Minnesota Top 250 Expo – The 2023 Preview
The junior group of players is stacked. A good majority of the state’s elite will be at the Expo. Here are some top names. When it comes to athletic wings Mario Adams Mario Adams 6'5" | SF Eastview | 2023…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe junior group of players is stacked. A good majority of the state’s elite will be at the Expo. Here are some top names.
When it comes to athletic wings Mario Adams Mario Adams 6'5" | SF Eastview | 2023 State MN and Myles Adams Myles Adams 6'5" | SF Eastview | 2023 State MN from Eastview rank with the best in the upper Midwest. Both are 6’5 talents with high ceilings. South Dakota State and UST were in to see both this weekend.
There are 2-3 players battling it out for the right to be called “best low post player in the junior class”. One of them is surely Patrick Bath Patrick Bath 6'9" | C Totino Grace | 2023 State MN of Totino-Grace who already has D1 offers including Cal Poly.
One of the more productive players on the Prep Hoops Circuit at the 16u level was Burnsville 6’5 wing Khalif Bettis Khalif Bettis 6'6" | SF Burnsville | 2023 State MN who recently visited UST.
A player in the junior class with a lot of potential is 6’8 Matthew Bothun Matthew Bothun 6'9" | PF St. Francis | 2023 State MN from St. Francis. He’s a long face-up four that scored 19 a game last year and we think if he keeps developing Bothun could have top ten potential.
One of the more explosive players we saw at 16u this summer was Nathan Fenske Nathan Fenske 6'2" | SG Lakeview | 2023 State MN of Lakeview! The 6’2 guard is back at a prep hoops event and we are looking forward to see what he can do against some of the other top wings in the state.
Concordia Academy lead guard Aj Greene Aj Greene 6'1" | PG Concordia Academy | 2023 State MN has been his team leader for a few years already. He now enters his upperclassmen years and the Expo is a great place to see how his game has advanced.
Orono guard Isaiah Hagen Isaiah Hagen 6'3" | PG Orono | 2023 State MN was a playmaker this year for both his high school and the Sizzle. At 6’3 Hagen has the size and agility to be a top prospect in his class.
Few guys had the summer that Spencer Hall Spencer Hall 6'3" | SF Wayzata | 2023 State MN did for the Minnesota Fury. As a hard working, high IQ guy, Hall has been a key piece of winning teams at Wayzata and the Fury in the last dozen months.
As far as players that had a great 16u year go, few guys had the summer that Isaiah Hanson Isaiah Hanson 6'4" | SG Rochester Mayo | 2023 State MN of Rochester Mayo did with the Minnesota Heat. Hanson will be the top returning player for Mayo this year.
One guy many want to get a look at is Ryan Heise Ryan Heise 6'8" | SF Lake City | 2023 State MN of Lake City. As a 6’6 wing and a top defender, Heise has the agility and size to be an excellent prospect.
Rosemount has a bunch of guards coming up right now and Zach Jacobson, a 6’0 shooting guard, is a name to watch both this weekend and the future.
Speaking of wings, the top wing prospect in the junior class right now is Jack Janicki Jack Janicki 6'4" | SG White Bear Lake | 2023 State #277 Nation MN . Jack is scheduled to be at Wayzata this weekend as the Expo continues to bring in some top names.
One of the most improved bigs in the state is Adam Jenkins Adam Jenkins 6'9" | C Moorhead | 2023 State MN . The 6’8 post had a great run with ECI catching the attention of a number of college coaches.
Another top 2023 big in Minnesota is also from the north and that’s Austin Josephson Austin Josephson 6'9" | C South Ridge | 2023 State MN of South Ridge High School. He had a great playoff run and followed that by playing well for the Playmakers and Grassroots Sizzle. He’s 6’9!
More size! One player that is generating a ton of D1 interest at his fall open gyms is Boden Kapke Boden Kapke 6'11" | C Holy Family | 2023 State #153 Nation MN . Boden has a great back to the basket game but the Holy Family 6’10 big is also becoming very good facing the basket with range.
Osacr Khazon is one of the hungrier guards. The Eagan six foot guard was solid with Howard Pulley this year and logged a lot of quality minutes as a double figure scorer as a sophomore.
A big that caught our eye last summer was Chet Kloss Chet Kloss 6'6" | PF Eastview | 2023 State MN . The 6’6 big from the Minnesota Chill and Eastview High School has a great feel for the game, has a nice touch, and has a good low post feel.
When it comes to players that we think could jump up into scholarship consideration at the D1 level, Buay Koak Buay Koak 6'4" | SG Lyle-Pacelli | 2023 State MN is certainly in the conversation. The 6’3 wing from Lyle/Pacelli has a big ceiling and is coming off a great summer with the Lightning.
An experienced ball handler to watch is Ben Kopetzki Ben Kopetzki 6'0" | PG Andover | 2023 State MN , a 5’11 talent from Andover. Kopetzki was one of the two key pieces that led Andover to a great year and he helped Fury to the top spot for several weeks in 16u this year.
This week South Dakota State and St. Thomas stopped at East Ridge to see Alex Mattes Alex Mattes 6'3" | SG East Ridge | 2023 State MN , the 6’3 scoring guard that put up 14 points a game last year. Mattes is a scholarship talent with a great touch.
We are always looking for emerging size and a player that fits that description is 6’8 Duluth East center Isaac Nyakundi Isaac Nyakundi 6'9" | C MacDuffie | 2024 State New E . This powerful, long center has made progress and we can’t wait to see him vs other bigs.
CJ O’Hara CJ O’Hara 6'4" | SF Park Center | 2023 State #285 Nation MN is one of the best all around players in the state of Minnesota. O’Hara, who is now at Hopkins, can do some of everything and impact the game on both ends of the court. He’s a D1 offered talent that is arguably the most versatile junior in the state.
As far as guards go, Eastivew point guard Dylan Omweno Dylan Omweno 6'0" | PG Eastview | 2023 State MN ranks with the best in his grade. We are anxious to see him play as he gets ready to pair with Kenji Scales Kenji Scales 6'0" | PG Eastview | 2022 State MN this winter. Another South Suburban guard talent that we are anxious to see is Emmanuel Schmitter Emmanuel Schmitter 6'3" | SG Eagan | 2023 State MN . Schmitter is a two year varsity player from Eagan.
When it comes to explosive scoring guards Max Shikenjanski Max Shikenjanski 6'2" | PG Stillwater | 2023 State #288 Nation MN ranks with the best. St. Thomas and Milwaukee are scheduled to see him soon and with good reason, this young man filled it up especially when he faced shoe teams!
Jt Thornton Jt Thornton 6'4" | SF Burnsville | 2023 State MN made a big impact with WOTN on both ends this past 16u season. We’re interested to see how much he’s improved from the spring because if the 6’4 guard has become even better, he could make a big impact.
We’ve talked a lot about the Fury 16s guys and here is another, Hayden Tibbits Hayden Tibbits 5'11" | PG Wayzata | 2023 State MN . The 5’11 lead guard from Wayzata is is steady and tough, and we are anxious to see him get the ball moving in an event like this.
The 2023 run of good players just keeps going. Carter Todd Carter Todd 6'4" | SF La Crescent | 2023 State MN of La Crescent, a 6’4 do everything guard, there is lead guard Rauol Vaidya from Maple Grove, Hudson Vaith Hudson Vaith 6'4" | SG Lakeville North | 2023 State MN from Lakeville North, Reese Vanderwilt Reese Vanderwilt 6'6" | C Mound-Westonka | 2023 State MN from Mound-Westonka, inside, and of course Pal Wal Pal Wal 6'5" | PF Albert Lea | 2023 State MN inside and out. Todd and Wal have excellent potential and if Wal continues to develop that face-up game he’s a full scholarship guy.
Speaking of scholarship guys, Nasir Whitlock Nasir Whitlock 6'2" | PG Delasalle | 2023 State MN of DeLaSalle has had a number of schools in lately including UNI, Tulsa, and DePaul. Nasir had a strong sophomore year and was really good for Gain Elite playing up at 17U.