Class AAA Title Contender Series: DeLaSalle

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2021-22 DeLaSalle Islanders were a down and out story last year because they lost two key players, and then they shocked many winning 16 of their last 19. What's next? The Todd Anderson era!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Wins in 21-22 (22-8):</strong> St. Thomas, Cooper, BSM, Richfield, Blake, CDH, Hopkins, South St. Paul, St.Cloud Tech, Princeton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Oops</strong>: Park Center, Minneapolis South, Totino-Grace, Minneapolis North, Tonka, Wayzata</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Moving On:</strong>  Shooter Kyle Johnson scored 13 points a game and was the second option for this team last season, Kyle has moved on to the college level. Amir Everett scored 3 or 4 buckets a game plus was a great defender, he's now in college. Brandon Hoban was that rebounder, screener, defender, and hard worker but down the stretch the team needed more offense and he gave some of that as well. That was it for the senior class, this group had only the three. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Returning Starters (2):</strong>  Last year [player_tooltip player_id='962218' first='Nasir' last='Whitlock'] averaged 26 points a game after two key players were no longer on the team. Whitlock is surely one of the toughest players to guard in the state of Minnesota one on one and his ability to create shots for himself and others was a huge reason the Islanders made the push all the way to the AAA title game. Whitlock, who has committed to Lehigh, is an all state first team talent and ready to make another title game push. The other returning starter is senior [player_tooltip player_id='1570376' first='Riley' last='Blaylark']. This guard ranks with one of the toughest defenders in the metro and he had a nice summer showing that his game is growing. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Reserves Playing a Bigger Role:</strong> The entire bench is back and ready to step into starting roles or the 6th Man role. Third leading scorer Isreal Moses is one of the more explosive players in the senior class and his 7.5 points per game could move right into double figures as one of the key options away from Whitlock. Two other key players to watch are Myles Dillon-Parks and [player_tooltip player_id='1288764' first='Pj' last='Pounds']. Dillon-Parks was one of the team's best defenders off the bench while Pounds is 6'5 and will be a key post for the Islanders. The other rotation player that will be big for the Islanders is [player_tooltip player_id='2365712' first='Ray' last='James Jr.'] Ray is a long wing who will be a junior. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Potentials from the JV</strong>: Senior guard Wade Gelin played some varsity last season as well and could figure into the rotation. Gelin and now junior [player_tooltip player_id='1330160' first='Justin' last='Johnson'] both were solid on JV. Then you have the six sophomores who all played JV last year. That group is [player_tooltip player_id='2175468' first='Marcus' last='Anderson'], De'Von Irvin, [player_tooltip player_id='1288747' first='Andrew' last='Apiagyei'], [player_tooltip player_id='2103394' first='Dorian' last='Pruitt'], Darius Irvin, and Nathan Merrill. All of these players are guards. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>New to the Varsity program</strong>: Aiden Higgins really isn't new, he was just hurt last season. Higgins is an excellent defender and this summer had a few explosive three point shooting games for the [program_tooltip program_id='2075674' first='Minnesota' last='Heat']. Higgins is a perfect fit for this team on both ends and I could surely see him in the top six or seven of the rotation. Six-foot-4 junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1148715' first='Jaden' last='Morgan'] averaged 14.5 points per game last year for Two Rivers and now he's at DeLaSalle. Morgan's ability to score the basketball could be the perfect addition to Whitlock and Moses as he could stretch out the defense giving teammates space. Morgan scores around the basket but he does it consistently so defenses have to be aware of him. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Final Thoughts</strong>: Anderson is a long time DeLaSalle assistant and he's long had the coaching ability to be a head coach but that has been tough for him because of his day job. But with Travis Bledsoe now at ARCC, Anderson stepped into this role to keep the Islanders as a top program and we think he is the perfect man for the job. The Islanders will once again contend. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->