Five takeaways: Edina outlasts St. Louis Park
The Hornets can hold on to seal the deal
I knew I wanted to see Edina play soon when I saw that they beat Cretin-Derham Hall AND Apple Valley in their second and third games, respectively. Wins don’t get much bigger than that in AAAA. Although the streak was broken with a loss to Hopkins, I was nonetheless intrigued.
Edina usually runs with four guards and a big man on the court. Anders Nelson brings the ball up with confidence and has grown into a great scoring option; he’s the captain of the ship. Wings Jack Middleton and Luke Glenna are skilled, and sophomore big man Jacob Hutson is improving quickly despite just three points tonight. They kept a lead of 5-8 points throughout most of the game, pulled away by double-digits at one point, and resisted a strong late push from St. Louis Park that came down to Cire Mayfield missing a three to tie. Charles Haff hit a free throw for the Hornets to go up by four in the final seconds.
Edina loves shooting the three-point shot… and they can hit it
With four guards on the outside and one big inside, Edina whips the ball around the perimeter and works until they can find their favorite option: an open three-pointer. Sure, they cut and score at the hoop, but they attempt a lot from beyond the arc. Almost half of their made FGs were from out there, and they had nine total from deep range coming from five different players. Anders Nelson told me after the game that it was an off night for their shooting, which makes me wonder what they look like when they’re clicking.
St. Louis Park has some quality senior prospects
Aidan Dougherty may end up on a college roster with his size and length at 6-foot-4. He had 14 points tonight, mostly near the hoop, and had two really crucial late buckets. Joey Whitlock is a sneaky scorer, just like his older brother Ray (now at Luther). He doesn’t have much size or bulk, but he gets great separation on his jumper and would be a pretty good D3 prospect. A Hamline assistant was watching, and I’m guessing it was for Whitlock. Cire Mayfield is an energetic player who I have found entertaining on the court for several years; he is a college prospect without a doubt. But at what level?
Anders Nelson is finally feeling comfortable
Walt McGrory gave up the Edina point guard spot when he graduated and walked on at Wisconsin (where he’s getting a really surprising amount of playing time for a freshman PWO). Anders Nelson then slid over from the wing to the point, and he said after the game that it’s his natural spot. He looks very comfortable and is a floor general for the Hornets. His jumper, which used to have a slight hitch and was regarded as an area to work on, looks smoother and more reliable. He has scholarship offers from Northern State and Sioux Falls, and will visit Northern later this month.
Where does each program look after this year?
For Edina, it looks like Jack Middleton and Jacob Hutson will be the top returners. I like Middleton’s game quite a bit and think he could have a nice spring/summer for Minnesota Fury as his recruitment intensifies — NSICs should watch his growth. I’m really not sure about St. Louis Park, as they graduate almost all of their scoring and there was maybe one underclassman that I saw play.