Minnesota State Tournament Semi-Finals: Top Performers

The best of the best from today’s #MNStateHoops22 Class AAAA and Class AAA semi-finals.  Championship Saturday will be Totino-Grace vs DeLaSalle and Wayzata vs Park Center. 

Patrick Bath Patrick Bath 6'9" | C Totino Grace | 2023 State MN of Totino-Grace (6’9 2023).  Patrick Bath Patrick Bath 6'9" | C Totino Grace | 2023 State MN played what I have to believe was his biggest game in a big state situation.  Bath got his day going with the high effort scores, getting a tap-in, a power move baseline to finish, and a sprinting lob connection.  From there we saw the back to the basket turn and finish and the one hand touch on the move, and then a couple threes.  Bath scored 27 points on 12 of 18 shooting with eight boards.  It was an excellent performance in front of the state. 

Carter Bjerke Carter Bjerke 6'9" | C Wayzata | 2022 State MN of Wayzata (6’8 2022). When defenses don’t get out to contest a Carter attempt he makes 60 percent of them.  Tonight Bjerke made all three of his wide open three plus the UST signed big grabbed nine rebounds.  It was a 14 point scoring game for Bjerke but I felt his low post defense on Brandon Melchoir (limited the Raider to one point), Bjerke’s post help (4 blocks), and his defensive rebounding (eight of the nine boards were defense) were his biggest contributions. 

Ayouba Berthe Ayouba Berthe 6'4" | SF Park Center | 2022 State MN of Park Center (6’4 2022).  If you spend a full game on Kenji Scales Kenji Scales 6'0" | PG Eastview | 2022 State MN and limit him to single digit scoring on 2 of 9 shooting you certainly get a spot here.  This is a first team all state defender as Berthe’s footwork and relentless effort have made him a go-to stopper for the Pirates. Ayouba has also improved his shooting making him a three and D player.  Scored four times but it was the defense that was huge. 

Braeden Carrington Braeden Carrington 6'4" | SG Park Center | 2022 State #141 Nation MN of Park Center (6’4 2022).  The Pirates/Lightning game was slow, rugged, and not always pretty.  Carrington played a key part helping the Pirates win by 15.  He got the Pirates through some of that rugged play once again playing point guard most of the time despite having Leo Torbor Leo Torbor 6'1" | PG Park Center | 2022 State MN also being in the backcourt.  Carrington got the ball where it needed to be, he hit two threes, scored in transition, and had a game high 13 points on 5 of 11 shooting.  Defensively Carrington spent most of his time on the player that is the Lightning motor, Kayser Hassan Kayser Hassan 6'6" | PF Eastview | 2022 State MN . Braeden helped limit the Hassan offensive impact. 

Taison Chatman Taison Chatman 6'4" | PG Totino Grace | 2023 State #35 Nation MN of Totino-Grace (6’4 2023).  Chatman’s impact on this game was his delivery.  In fact I would say that Taison does not get the credit he deserves for the way he passes the ball making life easier for teammates.  The Eagles spent the entire game taking comfortable shot attempts and it was Chatman that allowed them to do that with the quick transition push, the attack and deliver, the snap reversal, or the simple wing or post entry.  Chatman also grabbed ten defensive rebounds pushing the ball the other way.  Add in nine assists and two scores and it was a big-time semi-final performance. 

Tre Holloman Tre Holloman 6'2" | PG Cretin-Derham Hall | 2022 State #57 Nation MN of Cretin-Derham Hall (6’3 2022).  Tre was one win away from taking TWO different brand new teams (brand new in that everybody but a Tauer was new to the rotation)  to the championship game.  Holloman’s offense started slow but in the second half he knocked out five threes utilizing that step back to his left several times for success.  Holloman scored 21 points with six boards and five assists.  

Tommy Humphries Tommy Humphries 6'5" | SF Totino-Grace | 2023 State #283 Nation MN of Totino-Grace (6’5 2023).  One of the hardest working players in the state is Tommy Humphries Tommy Humphries 6'5" | SF Totino-Grace | 2023 State #283 Nation MN .  The young man gets it.  He knows he has to put in the work and we saw Tommy start the game with three made threes opening the early big lead for Totino-Grace.  He’s a slashing scorer that now can hit threes with feet set.  Scored 16 points and only needed eight shots to get there. 

Kyle Johnson Kyle Johnson 6'2" | SG De La Salle | 2022 State MN of DeLaSalle (6’2 2022).  Watching Johnson shoot the ball is like watching the best new artist paint a masterpiece or the lead singer in the choir take over the concert with a solo.  The Johnson release is the best part but I love the work he does off the ball, sharply cutting to catch and lift into attempts.  His work off the ball is almost as pretty as the shot itself.  Kyle scored 15 points on nine attempts. 

Ahjany Lee Ahjany Lee 6'9" | C Byron | 2022 State #145 Nation MN of Totino-Grace (6’10 2022).  If you are focused on huge numbers look someplace else, the Eagles just have too much talent for that.  Ahjany took eight shots today, making six.  His mid-lane one-hander was made a couple times along with the rim-running plays that originally made Ahjany who he is.  Lee had a dozen points, grabbed seven boards, and blocked four shots keeping the Cougars away from the paint.  Lee was so good inside that East made two paint field goals. 

Haydn Stay Haydn Stay 6'4" | PG Princeton | 2022 State MN of Princeton (6’4 2022).  Stay scored 33 points on 14 of 23 shooting!  This future North Dakota football player was a constant in the paint scoring in balanced ways.  His shoulder turn was physical and moved players so he could touch in shots and the Stay rebounding efforts were strong hand snags into second chance completions.  Uses his strength wisely and Stay’s got awesome footwork.  The type of football prospect that used that gridiron training and put it to great use as a basketball player.  Double figure rebounds as well. 

Hayden Tibbits Hayden Tibbits 5'11" | PG Wayzata | 2023 State MN of Wayzata (5’11 2023).  Hayden Tibbits Hayden Tibbits 5'11" | PG Wayzata | 2023 State MN has come up big in important games all season long.  At the half of tonight’s game with CDH the junior had one score but Hayden wasn’t frazzled. Tibbits waited for his spots and then found them: transition And1, putback, attacking And1, wide open perimeter jumper, attacking score off a pick and roll when the Raiders miscommunicated.  The Raiders were up five before the Tibbits run started, they were down double figures before they knew it.  And then Tibbits put the game away at the foul line at the end.  It was a 23 point night making half of his 14 attempts and all eight free throws. 

Leo Torbor Leo Torbor 6'1" | PG Park Center | 2022 State MN of Park Center (6’2 2022).  Torbor’s rim attacks both in transition and in the halfcourt set seemed like the difference in the game.  That first step was way too quick for Eastview and he lifted over the help to finish six times.  One of the best transition finishers in the state and maybe in the Midwest. Had a dozen points, six boards, and four assists. 

Demarion Watson Demarion Watson 6'8" | SF Totino-Grace | 2022 State #150 Nation MN of Totino-Grace (6’8 2022). Watson’s game was all about one thing, defense.  His assignment was to slow UND bound BJ Omot BJ Omot 6'8" | PF Mankato East | 2022 State #231 Nation MN and Demarion did that in a big way forcing Omot into 3 of 20 shooting for the game.  The only way Omot was able to avoid the Watson length was to shoot NBA threes.  Watson’s lateral steps, length, timing, and quick jump to the ball make him an elite defensive prospect. 

Nasir Whitlock Nasir Whitlock 6'2" | PG Delasalle | 2023 State MN of DeLaSalle (6’1 2023).  After a bit of a struggling start shooting the ball, Nasir Whitlock Nasir Whitlock 6'2" | PG Delasalle | 2023 State MN ’s first step completely picked the Princeton defense apart.  That quickness of that first move not only beat the first man, it often was too quick for the help defenders to fight to as well.  Whitlock’s timing of attack – sudden or patient – is outstanding as he reads a defense as well as anybody.  Scored 28 points on 9 of 21 shooting and hit 9 of 10 foul shots plus dished out six assists.  College programs looking for a ball screen scoring playmaker have to keep a good eye on Nasir.