Class AAA Title Contender Series: Mankato East

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mankato East Cougars might have all the pieces to earn their first state title ever. They were 24-7 last year playing a lot of young talent. They are young no more and ready to make a run. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Wins in 22-23 (24-7)</strong>: Mankato West (x2), Owatonna (x2), Austin (x2), Worthington, Rochester Mayo</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Oops</strong>: Northfield (x2), Rochester Mayo, Mankato West, Benilde-St. Margaret's, Alexandria, St. Francis</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Moving On</strong>: Six-foot off-guard Giles Lancaster scored a dozen a game last season and he is now at Gustavus playing for the Gusties. He was an all conference player. Ninth/tenth man Edward Hulke has also graduated. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Returning Starters (4)</strong>. The Cougars had five new starters last year and four of them return. Those five new starters in 2022-23 managed a section and conference title in the same season for the first time in school history winning 24 games. The young group was inexperienced leading to a couple bad runs last season (including the state tournament) but they are all back and ready to roll.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1437303' first='Brogan' last='Madson'] was the one player in the state that could make an argument for sophomore of the year opposed to [player_tooltip player_id='1572689' first='Jalen' last='Wilson']. Madson led his team to a Big Nine title as the league player of the year also leading his team to state averaging 15 points and 3.5 assists a game. The third double figure scorer for East last season was 6-foot-6 [player_tooltip player_id='1355507' first='Carson' last='Schweim'] (senior this year). Carson might have slipped from the spotlight a tad because of an injury in the past year but he's headed to Minnesota State-Mankato and coming off of a 16 point per game season which led the team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Six-foot-4 junior [player_tooltip player_id='2103251' first='Ganden' last='Gosch'] and 6-foot-4 senior [player_tooltip player_id='1441838' first='Manaow' last='Omot'] are the other returning starters. Gosch is coming off of an excellent 16u season with Minnesota Rise and [program_tooltip program_id='2075431' first='D1' last='Minnesota'] Prospects earning multiple all event honors. Gosch averaged 10 points, 6.5 boards and three assists a game last season. Omot scored 7.5 a game shooting 38 percent from the arc and he really, really improved throughout the season. Omot could have a monster senior year as his best basketball is likely in the years ahead (yes he's a growing prospect name). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Reserves Playing a Bigger Role</strong>: Somebody has to step into the starting line-up. Will the Cougars go really really big with 6-foot-9 Braden Petzel? Petzel has some agility and a frame of a prospect so he could be the answer. The Cougars could also stay with the Omot/Gosch/Schweim frontline of forwards and then go with a guard. That could be senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1275978' first='Dwayne' last='Bryant'] with his ball pressuring, electricity providing style. It could be young and skilled sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1560798' first='Lucas' last='Gustafson'] who is an excellent shooter. My guess is they go big with Petzel (a sophomore) or they go similar to last year with another guard, and then they just have to pick between the young shooter or the ball pressuring senior. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='2424013' first='Dwuan' last='Reliford'] is a long and active 6-foot-1 who will certainly be in the rotation once again. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Potentials from the JV</strong>. The names I would look to are junior guard Zachary Bosse and surely sophomore forward [player_tooltip player_id='1886972' first='Amari' last='Nobles']. Nobles who is a smart player that fits the "three and D" persona. That's ten names already and the rotation will likely come from those ten names, but there are juniors that will likely have big JV roles as they hope to grab a rotation spot next year when the three seniors graduate. Those names are Audi Thom, Bennett Stevermer, and Thockwech Pouch. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>New to the Varsity program</strong>.  There is nobody that I am aware of to add here. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Final Thoughts</strong>.  I think this team has all the pieces plus they are going to be hungry. They went to state with four, at times five underclassmen playing big roles and when they were at state, they got out-played by veterans. But this year with shooting, length, guard play both in skill and in agility, and a player with size in the post, East looks to have the talent and experience to make a run. They just can not have the lulls they had last year like at state and the back to back losses to Northfield within three days. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->