Minnesota Boys State Tournament Day-One Games Preview

This Tuesday, March 21st, 2023 the Minnesota State Boys Basketball Tournament kicks off with quarterfinal games. All 2A, 3A, and 4A games will take place under two roofs, home of the Timberwolves, Target Center, and home of the Gophers, Williams Arena starting at 10AM and running until 8PM.

10AM Games

The #1 seeds in 3A and 4A play early. Both defending champions that return players from last year’s state champs. In 4A Park Center, the #1 team almost all year takes on Andover. Park Center features numerous high ranked 2024 Junior’s including Casmir Chavis Casmir Chavis 6'2" | PG Park Center | 2024 State #194 Nation MN and Chiang Ring Chiang Ring 6'8" | C Park Center | 2024 State #202 Nation MN but also Unsigned 2023 Senior’s CJ O’Hara and JJ Ware JJ Ware 6'6" | SF Park Center | 2023 State MN . Andover features a pair of 2023 guards Ben Kopetzki Ben Kopetzki 6'0" | PG Andover | 2023 State MN and Sam Musungu.

The 3A game between Totino-Grace and St. Francis features numerous Division 1 committed Seniors including Taison Chatman Taison Chatman 6'4" | PG Totino-Grace | 2023 State #35 Nation MN , Tommy Humphries Tommy Humphries 6'5" | SF Totino-Grace | 2023 State #283 Nation MN , and Matthew Bothun Matthew Bothun 6'9" | PF St. Francis | 2023 State MN . The Eagles have had an up and down 21-8 season, they rolled into state winning all section games in dominating fashion.

12PM Games

Minnetonka vs Eastview and Mankato East vs Alexandria. Interesting match-ups as the Skippers are guard heavy with 2023 Ibrahim El-Amin Ibrahim El-Amin 5'10" | PG Minnetonka | 2023 State MN , Jalen Cain Jalen Cain 6'3" | SF Minnetonka | 2023 State MN , and 2024 Junior Andy Stefonowicz Andy Stefonowicz 6'2" | PG Minnetonka | 2024 State MN while Eastview features one of the best 2024 wings in the state Jonathan Mekonnen Jonathan Mekonnen 6'7" | PF Eastview | 2024 State #178 Nation MN .

Mankato East and Alexandria are similar as East is led by Brogan Madson Brogan Madson 6'1" | PG Mankato East | 2025 State MN a 2025 guard and 2023 Senior Giles Lancaster while Alexandria is led by 2024 Junior six-foot-eight-inch forward Grayson Grove Grayson Grove 6'9" | PF Alexandria Area | 2024 State #206 Nation MN and six-foot-five-inch wing Chase Thompson Chase Thompson 6'8" | PF Alexandria | 2025 State MN .

2PM Games

4A it is a pair of Mr. Basketball Top 10 Finalist with #2 seed Lakeville North led by Nolan Winter Nolan Winter 7'0" | PF Lakeville North | 2023 State #98 Nation MN facing off with Buffalo and Nate Dahl Nate Dahl 6'0" | PG Buffalo | 2023 State MN . Lakeville has been the 2nd best team all year in the state and much of it because of Jack Robinson, Matt Drake Matt Drake 5'11" | PG Lakeville North | 2024 State MN , Will Kutzler Will Kutzler 6'7" | PF Lakeville North | 2023 State MN , and Hudson Vaith Hudson Vaith 6'5" | SG Lakeville North | 2023 State MN along with Winter. Along with Dahl Junior’s Grady Guida Grady Guida 6'1" | PG Buffalo | 2024 State MN , Torii Johnson Torii Johnson 6'4" | SG Buffalo | 2024 State MN , and Brody Wishart Brody Wishart 6'2" | SG Buffalo | 2024 State MN have helped Buffalo to a 23-6 record.

3A it’s arguably the best 3A team all year Orono led by the experience of Isaiah Hagen Isaiah Hagen 6'3" | PG Orono | 2023 State MN , Kyle Kallenbach Kyle Kallenbach 6'0" | CG Orono | 2023 State MN , Riley Nelson Riley Nelson 6'2" | SG Orono | 2024 State MN and Zach Close Zach Close 6'7" | PF Orono | 2023 State MN backed by underclassmen Brady Wooley Brady Wooley 6'9" | C Orono | 2025 State MN and Nolan Groves Nolan Groves 6'4" | CG Orono | 2025 State MN . They face Hermantown who went 22-6 and is led by Abraham Soumis, Blake Schmitz Blake Schmitz 6'0" | PG Hermantown | 2023 State MN , Keaton Christianson Keaton Christianson 6'1" | SG Hermantown | 2023 State MN and Peyton Menzel.

4PM Games

4A is returning runner-up from 2022 the 24-4 Wayzata Trojans led by Senior Hayden Tibbits Hayden Tibbits 5'11" | PG Wayzata | 2023 State MN who’s backed by Spencer Hall Spencer Hall 6'3" | SF Wayzata | 2023 State MN , Jake Schmitt Jake Schmitt 6'1" | SG Wayzata | 2023 State MN , and 2024 Junior wing Jackson McAndrew Jackson McAndrew 6'10" | PF Wayzata | 2024 State #152 Nation MN . The Trojans first round match-up is the White Bear Lake led by Wisconsin commit Jack Janicki Jack Janicki 6'4" | SG White Bear Lake | 2023 State #277 Nation MN and St Cloud State commit Wyatt Hawks Wyatt Hawks 6'7" | C White Bear Lake | 2023 State MN .

3A is state runner-up from 2022 DeLaSalle led by Mr. Basketball Finalist Nasir Whitlock Nasir Whitlock 6'1" | PG DeLaSalle | 2023 State MN facing off with Stewartville and 2024 guard Henry Tschetter Henry Tschetter 6'3" | SG Stewartville | 2024 State MN . Stewartville went 25-4 while the Islanders were 24-5. Whitlock is having a fantastic year averaging 27 points per game, he’s supported by Division 1 football commit Isreal Moses and Pj Pounds Pj Pounds 6'7" | SF Delasalle | 2023 MN and Jaden Morgan Jaden Morgan 6'4" | SG DeLaSalle | 2024 State MN . Stewartville after Tschetter gets support from Caleb Bancroft Caleb Bancroft 6'6" | PF Stewartville | 2025 State MN , Tegan Malone, Parker Wangen Parker Wangen 6'4" | SF Stewartville | 2025 State MN , and Caleb Jannsen.

6PM Games and 8PM Games

For the rest of the night it’s the 2A teams going. At 6PM it’s Holy Family vs Eden Valley-Watkins and Pequot Lakes vs Albany. At 8PM it’s Minnehaha Academy vs Maple River while Dilworth Gylndon-Felton takes on Plainview-Elgin-Millville.

Holy Family features a pair of Division 1 big guys, Boden Kapke Boden Kapke 6'11" | C Holy Family | 2023 State #153 Nation MN and Collin Mulholland Collin Mulholland 6'10" | C Holy Family | 2023 State MN with support from 2024 guard Kole Hanson Kole Hanson 6'2" | PG Holy Family | 2024 State MN . Albany vs Pequot you’ll see Division 2 guards Eli Laposky Eli Laposky 6'1" | PG Pequot Lakes | 2023 State MN face off with Tysen Gerads Tysen Gerads 6'3" | SG Albany | 2023 State MN .

Minnehaha Academy features 2 dynamic under six-foot guards Jerome Williams and Lorenzo Levy Lorenzo Levy 5'10" | PG Minnehaha Academy | 2024 State MN along with 2023 forward Rolyns Aligbe Rolyns Aligbe 6'9" | C Minnehaha Academy | 2023 State MN . Maple River comes into the game 29-2 and beat Minnehaha earlier this season. They’re led by Mason Schirmer Mason Schirmer 5'9" | PG Maple River | 2023 State MN and Hayden Niebuhr Hayden Niebuhr 6'7" | C Maple River | 2023 State MN .

DGF vs PEM should also be a very good game. DGF got to state by beating Thief River Falls in a game that UMD 2023 commit Owen Leach Owen Leach 6'6" | SF Dillworth Glyndon-Felton | 2023 State MN scored 50 points. PEM comes into this contest 26-4 and led by a number of seniors like Aeron Stevens Aeron Stevens 6'7" | PF Plainview-Elgin-Millville | 2023 State MN and Kaiden Peters Kaiden Peters 6'2" | CG Plainview/Elgin-Millville | 2023 State MN .  To make it to state PEM needed a game winner vs Lake City from Peters to advance.