The Race for Mr. Basketball: Now They Play for Final Five

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We have a top ten for Mr. Basketball, but now..... who do we think will be in the final five? That is the tough question. And yes I think the playoffs will go a long way in deciding it. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Favorite. [player_tooltip player_id='1579885' first='Nolan' last='Groves']</strong>. Nolan is the favorite but he has a challenge in front of him. Orono is not the deepest of teams and his challenge in sections is likely Cooper, Richfield, and BSM. Richfield and BSM both have names on this list that Groves has to go against and BSM has beaten Orono twice this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Contender. [player_tooltip player_id='1572690' first='Chase' last='Thompson'].</strong> There is no other way to say it, Chase has a far, far easier road to the state tournament than [player_tooltip player_id='1579885' first='Nolan' last='Groves']. If Chase continues to play at a high level pushing his team towards a potential state title, and Nolan's [program_tooltip program_id='2075852' first='Spartans' last=''] can't get past BSM, Chase could have some big stage performances that make this a very serious competition. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But why is next? That is the question. And it's a very hard to answer question which is going to make this Final Five an interesting one because the playoff performances will be vital. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1574223' first='CJ' last='Armstrong'] of Richfield</strong>. I think CJ is in a good spot because has been scoring at a high level against all level of teams and he has performed very well in head to head spots. The biggest item was CJ able to play at a high level in a win DeLaSalle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1437303' first='Brogan' last='Madson'] of Mankato East</strong>. Brogan had had East in first in Class AAA rankings for other two months and Brogan had came up big in big games all season long. East is a big, big favorite to make it to the state tournament which also bodes well for Brogan. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1574227' first='Chace' last='Watley'] of Totino-Grace</strong>. The Eagles are playing for another state title and while Monticello could be a tough team to beat, TG is a big favorite to get back to state. With Watley leading, he has a big chance to make an impression. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1288748' first='Tyler' last='Wagner'] of Champlin Park</strong>. Tyler is shooting at a pretty high level and scoring at a high level, but he is likely going to need to show his team can win big games which means the section playoffs are big. The Rebels have a big game against Mounds View tomorrow, and then they will take on the winner of Maple Grove against Park Center, if CP wins. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1572689' first='Jalen' last='Wilson'] of BSM</strong>. The Red Knights leader in scoring, rebounding, blocks, field goal percentage and likely other items, Jalen has Kennedy tonight, then the winner of Delano vs Mound-Westonka, and if they get past that, likely the winner of Orono and whomever wins between AHA and Richfield (remember, the Stars beat them this year). The point, Wilson has a lot of chances in big games to make an impression. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1574212' first='Anthony' last='Smith'] of Hopkins</strong>. This Friday the Royals will face St. Louis Park and if they win that, and they are big favorites to do so, they will play Wayzata next week. All eyes will be on that game and Smith could make a big impression there. Smith is on the number one team in the state but he is scoring 24 a game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1567964' first='Isa' last='El-Amin'] of Minnetonka</strong>. Isa has had a remarkable season and now he needs a big section playoffs. They start with Waconia tonight, if they win that, its likely Prior Lake, and if they win that, Tonka likely has Shakopee. That is one hell of a three game set so if Isa leads them through that, he has a chance to vault up this list. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1874916' first='Micah' last='Curtis'] of St. Louis Park.</strong> Micah has had a monster season and he just had a 38 point game, but his team is right around .500 even with Micah and his brother Marley being D1 players, so Micah will likely need a big performance in an upset to make a top five move. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->