The Hopkins Royals. A traditional top team in Class AAAA and that’s not changing any time soon. Key Wins in 20-21 (12-5): Wayzata, Edina, Chaska, Buffalo, Eden Prairie, Orono Oops: Minnetonka, Wayzata, Minnehaha Academy, Minneapolis North Moving On: Five of…
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Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log inThe Hopkins Royals. A traditional top team in Class AAAA and that’s not changing any time soon.
Key Wins in 20-21 (12-5): Wayzata, Edina, Chaska, Buffalo, Eden Prairie, Orono
Oops: Minnetonka, Wayzata, Minnehaha Academy, Minneapolis North
Moving On: Five of the top seven Hopkins players from last season have graduated.
Xavier White
Xavier
White
6'7" | SF
Hopkins | 2021
State
MN
and
Jaelen Treml
Jaelen
Treml
6'4" | SF
Hopkins | 2021
State
MN
were the two key versatile pieces.
Tristan Lee
Tristan
Lee
6'2" | PG
Hopkins | 2021
State
MN
had a great season at guard plus Jarrett Brenlynd came off the bench and was a key shooter. Throw in
Jack Hernandez
Jack
Hernandez
6'9" | C
Hopkins | 2021
State
MN
up front and that’s five seniors plus
Andrew Chisley
Andrew
Chisley
6'6" | PF
Hopkins | 2021
State
MN
who wasn’t able to play much last year all moved on.
Returning Starters (1): The lone returning starter from last year is
Elvis Nnaji
Elvis
Nnaji
6'8" | C
Hopkins | 2022
State
#215
Nation
MN
, the 6’8 center. Elvis averaged 11 and 10 a season ago plus he was a top low post defender and one of the team’s most active players. Nnaji rebounds, he finishes physically, and gives a team the needed energy on both ends. D1 schools have offered Elvis a number of scholarships.
Reserves Playing a Bigger Role: Hopkins has two guards back from last year’s bench: junior Max Wilson and senior
Tyrell Sappington
Tyrell
Sappington
5'11" | PG
Hopkins | 2022
State
MN
. Max is a top 15/20 level prospect in the junior class. He’s physically ahead of the curve and has solid potential after scoring eight a came last year. Sappington could be the latest guard at Hopkins that impresses as a senior.
Potentials from the JV: Hopkins has a number of key pieces coming up from their junior varsity. Jacob Rothman is a 5’9 guard that had a great 17u season and is a potential legit playmaker and surprise senior standout. Six-foot-4 junior
Gavin Pierce
Gavin
Pierce
6'5" | SF
Prior Lake | 2023
State
MN
is a senior and smart player that could have a role on the wing. Now 8th grader Jayden Moore is one of the top up and coming names in the state. Moore is an explosive guard that played a bit at the end of games on varsity last year and played junior varsity. Jayden is likely to step into a key role this year.
New to the Varsity program: Hopkins has three seniors that should make an impact on varsity. The first is one of the state’s elite seniors,
CJ O’Hara
CJ
O’Hara
6'4" | SF
Park Center | 2023
State
#285
Nation
MN
. O’Hara transferred from Totino-Grace and is likely to lead Hopkins in scoring as well as be the top defender. He’s an all state level player.
Josh Hoffman
Josh
Hoffman
6'4" | SF
Hopkins | 2022
State
MN
is a 6’4 senior that had a great year with the Minnesota Heat and is now ready to offer a key role for the Royals (was with the North Metro Blazers last year, a home school team). Jaleel Donely is the last piece. He played varsity last year at Bloomington Kennedy and is an excellent freshman guard.
Final Thoughts: This is a group of guys coming from all over. A varsity starter, a couple varsity reserves, a couple junior varsity kids, a couple young players, and three transfers, it’s a totally new mix of 10-11 guys that have the talent to have a great year. But the chemistry has to be there as this is a completely new group.
