kevin Flippin stepped into bench roles (or they were the first guys playing late in the game during blowouts). Both Hafit and Kevin are senior guards. We are now at nine seniors and most of them are guards. A junior who we could see off the bench is 6'4 frontcourt player [player_tooltip player_id="1221161" first="America" last="Fitch"]. Fitch was on JV last year but he has some size on a team that may need to use his size. Guards [player_tooltip player_id="1221163" first="Nasir" last="Jones"] and Matthew Lee are both juniors that will fight for reserve time and/or have great JV years. New to the Varsity program: Another guard that will be fighting for some time off the bench and/or helping the JV is Rocori transfer [player_tooltip player_id="1287444" first="Gavin" last="Pendergast"]. Gavin is a playmaking ball handler in the sophomore class with some burst and potential. Final Thoughts: SSP is a title contender. They have the guard play, toughness, and experience to make the run that this team has been dreaming off. That the school has been dreaming of! That the community has been dreaming of! But for that to happen all these guys have to play at the level they have, and then raise it up a bit higher to beat the best of the best. They will also likely need the size to take a step forward and just play a solid role around the basket.