The Race For Mr. Basketball: We Have Some Changes!
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The race continues to bounce all over the place. So we try and update everything and give you who we think right now would be the leader, Final Five, and Top Ten. The Leaders: Boden Kapke Boden Kapke 6'11" |…
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Continue ReadingThe race continues to bounce all over the place. So we try and update everything and give you who we think right now would be the leader, Final Five, and Top Ten.
The Leaders: Boden Kapke Boden Kapke 6'11" | C Holy Family | 2023 State #153 Nation MN of Holy Family and Nolan Winter Nolan Winter 7'0" | PF Lakeville North | 2023 State #98 Nation MN and Lakeville North
Boden Kapke Boden Kapke 6'11" | C Holy Family | 2023 State #153 Nation MN helped Holy Family stay a lot closer to Park Center than most people ever expected. And while doing so against the best team in the state, Kapke put up 40 points and 13 rebounds. For the first time ever, I think a player had a statement game and maybe a Mr. Basketball moment in a loss. But this is the best team in the state we are talking about here with the state’s top shot blocker in Chiang Ring Chiang Ring 6'8" | C Park Center | 2024 State #276 Nation MN .
Against that same team Nolan Winter Nolan Winter 7'0" | PF Lakeville North | 2023 State #98 Nation MN had a good game (27 points and 8 rebounds) but not to the same level as Kapke. Twenty-four hours later Kapke scored another 20 and then had a quick seat as Holy Family had a 22 point lead on Jordan and won by 30. Winter has not played in over two weeks because of an injury so that unfortunate circumstance has opened the door for Kapke who has stepped right into the mix.
Next Up: Nasir Whitlock Nasir Whitlock 6'2" | PG Delasalle | 2023 State MN of DeLaSalle
Nasir has taken his game to a higher level since the Islanders lost at home to Minneapolis North. He had 24 versus Columbia Heights, scored 31 beating a Saint Anthony Village team that was ranked, and then put up 40 last night in a win over Fridley!
Final Five: CJ O’Hara CJ O’Hara 6'4" | SF Park Center | 2023 State #285 Nation MN of Park Center and Max Shikenjanski Max Shikenjanski 6'2" | PG Stillwater | 2023 State #288 Nation MN of Stillwater
O’Hara has the most interesting circumstances here. He is the leading scorer on the best team in the state that is undefeated so you know he is going to be right in the mix. On the flip side, he is also on a balanced team and a dominating team meaning you might not ever see numbers that blow you away.
Max has Stillwater at 9-5 right now which in itself is a really big deal. Max just had 29 in a big win over Mounds View, he scored 32 and got an early seat in the Park win, and then Max had 30 of his team’s 66 last night scoring on 11 of 20 shots versus Irondale.
Next Up: Hayden Tibbits Hayden Tibbits 5'11" | PG Wayzata | 2023 State MN of Wayzata
Hayden has entered the race! The Trojans have bounced back from the 0-3 start to win nine games in a row and last night Tibbits controlled all the action scoring 33 points in a 112-71 win over Eden Prairie. The Trojans have surged back to third in the state and Tibbits is surging with them.
Top Ten: Isaac Matti Isaac Matti 6'1" | SG Hayfield | 2023 State MN of Hayfield, 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, and Ben Kopetzki Ben Kopetzki 6'0" | PG Andover | 2023 State MN of Andover
Hayfield is back to their winning ways and last year’s Class A Player of the Year Isaac Matti Isaac Matti 6'1" | SG Hayfield | 2023 State MN just scored 50 last night breaking the school record. Matti is back in the race in a big way.
Bath had 30 at Rogers, 20 last night against Spring Lake Park, is leading the top Class AAA team in scoring and rebounding