Minnesota First Look: Moorhead

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Moorhead Spuds were one of the surprise teams in Class AAAA last year, winning 21 games and advancing to the Section 8AAAA semifinals. Anybody expecting the Spuds to go anywhere is going to be disappointed though, because they return three double-figure scorers and the program is flush with young, promising talent.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>KEY RETURNERS:</strong> Drew Hagen, Quentin Hegg, Brady Walthall</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hagen averaging better than 15 points and six rebounds last year, playing second-fiddle to Maleeck Harden. He spent the summer with ECI and looks more than capable of stepping up even more as a senior. At 6-foot-5, he’s a skilled faceup wing who can shoot from deep, get to the rim and rebound at a high rate. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hegg averaged 13 points per game as a junior and returns to give the Spuds a dynamic No. 2 scoring option. He is excellent at getting to the rim, possessing the speed and quickness to break down defenses and either make plays for himself or his teammates.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Walthall started as a sophomore, averaging 10 points per game while serving as the team’s best perimeter shooter. Walthall has an advanced floor game and will have more opportunities to handle the ball this winter too. He’s an excellent on-ball defender as well, using his length and smarts to harass opposing ball-handlers. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>STEPPING INTO NEW ROLES:</strong> Trey Feeney, Donnavin Hinsz, Belind Alemadi, Blake Walthall, Lee Karfear </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There’s a bunch of solid returning young talent in the Moorhead program right now, creating quite a bit of excitement. Donnavin Hinsz was a rotation player last year up front and showed he can be an impact interior player despite only going into his sophomore season. He averaged four points and three rebounds and could be a breakout guy this winter.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Belind Alemadi and Blake Walthall looked excellent over the summer playing with ECI. Alemadi is a savvy ball handler and shot-creator while Walthall is an excellent long-range shooter and feisty defender. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Feeney came off the bench last year and averaged four points and three rebounds. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>QUESTION:</strong> Can the Spuds make a run in Section 8AAAA?</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Section 8AAAA appears to be the most wide-open section in the state at this point. Maple Grove has owned it for a while now, but the Crimson will be relying on a lot of new guys this winter. Buffalo will be a contender again but an injury to Tony Dahl and Aiden Bouman departing to play football, the Bison’s ceiling feels a little lower than it was around this time last year Can the Spuds make a run at the section and get to state? They’ve got the talent to compete with those upper-echelon metro teams this winter.</span></p> <p><strong>SEASON OUTLOOK</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Moorhead surprised people a bit last year, winning 21 games. The Spuds won’t surprise anybody this year with similar success. Hagen, Hegg and Walthall give them a terrific trio and the young guys in the program appear ready to take on significant roles. The Spuds are for real. </span></p>