Class AAA Title Contender: Mankato East

<p>The Mankato East Cougars have dealt with a lot of adversity in the past 18 months and are likely just looking forward to a season.  There will be many people cheering for them this winter. </p> <p><strong>Key Wins in 20-21 (13-4)</strong><strong>:  </strong>Austin, Mankato West, Rochester Mayo, Rochester Century</p> <p><strong>Oops</strong>: Northfield, Mankato West, Owatonna, Worthington</p> <p><strong>Moving On: </strong> [player_tooltip player_id="774742" first="Pal" last="Kueth"] was a talented senior that had a nice career for the Cougars.  Last year was his senior season but he helped the team win 13 of their 17 games.  Sadly Kueth passed away a month ago and once again we send our best wishes to the family as well as the school and hoops program.  </p> <p>Mankato East graduated Tommy Braswell and Joe Burns, two role players from a season ago.  Last year the Cougars were affected by Covid in that they lost some games and then had to play some other games without several key pieces in their rotation (including their playoff game against Worthington).  </p> <p><strong>Returning Starters (4):</strong> The Cougars have four starters back.  When I saw East play, [player_tooltip player_id="1221142" first="Jalen" last="Hayes"] handled the ball.  Hayes is a do everything talent with great intangibles coming off an excellent sophomore year.  [player_tooltip player_id="1140603" first="Sean" last="Clement"] was a pleasant surprise.  He stepped into a role early and became a starter that scored 11 a game shooting the ball extremely well.  </p> <p>Up front the length and activity of seniors 6’6 [player_tooltip player_id="1268453" first="Puolrah" last="Gong"] and 6’8 [player_tooltip player_id="850715" first="BJ" last="Omot"] will make this team special.  Gong shot 39 percent at the arc last year scoring 15 points a game.  Gong took an even bigger step forward this spring/summer season playing with Minnesota Select.  Gong is now on the radar as a college prospect.  And speaking of prospect, [player_tooltip player_id="850715" first="BJ" last="Omot"] is a nationally ranked top 250 player and a top 10-12 talent in the state of Minnesota.  BJ averaged 21 points and 8 rebounds a game shooting 53 percent from the floor and 40 percent at the arc.  Omot is an All State level talent.  He is one of the best unsigned senior talents in the state.</p> <p><strong>Reserves Playing a Bigger Role: </strong> The main returning talent for the Cougars is TJ Kueth, a 6’5 forward that scored twice a game last year and did a great job using his length to block shots and get deflections.  Kueth has strong potential and plays hard.  The backcourt depth will be supported by Lavar Pennington, a 6’1 guard that came off the bench last season.  Pennington is a senior with quickness.  </p> <p><strong>Potentials from the JV:  </strong>The Cougars are a good shooting team and their bench will have shooters as well led by junior Giles Lancaster.  Giles is 5’10 but has a great touch joining Clement, Gong, and Omot as reliable shooting weapons.  A couple other juniors to keep an eye on are 6’1 wing Sam Thom and 5’10 Edward Hulke.  </p> <p><strong>New to the Varsity</strong>: Six-foot-1 guard Meer Opiew transferred in from Worthington and will play his senior year as a likely Mankato East 6th Man or 5th starter.  Opiew is tough and athletic which leads to slashing buckets and a constant effort for his team.  Opiew scored nine a game last season.  </p> <p><strong>Final Thoughts</strong>: The Cougars are a top five level talent in Class AAA basketball and I could see them lifting into the top three this year.  With size, length, agility, college prospects, shooting, depth, and experience I see this as a team that could make a strong run. </p>