Mr. Basketball Watch List - The Snubs

Here is the list of the snubs and oh man, it's a bigger list of Mr. Basketball watch list of Snubs than we have ever seen. A lot to get into because there are a load of surprising names on the list, and that didn't make the list.   I respect the committee capping the list at 35. So I am going to limit my snubs with that in mind, basically I am going to add the players that should be on the list in place of somebody else on that 35.   Note: We are going to do our best to not dishonor some of the kids that made the list but in a few spots the conversation is not avoidable to the discussion. But even if we do some comparisons we will do our best to limit names and such.   Note 2: A few years ago Nate Dahl didn't make the watch list and was named to the top ten. A watch list is not a list of finalists, players can still make the top ten even if not on that watch list it certainly appears.   With that said, here are my snubs.   (1) [player_tooltip player_id='1874931' first='Shiloh' last='Ayitey'] of Blaine. Shiloh is such a great story. He scored 19 points a game as a junior leading Blaine to 16 wins which was about ten more than expected. Shiloh then got into the MBCA Camp as the opposing coaches in that league really spoke highly of him. And now this season, Blaine - who was projected to be one of the bottom 15 teams in AAAA - is undefeated and top ten in Class AAAA with Ayitey scoring almost 23 points a game! I had him pegged as a player with an outside chance at making the top ten. Shiloh is about to be a top 40 prospect in the senior class when we do the update in a few weeks! A few weeks ago Shiloh just scored 42 points against Spring Lake Park competing against [player_tooltip player_id='1560865' first='Nolan' last='Myren'] who is a very deserving player that made the list. To see Shiloh not on the list, and to see a player from a 4-10 Class AAA team averaging 14 points on the list......that is certainly a very odd choice.   (2) [player_tooltip player_id='1560747' first='Alex' last='Schroepfer'] of Eagan. Alex is one of the most versatile players in the state. He is a 6'6 forward that has stepped up to play point guard for his team out of necessity and played the spot well for multiple seasons! Alex is one of the best unsigned players in the state and is averaging 17.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists a game for a team that has been ranked and will be a favorite to make state from their section. To see him not on the list, and to see a guy from the same league who is averaging 12 points a game from a 6-8 team, doesn't seem like a very well researched decision.   (3) [player_tooltip player_id='1628768' first='Connor' last='Duden'] of Red Lake County. Connor is the best player on the number one ranked team in Class A basketball. He is a six year varsity player, a five year starter. After a strong spring/summer with both his [program_tooltip program_id='2076003' first='West' last='Central United'] AAU team and his high school summer stuff, Bemidji State offered a spot and Connor took it. Connor is averaging 20 points, 8.5 rebounds and four assists a game and is not only the best defender on his team, he is one of the best defenders in the senior class. His teammate Will Gieseke, a good lead guard averaging 16 points, made the list but the best player on the team didn't. This was not a mistake either, we checked. This decision was made after they watched RLC play.   (4) [player_tooltip player_id='1560795' first='Maddox' last='Lewis'] of Sartell. Maddox, who is signed with Black Hills State at the D2 level, is averaging 24 points, six rebounds, four assists shooting 41 percent from the arc as the team's top weapon on an 8-4 team. In contrast, another shooter also from a Class AAA team in the metro on a 7-7 team is shooting in the low 30s from the arc averaging the second highest point total on his team. Lewis has his team sitting in a good spot as a section favorite, the other player's team is in a bad section and is faltering.   (5) [player_tooltip player_id='2119642' first='Avery' last='Christensen'] of Willmar. Avery, a Northern State signed player, has pushed his team to 10-1 on the season and they have been ranked in the top ten of Class AAA. Avery does a lot of ball handling and is averaging 25 points a game. To see Willmar does this well and Avery have a great season that is not rewarded by this group, but a third leading scorer from an 8-6 team at 10.7 points and seven rebounds a game IS rewarded, seemed odd.   (6) [player_tooltip player_id='1521424' first='Kayden' last='Oakland'] of Northfield. The Raiders are a top ten Class AAA team with one loss all season. Kayden is averaging 22 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, two steals and is scoring on 55 percent of his field attempts. He's a South Dakota State football player that has also been one of the best basketball players in his class and the results are right there to see. For Oakland to not be listed but another football prospect from the metro is on the list despite averaging a basket less and nowhere near the other numbers, and do it on an 8-7 small school team, it doesn't add up.   (7) [player_tooltip player_id='1560835' first='Tian' last='Chatman'] of Totino-Grace. The question of multiples is a tough one to answer. I think really good teams should have multiple guys on lists like this if they have the seniors for it. TG is a top three or four team in the state right now (number one overall in AAA, 3-4 top regardless of class) and they have Dothan rightfully on the list. But to see another Class AAA team with two players on the list despite playing not the same level of schedule, and those players get on the list at 15.5 and 14 points a game, I thought either Chatman should have joined Ijadimbola. The other Class AAA team definitely deserved at least one, maybe two, but if they deserve two at what they have done, Chatman at 14 points a game with some huge clutch makes should also be there.   As I said I like the list being capped at 35. My list of 35 would have the seven listed above in place of seven others. Three other guys that I think you could make a case for are [player_tooltip player_id='1560839' first='Xavier' last='Frelix'] of Hopkins, [player_tooltip player_id='1560798' first='Lucas' last='Gustafson'] of Mankato East, [player_tooltip player_id='1560769' first='Ethan' last='Sonju'] from GSL, and [player_tooltip player_id='2465510' first='Mark' last='Graff'] of Mahtomedi, and all three of these guys, and maybe 10-15 others, have much better cases to be on the Watch List than at least four or five that made it.

Here is the list of the snubs and oh man, it's a bigger list of Mr. Basketball watch list of Snubs than we have ever seen. A lot to get into because there are a load of surprising names on the list, and that didn't make the list.