The ABCs of the Minnesota State Tournament

It’s that time of year again! The ABCs of the Minnesota State Tournament, <a class="link-complex" href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23MNStateHoops22" target="_blank" rel="hashtag noopener">#MNStateHoops22</a> A is for Andre, as in Andre Phillips of Mound-Westonka. Coach Phillips has navigated a deep section and led the Whitehawks to their first state tournament in 48 years! [player_tooltip player_id="796950" first="Jason" last="Spaeth"] now has state tournament week to score 26 points and become the school’s all time leading scorer. We talk about how low South St. Paul was for many years but let’s remember this team was low for a long time and the Phillips/Spaeth combo has them going to state! Great story. B is for Bajedo, as in Bajedo Omot of Mankato East, better known to many as [player_tooltip player_id="850715" first="BJ" last="Omot"]. The Mankato East Cougars are headed back to state and BJ is a top ten prospect in this state headed to North Dakota. [player_tooltip player_id="850715" first="BJ" last="Omot"] has more to prove as his East Cougars fave Mound-Westonka in round one. C is far Carter, as in [player_tooltip player_id="850713" first="Carter" last="Bjerke"] of Wayzata. We asked "can Carter lead the Trojans back to the dance for a title shot without Cam Heide?" The answer has been an overwhelming YES. Wayzata is playing great team basketball once again. D is for Don, as in a pair of Don Fergusons. Don Ferguson the coach beat Alexandria twice and has Tech as a top ten team in Class AAA and a team playing in the state tournament. [player_tooltip player_id="850720" first="Donald" last="Ferguson"] the player has been a 25/26 point per game scorer. This pair has Tech back at state for the first time in 12 years. E is for Eden and Eastview, as in Eden Prairie vs Eastivew in game one. David Flom and Paul Goetz match wits as two of the better Class AAAA coaches and they each have a star in [player_tooltip player_id="1220360" first="Chiddi" last="Obiazor"] and [player_tooltip player_id="958669" first="Kenji" last="Scales"]. Eastview is bigger, EP more shooting. F is of course for Fadness, as in Kris Fadness of the Austin Packers. This is the last run for Coach Fadness at Austin and of course they are headed back to state yet again. This is a guy that meant so much to players that a huge number of them flew or drove back to Austin for his last home game recently. This is the 8th time that Fadness has led Austin to the section title. G is for Glencoe, as in Glencoe-Silver Lake. [player_tooltip player_id="958704" first="Mitchel" last="Jaskowiak"] has GSL at state for the first time in 21 seasons! He’s a future Idaho Vandal football player but for now he’s a 20/10 basketball forward playing on a tough team. H is for Herman, as in Hermantown. [player_tooltip player_id="962316" first="Blake" last="Schmitz"] and Hermantown knocked off Hibbing and are headed to state which has been a bit of a surprise to many. I is for Islanders, as in the DeLaSalle Islanders. What a story this group has been! They’ve taken a mid-year roster change and turned it into a winning role of team basketball. [player_tooltip player_id="962218" first="Nasir" last="Whitlock"] has been incredible as has been [player_tooltip player_id="958775" first="Brandon" last="Hoban"]. Team basketball battling to state! J is for Jaguars, as in the BBE Jaguars. BBE is battle tested form the Central Minnesota Conference and their schedule plus they have solid size and depth. The [player_tooltip player_id="958747" first="Ashton" last="Dingmann"], [player_tooltip player_id="1284178" first="Luke" last="Dingmann"], and [player_tooltip player_id="962264" first="Kaden" last="Pieper"] trio will be tough to stop. K is for King, as in the Kings of Caledonia leading the Caledonia Warriors. [player_tooltip player_id="754315" first="Eli" last="King"] is the player, Brad King is the coach, and the Warriors are the Class AA number one ranked team headed into the state tournament. Eli watched his Iowa State Cyclones push to the Sweet 16 for motivation this weekend and now it’s State Tournament time. L is for Loge, as in [player_tooltip player_id="850706" first="Jackson" last="Loge"] of Morris Area. Jackson has his team back at the state tournament proving they are once again one of the best Class AA teams in the state, and Jackson is one of the best players in the state. He’s a top ten Mr. Basketball honored player and an overall talent that has lived up to all the hype. M is for Mary’s, as in Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s, a class A repeat squad. [player_tooltip player_id="1144112" first="Carson" last="Domeier"], [player_tooltip player_id="1201129" first="Trent" last="Steffensmeier"], and [player_tooltip player_id="1341716" first="Kaleb" last="Wait"] have their team back at state. N is for North, as in the Minneapolis North Polars. This is the sixth section title in seven seasons. Need to point out again the outstanding season that [player_tooltip player_id="958670" first="De’Meiko" last="Anderson"] is having leading the Polars in scoring. [player_tooltip player_id="850709" first="Willie" last="Wilson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="958665" first="Jacob" last="Butler"] also having solid seasons on a balanced team. O is for Owatonna, as in the Owatonna Huskies. If I was to caution other teams about a team that is playing well but a bit out of the major spotlight, it’s Owatonna. [player_tooltip player_id="958681" first="Brayden" last="Williams"] is a confident playmaker, [player_tooltip player_id="958725" first="Ty" last="Creger"] is tough, and Even Dushek is playing great. P is for Pirates, as in the Park Center Pirates. They are considered the best team in the state regardless of class right now and are led by Mr. Basketball Finalist [player_tooltip player_id="850710" first="Braeden" last="Carrington"], James Ware, [player_tooltip player_id="958757" first="Cody" last="Pennebaker"], [player_tooltip player_id="1143878" first="Leo" last="Torbor"] and more! Q is for Question, as in the biggest Question of this week is who wins Class A? The seeding was all over the place and was a great example of how wide open things are. [player_tooltip player_id="1288733" first="Isaac" last="Asuma"] of Cherry has his squad ready for a push, New Life Academy is skilled and big with potential, and Nevis is back yet again looking for a run. R is for Redhawks, as in the Minnehaha Academy Redhawks. Another year, another run, another chance at a state title. Minnehaha Academy had a regrouping in the middle of the year and that has helped put them on a great role the last 2.5 months. [player_tooltip player_id="850702" first="Prince" last="Aligbe"] is averaging 28 points and 14 rebounds a game. S is for Stay, as in [player_tooltip player_id="958662" first="Haydn" last="Stay"] of Princeton. Haydn is the double-double monster, [player_tooltip player_id="1144128" first="Cooper" last="Nowak"] is the engine of the sports car that works so well, and [player_tooltip player_id="962273" first="Cooper" last="Drews"] is the big, skilled playmaker. A fantastic trio that has led Princeton to a one loss season. T is for Tre, as in [player_tooltip player_id="850701" first="Tre" last="Holloman"]. You can not count this young man out, plain and simple. East Ridge surely knows this as they saw Holloman hit a game winner giving Cretin-Derham a spot in state for the fourth time in five years. Holloman/Raiders is/are on the same path as last year. U is for Underdog, as in the Moorhead Spuds and Andover Huskies. Moorhead is huge led by [player_tooltip player_id="1139197" first="Adam" last="Jenkins"] while Andover isn’t big but they are skilled and guard dominant led by [player_tooltip player_id="962227" first="Samuel" last="Musungu"]. Moorhead has to face defending champion Wayzata while Andover takes on conference foe Park Center. V is for Vikings, as in Hayfied Vikings. Hayfield is the defending state champs and they enter the Class A tournament as the favorite in their class, but it’s wide open. [player_tooltip player_id="962284" first="Isaac" last="Matti"] has stepped up to be an All State level player and this is a balanced team ready for another round of March Madness. W is for Watson, as in [player_tooltip player_id="958638" first="Demarion" last="Watson"] of Totino-Grace. This two way special prospect had a great defensive performance against Columbia Heights plus scored 16 points. He’s been a twp-way menace on a balanced team all season. Watson and [player_tooltip player_id="962198" first="Taison" last="Chatman"] have been an amazing pair. X is for X-Factor, as in the X-Factor squad in each class. I’ll go with Cretin-Derham Hall, Mound-Westonka, Annandale, and Sacred Heart. Y is for Yellowjackets, as in the Perham Yellowjackets. Every year they are a threat and this excellent program takes another shot at state this week. Z is for....... Sleep! Get your sleep today as the next five days will be fun!