Class AAAA Title Contender Series: Lakeville South

Photo: Alex Conover Northstar Hoops Report

Ryan James October 25, 2023 @ 09:30 AM

The Cougars won 17 games a season ago and not only do they get most of their talent back but they also return Marley Baah-Yeeboah. Marley was considered by some to be the best player at South and he only played for a month last year (before the injury). Big things are expected.   Key Wins in 22-23 (17-11): Wayzata, Waconia, Minnehaha Academy, East Ridge, Shakopee, Farmington (x2)   Oops: Andover, Edina, Lakeville North (x3), Eastview (x2), Burnsville, Chanhassen, Rosemount, Shakopee, Farmington   Moving On: Versatile guard/wing Jackson Ressler and big Reece Gerl graduated. Both were honorable mention all league players. Gerl would play around the basket, board five times, score three times and play hard. Ressler scored 8.5 points a game, could handle, could board, passed it well, scored four times a game. 8th/9th man Eli Falconer also graduated.   Returning Starters (3). Ressler and Gerl both started and need to be replaced. South will be fine and we are going to go through several reasons why.   The first reason, [player_tooltip player_id='1296149' first='DaMarcus' last='Burks'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1284212' first='Ryan' last='Johnson'] had fantastic off-seasons for [program_tooltip program_id='2075685' first='Minnesota' last='Select']. Burks committed to Northern State, Johnson committed to Concordia-St. Paul, and both proved to be top twenty seniors in the state of Minnesota. Burks showed disruptive ball pressure, an attack game that was tough for teams to stop, and the ability to play both spots. And speaking of playing many spots, [player_tooltip player_id='1284212' first='Ryan' last='Johnson'] can give South something at every spot if they need it. His toughness, agility, skill and desire really impressed this 17u year. Johnson should have a great senior year.   When Marley went out last year [player_tooltip player_id='1470706' first='Keaton' last='Ressler'] stepped in at guard as a sophomore and had a very good year. Keaton scored nine points a game and can play either guard spot for the Cougars. He's one of the top 25 junior players in the state.   Reserves Playing a Bigger Role: [player_tooltip player_id='1549759' first='Joe' last='Hager'] isn't likely to step right into what Gerl did at the five and Hager isn't exactly at a five at 6'4 and 185 pounds, but he will step in as a hard working role player that scored three buckets a contest last season. Hager is a solid role player to mix with this talent. [player_tooltip player_id='1284097' first='Carter' last='Wilson'] is a now senior guard that also played off the bench last season and I'd guess he will have a similar role this year although maybe more time.   [player_tooltip player_id='1617772' first='Lauson' last='Schmidt'] is a name to really watch because the 5'11 guard had a fantastic 17u season and he scored 5.5 a game in a bench role last year. I think Schmidt's development coming into this year is huge for South who will be deeper, more skilled, and they will have more versatility.   Potentials from the JV. Six-foot-five [player_tooltip player_id='2104512' first='Hudson' last='Greene'] was on the JV and he can give this team some needed size in the frontcourt. Senior Jayce Narveson is 6'3 and 200 pounds and may also help up front. There are also three more guards returning from the JV as well.   New to the Varsity program. [player_tooltip player_id='1296148' first='Marley' last='Baah-Yeboah'] is not new, but South will get him back and that's huge. The senior was just at Northern State for a visit and got a scholarship offer and if you look back, Marley was playing his best basketball in the summer and fall of 2022. He had really turned a corner. And in the first eight full games he played last season Marley was scoring 13 plus a game leading the team in scoring. It's hard to know where he will be 11 months removed from the injury but Marley can certainly help.   Final Thoughts. This is a team with numerous guards and numerous 6'3/6'4/6'5 versatile players. They have a nice group of eight players headlined by three D2 level players and a very good junior guard. The pieces are there for a great season. The size at the five is the one concern but at the same time, South might be able to put more versatility on the floor at five spots than most squads.

The Cougars won 17 games a season ago and not only do they get most of their talent back but they also return Marley Baah-Yeeboah. Marley was considered by some to be the best player at South and he only played for a month last year (before the injury). Big things are expected.