Class AAAA State Preview: Top Frontcourts 

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It's‌ ‌never‌ ‌too‌ ‌early‌ ‌for‌ ‌way-too-early‌ ‌season.‌ ‌With‌ ‌fall‌ ‌sports‌ ‌hitting‌ ‌the‌ ‌halfway‌ ‌point‌ ‌soon,‌ attention‌ ‌will‌ ‌start‌ ‌turning‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌winter‌ ‌season.‌ ‌ ‌</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With‌ ‌that‌ ‌in‌ ‌mind,‌ ‌here's‌ ‌a‌ ‌look‌ ‌at‌ ‌some‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌top‌ ‌forwards‌ ‌in‌ ‌Class‌ ‌AAAA‌ ‌for‌ ‌this‌ ‌upcoming‌ ‌season:‌ </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Eastview:</strong> Steven Crowl, Tate Machacek, Zach Spann, Henry Shannon</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Lightning have not only one of the most talented frontcourts in the state, but also the deepest. Crowl and Machacek are multi-year starters and have the chemistry and skillsets to dominate games. Crowl is one of the most skilled big men in the state and can score inside and out while Machacek can defend multiple positions and produce on low volume. Spann and Shannon showed over the summer that they are more than capable of stepping into roles this upcoming winter even if they may not get a ton of minutes because of the guys in front of them.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>East Ridge:</strong> Ben Carlson, Zac Thomas, Brody Kriesel</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">East Ridge's ceiling took a hit when Kendall Brown transferred out, but the Raptors still have one of the best front lines in the state. Ben Carlson will be in his fourth year as a starter and after second or third fiddle in their offense, he'll be heavily featured this winter. Zac Thomas had a good summer playing with the Heat and looks like a guy who will be able to impact the game in a lot of ways and excel off Carlson. Kriesel was a role player a year ago and should also see an uptick in opportunity as teams focus on Carlson.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Park Center:</strong> Dain Dainja, Detavius Frierson, </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Park Center is talented enough to win the state title and should be considered one of the favorites in large part because the Pirates have a monster front line. Dain Dainja can be unstoppable at times and dominant when he wants to be. He averaged 16 points and eight rebounds last year and both those numbers could go up by 50 percent this winter. Detavius Frierson will handle the ball some but he's also one of the most multidimensional players in the state. He can defend up or down a lineup, score inside and rebound at a high level.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Prior Lake:</strong> Dawson Garcia, Austin Sommerville, Kyle McCullough</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prior Lake is losing a lot from a year ago, but the Lakers will still be strong up front. Dawson Garcia is one of the best players in the state and he's got a diverse enough skillset that he'll put up big numbers even with defenses geared up to stop him. Austin Sommerville had a good summer and looks like a breakout candidate next to him while McCullough saw spot minutes a year ago and has the skills to contribute a lot in a complementary role. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Champlin Park:</strong> Cooper Olson, Francis Nwaokorie</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Champlin Park graduated its two leading scorers but the Rebels are always competitive and if they are to remain strong this winter, the frontcourt will have a lot to do with it. Cooper Olson had an awsome summer playing with Comets, showing the ability to create his own shot, finish in traffic and defend at a high level. He hasn't produced a ton at the high school level but he'll have every chance to this winter. Francis Nwaokorie showed a lot of promise as a sophomore in a complementary role and his style of play pairs nicely with Olson's. He'll be one of the big big men in the Northwest Suburban Conference this winter. </span></p>