The Race for Mr. Basketball: Leaders and Snubs
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The Watch List is out. Complaints have been filed. We give you a few “snubs” but also look at the leaders for the various countdowns, and all the names are still there. Let’s go! Leader: Nolan Winter Nolan Winter 7'0"…
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Continue ReadingThe Watch List is out. Complaints have been filed. We give you a few “snubs” but also look at the leaders for the various countdowns, and all the names are still there. Let’s go!
Leader: Nolan Winter Nolan Winter 7'0" | PF Lakeville North | 2023 State #98 Nation MN of Lakeville North. Winter has missed the last two games with an ankle injury so the door is open for others!. And yes Nolan made the watch list.
Final Five Favorites: Winter, Boden Kapke Boden Kapke 6'11" | C Holy Family | 2023 State #153 Nation MN of Holy Family, Nasir Whitlock Nasir Whitlock 6'2" | PG Delasalle | 2023 State MN of DeLaSalle, Max Shikenjanski Max Shikenjanski 6'2" | PG Stillwater | 2023 State #288 Nation MN of Stillwater, and CJ O’Hara CJ O’Hara 6'4" | SF Park Center | 2023 State #285 Nation MN of Park Center. Kapke is coming off of a 35 point game against Minnehaha Academy that many are talking about. Whitlock is scoring 25 a game and just had 24 spots against Minneapolis North and Columbia Heights. O’Hara is averaging 17.4 a game for undefeated Park Center and Shikenjanski just had 32 against Park plus 24 to lead the Ponies to a close game win over Stillwater. All of these players made the list.
Top Ten Favorites. Winter, Kapke, Whitlock, Shikenjanski, and O’Hara joined by Patrick Bath Patrick Bath 6'9" | C Totino Grace | 2023 State MN of Totino-Grace, Isaiah Hagen Isaiah Hagen 6'3" | PG Orono | 2023 State MN of Orono, Ben Kopetzki Ben Kopetzki 6'0" | PG Andover | 2023 State MN of Andover, and at this point I would say the other two are so far up in the air I can’t even offer two more names at this exact moment. All eight of those players made the watch list.
Top 20. If I had to add a dozen names to the other eight I would say: injured and now playing Taison Chatman Taison Chatman 6'4" | PG Totino Grace | 2023 State #35 Nation MN of Totino-Grace and Jack Janicki Jack Janicki 6'4" | SG White Bear Lake | 2023 State #277 Nation MN of White Bear Lake plus Tommy Humphries Tommy Humphries 6'5" | SF Totino-Grace | 2023 State #283 Nation MN of Totino-Grace, Ryan Heise Ryan Heise 6'8" | SF Lake City | 2023 State MN of Lake City, Adam Jenkins Adam Jenkins 6'9" | C Moorhead | 2023 State MN of Moorhead, Buay Koak Buay Koak 6'4" | SG Lyle-Pacelli | 2023 State MN of Lyle/Austin Pacelli, Owen Leach Owen Leach 6'6" | SF Dillworth Glyndon-Felton | 2023 State MN of DGF (huge 30/15 game in a win over Perham last week), Isaac Matti Isaac Matti 6'1" | SG Hayfield | 2023 State MN of Hayfield, Will Opsahl Will Opsahl 6'8" | SF Goodhue | 2023 State MN of Goodhue, Aeron Stevens Aeron Stevens 6'7" | PF Plainview-Eligin-Millville | 2023 State MN of PEM, Will Underwood Will Underwood 6'0" | PG Mahtomedi | 2023 State MN of Mahtomedi, and Hayden Tibbits Hayden Tibbits 5'11" | PG Wayzata | 2023 State MN of Wayzata. All of those players made the watch list.
So as you can tell, I think the most deserving players that have earned a spot on the list are there and going forward they will all battle for spots on what is a wide open race.
That said, you can’t have an all star game, or an all league team, or a race for a certain trophy without “snubs”. So here are five that I think have a case for the watch list:
Khalif Bettis Khalif Bettis 6'6" | SF Burnsville | 2023 State MN of Burnsville. At 23 points a game for an improved Burnsville team Bettis is maybe the most naturally talented player that was not on the watch list for Mr. Basketball.
Nate Dahl Nate Dahl 6'0" | PG Buffalo | 2023 State MN of Buffalo. Dahl might have the case for the biggest snub considering his team is 10-1 coming off of the win at Eden Prairie and he is scoring 23 points per game.
Tysen Gerads Tysen Gerads 6'3" | SG Albany | 2023 State MN of Albany. Albany is one of the best teams in Class AA basketball and leading the way has been Minnesota State Moorhead bound Tysen Gerads Tysen Gerads 6'3" | SG Albany | 2023 State MN .
Kaiden Peters Kaiden Peters 6'2" | CG Plainview/Elgin-Millville | 2023 State MN of PEM. Peterson is coming off of a 40 point game and when he has been in the line-up for PEM they have been exceptional (missed a game for football).
Mason Schirmer Mason Schirmer 5'9" | PG Maple River | 2023 State MN of Maple River. Schirmer has been a constant all league talent for a Maple River team that has been a constant top ten team and has beaten Minnehaha and many others.