The CzarPI Explained

The CzarPI, rhymes with RPI, short for The Czar's Power Index, is an advanced RPI calculation used to evaluate teams across the state of Minnesota.  A team's CzarPI value represents the percentage of their season performance compared to a perfect season.  This allows the CzarPI to be a consistent barometer across seasons for historical comparison.

Some fundamental principles of The CzarPI
  • A winless team has a CzarPI of 0.  Wins are ultimately what determines if team A is better than team B so if a team loses, their value cannot be determined.
  • Wins against non-MSHSL teams are not counted as the quality of the win cannot be quantified and this is a comparison of teams playing in the state tournament series.  However, based on the first principle, losses are counted.
    Note: Starting with the 2014-15 season, losses against non-MSHSL teams are no longer counted.  This means that all non-MSHSL games are ignored.
  • Teams with equal records are ordered by the quality of their wins vs their schedule results.
  • The CzarPI is based only on the games played, not games to be played in the future. 
  • The CzarPI will not wash your dog, find the lost city of Atlantis, cure world hunger or fix my morbid obesity.  Like all computerized rankings that do not include a human factor, this ranking should only used be as 1 tool of many to evaluate a team.
Some fundamental differences between The CzarPI and the QRF
  • The QRF only takes into account wins and doesn't account for losses when determining the value for a specific game (iQRF).  The full QRF is an average across all games played so losses do count there.  The CzarPI takes into account wins and losses for an individual game and also averages per game results.
  • The QRF only counts opponents wins.  That means a team with 22 wins against a great schedule is treated the same as a team with 22 wins against a weak schedule.  (Note: In 2013-14, it appears the QRF now includes opponent's opponent's wins with a class value).  The CzarPI takes into account the opponents record, the opponents opponents record and the opponents opponents opponents record.
  • The QRF uses class differential.  I agree that class differential can be a valuable criteria when evaluating any game.  However it is my opinion that is not equal statewide.  For example, a class AA team in the metro where there are many private schools with kids from a large area vs a AA public school in the outstate is a major difference.  Therefore, I do not include it in the CzarPI.  
  • Margin of Victory was included in the QRF until the 2011-12 season but is no longer in use.  I also feel that criteria was far too subjective to be used blindly by a calculation so I have never included it in the CzarPI.

NBA players from Minnesota

Here is a list of current NBA players who played high school ball in Minnesota.

  1. Amir Coffey (Hopkins) - LA Clippers
  2. Chet Holmgren (Minnehaha) - Oklahoma City
  3. David Roddy (Breck) - Memphis
  4. Gary Trent (Apple Valley) -  Toronto
  5. Jalen Suggs (Minnehaha) - Orlando
  6. Jericho Sims (Cristo Rey) - New York
  7. Kendall Brown (East Ridge) - Indiana
  8. Mike Muscala (Roseville) - Washington
  9. Tre Jones (Apple Valley) - San Antonio
  10. Tyus Jones (Apple Valley) - Washington
  11. Zeke Nnaji (Hopkins) - Denver


MN Basketball Resources

Resources for all things regarding Minnesota basketball.

2023-24 High School Season Links
Fall Hoops
Season Previews
Holiday Tourneys
CzarPI Rankings
Scoreboard
Current Polls
D1 & D2 Signings
College List
NBA Players
Previous Seasons


Minnesota HS Hoops Links
State Records
MN BB Hall of Fame
League Websites
Mr. Basketball
Bob McDonald Award
McDonald's All-Americans
State Scoring Record Tracker
MSHSL Boys Hoops
Section Assignments
Games Online


AAU Season Links
AAU SeasonAAU Links
AAU Team SitesAAU Bingo
Signing DatesMN AAU Tweets
D1 CalendarMN Player Rankings
D2 CalendarRivals.com Hoops
Nike EYBLScout.com Hoops (now part of 247Sports)
Adidas 3SSBESPN Hoops
UA Association247 Sports Hoops
Sanford LeaguePrep Hoops
NY2LA BB AssociationRSCI Composite


Other Basketball Links
Prep Hoops Minnesota
Minnesota Preps
Minnesota-Scores.net
MN Basketball Hub
Star Tribune Preps
Pioneer Press Preps
Breakdown Sports USA
MSBN
Pacesetter


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Games Online Links

Here's a list of online sites where you can catch metro area games.  If you know of others, please feel free to pass them along so I can add them here.

Section Maps

MSHSL maps for the location of each team in each section or class
All Class AAll Class AAAll Class AAAAll Class AAAA
1A1AA1AAA1AAAA
2A2AA2AAA2AAAA
3A3AA3AAA3AAAA
4A4AA4AAA4AAAA
5A5AA5AAA5AAAA
6A6AA6AAA6AAAA
7A7AA7AAA7AAAA
8A8AA8AAA8AAAA

Bob McDonald Award Winners

In 2017, there was a controversy surrounding the leadership of the Mr Basketball award for Minnesota.  In response, the Minnesota Boys Basketball Coaches Association created the Bob McDonald Award to be awarded to the top senior player in the state.  Bob McDonald compiled a 1012-428 record in 59 years of coaching at McGregor, Barnum and mostly at Chisholm (53 years). He won 3 state titles during that time.

Czar Commentary on the 2017 Mr Basketball Controversy
2017 Creation of the Bob McDonald Award
Star Tribune article on creation of the Bob McDonald Award


Bob McDonald Award Winners
YearWinnerThe Finalists
2024Jackson McAndrew (Wayzata)Isaac Asuma (Cherry)
Casmir Chavis (Park Center)
Tameron Ferguson (St. Cloud Tech)
Daniel Freitag (Breck)
Grayson Grove (Alexandria)
Kole Hanson (Holy Family)
Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (Totino-Grace)
Kyle Jorgensen (Minneapolis Washburn)
Jon Mekonnen (Eastview)
Jaden Morgan (De La Salle)
Jack Robison (Lakeville North)
Andy Stefonowicz (Minnetonka)
Henry Tschetter (Stewartville)
Max Woods (Chanhassen)

36 Semifinalists
2023Nasir Whitlock (De La Salle)Patrick Bath (Totino-Grace)
Matthew Bothun (St. Francis)
Taison Chatman (Totino-Grace)
Nate Dahl (Buffalo)
Isaiah Hagen (Orono)
Jack Janicki (White Bear Lake)
Boden Kapke (Holy Family)
Ben Kopetzki (Andover)
Owen Leach (Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton)
CJ O'Hara (Park Center)
Max Shikenjanski (Stillwater)
Hayden Tibbits (Wayzata)
JJ Ware (Park Center)
Nolan Winter (Lakeville North)

38 Semifinalists
2022Eli King (Caledonia)Prince Aligbe (Minnehaha)
Kendall Blue (East Ridge)
Braeden Carrington (Park Center)
Tre Holloman (Cretin-Derham Hall)
Jackson Loge (Morris)
Ayden McDonald (Hibbing)
Pharrel Payne (Park)
Kenji Scales (Eastview)
Demarion Watson (Totino-Grace)
Willie Wilson (Minneapolis North)

26 Semifinalists
2021Chet Holmgren (Minnehaha)
Lamar Grayson (Richfield)
Trey Longstreet (Delano)
Andrew Morgan (Waseca)
Francis Nwaokorie (Champlin Park)
Rowan Nelson (Melrose)
Josh Streit (Eden Valley-Watkins)
Davon Townley (Minneapolis North)
Will Tschetter (Stewartville)
Kooper Vaughan (St. Charles)

30 Semifinalists
2020Jalen Suggs (Minnehaha)Henry Abraham (Cambridge-Isanti)
Ben Carlson (East Ridge)
Steven Crowl (Eastview)
Dain Dainja (Park Center)
Drake Dobbs (Eden Prairie)
Dawson Garcia (Prior Lake)
Nate Heise (Lake City)
Noah King (Caledonia)
Gabe Madsen (Rochester Mayo)
Agwa Nywesh (Austin)
Kerwin Walton (Hopkins)

28 Semifinalists
2019Matt Hurt (Rochester John Marshall)Courtney Brown (East Ridge)
Noah Christensen (Breckenridge)
Isaac Fink (Springfield)
Robert Jones (Prior Lake)
Antwan Kimmons (Tartan)
Jaeden King (Cretin-Derham Hall)
Jack Middleton (Edina)
Zeke Nnaji (Hopkins)
David Roddy (Breck)
Tyrell Terry (De La Salle)
Tyler Wahl (Lakeville North)

30 Semifinalists
2018Tre Jones (Apple Valley)Owen King (Caledonia)
Daniel Oturu (Cretin-Derham Hall)
Calvin Wishart (Delano)
Gabe Kalscheur (De La Salle)
Noah Kannegiesser (Hancock)
Javonni Bickham (Minnehaha)
Matt Todd (Monticello)
Jarvis Omersa (Orono)
Michael Jones (Woodbury)

35 Semifinalists

Mr. Basketball Winners

Read more about the history of the award on Wikipedia.

Czar Commentary on the 2017 Mr Basketball Controversy
2017 Creation of the McDonald Award
Bob McDonald Award Winners

Minnesota's Mr Basketball Winners
YearWinnerThe Finalists
2024Jackson McAndrew (Wayzata)Isaac Asuma (Cherry)
Casmir Chavis (Park Center)
Tameron Ferguson (St. Cloud Tech)
Daniel Freitag (Breck)
Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (Totino-Grace)
Kyle Jorgensen (Minneapolis Washburn)
Jalen Langsy (Shakopee)
Jack Robison (Lakeville North)
Andy Stefonowicz (Minnetonka)

2024 Watch List
2023Nasir Whitlock (De La Salle)Taison Chatman (Totino-Grace)
Nate Dahl (Buffalo)
Quyavant Douglas (Brooklyn Center)
Boden Kapke (Holy Family)
Ben Kopetzki (Andover)
CJ O'Hara (Park Center)
Max Shikenjanski (Stillwater)
Hayden Tibbits (Wayzata)
Nolan Winter (Lakeville North)

2023 Watch List
2022Braeden Carrington (Park Center)
Prince Aligbe (Minnehaha)
Carter Bjerke (Wayzata)
Kendall Blue (East Ridge)
Alonzo Dodd (South St. Paul)
Tre Holloman (Cretin-Derham Hall)
Eli King (Caledonia)
Jackson Loge (Morris)
Pharrel Payne (Park of Cottage Grove)
Demarion Watson (Totino-Grace)

2022 Watch List
2021Chet Holmgren (Minnehaha)Ryan Dufault (Waseca)
Lamar Grayson (Richfield)
Trey Longstreet (Delano)
Andrew Morgan (Waseca)
Francis Nwaokorie (Champlin Park)
Noah Paulson (Duluth East)
Henry Shannon (Eastview)
Josh Strong (Champlin Park)
Will Tschetter (Stewartville)

2021 Watch List
2020Jalen Suggs (Minnehaha)Ben Carlson (East Ridge)
Steven Crowl (Eastview)
Dain Dainja (Park Center)
Drake Dobbs (Eden Prairie)
Dawson Garcia (Prior Lake)
Nate Heise (Lake City)
Noah King (Caledonia)
Gabe Madsen (Rochester Mayo)
Kerwin Walton (Hopkins)

2020 Watch List
2019Matt Hurt (Rochester John Marshall)Jamison Battle (De La Salle)
Issac Fink (Springfield)
Antwan Kimmons (Tartan)
Jaeden King (Cretin-Derham Hall)
Jack Middleton (Edina)
Zeke Nnaji (Hopkins)
David Roddy (Breck)
Tyrell Terry (De La Salle)
Tyler Wahl (Lakeville North)

2019 Watch List
2018Tre Jones (Apple Valley)Sy Chatman (Cretin-Derham Hall)
Michael Jones (Woodbury)
Gabe Kalscheur (De La Salle)
Owen King (Caledonia)
Jarvis Omersa (Orono)
Daniel Oturu (Cretin-Derham Hall)
Matt Todd (Monticello)
Odell Wilson (Minneapolis North)
Calvin Wishart (Delano)

2018 Watch List
Czar Final 5 Commentary
2017McKinley Wright (Champlin Park)Trae Berhow (Watertown-Mayer)
Brad Davison (Maple Grove)
Jordan Horn (Tartan)
Theo John (Champlin Park)
Issac Johnson (Minneapolis North)
Goanar Mar (De La Salle)
Tywhon Pickford (Maple Grove)
Nate Reuvers (Lakeville North)
Jericho Sims (Cristo Rey)
2016Amir Coffey (Hopkins)Johnny Beeninga (Wayzata)
Brock Bertram (Apple Valley)
Michael Hurt (Rochester John Marshall)
Steffon Mitchell (Shakopee)

Final 5 with Czar Commentary
2015JT Gibson (Champlin Park)Sacar Anim (De La Salle)
Bjorn Broman (Lakeview Christian)
Jarvis Johnson (De La Salle)
Marshawn Wilson (Hill-Murray)
2014Tyus Jones (Apple Valley)Wheeler Baker (Osseo)
Brian Goodwin (Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa)
J.P. Macura (Lakeville North)
Reid Travis (De La Salle)
2013Quinton Hooker (Park Center) Anders Broman (Lakeview Christian)
Riley Dearring (Minnetonka)
Aaron Lien (Moorhead)
Graham Woodward (Edina)

Final 5 with Czar Commentary
2012Siyani Chambers (Hopkins)Joey King (Eastview)
Sanjay Lumpkin (Benilde-St. Margaret's)
Johnny Woodard (Duluth East)
Isaiah Zierden (Benilde-St. Margaret's)

Czar Commentary on Final 5
2011Joe Coleman (Hopkins)

Lucas Brown (Roseville)
Shelby Moats  (Waconia)
Kyle Noreen (Minnesota Transitions)
Jake White (Chaska)

Final 20 + Czar Commentary on Final 5
2010Kevin Noreen (Minnesota Transitions)Marshall Bjorklund (Sibley East)
Trevor Gruis (Ellsworth)
Dyami Starks (Duluth East)
Jacob Thomas (Columbia Heights)

Czar Commentary on Final 5
Final 25
2009Royce White (Hopkins) Mike Bruesewitz (Henry Sibley)
Raymond Cowles (Hopkins)
Sam Dower (Osseo)
Jordair Jett (St. Bernard's)

Final 15
2008Jordan Taylor (Benilde-St. Margaret's)Jared Berggren (Princeton)
Michael Floyd (Cretin-Derham Hall)
Cody Schilling (Ellsworth)
Anthony Tucker (Minnetonka)

Final 20
2007Blake Hoffarber (Hopkins)Cole Aldrich (Bloomington Jefferson)
Noah Dahlman (Braham)
Trevor Mbakwe (St. Bernard's)
Alex Rubin (Robbinsdale Armstrong)

Final 20
2006Isaiah Dahlman (Braham)Cory Johnson (Duluth East)
Cameron Rundles (De La Salle)
Bryce Webster (St. Thomas Academy)
Ryan Wittman (Eden Prairie)

30 Nominees
2005Travis Busch (Mounds View)Travis Bledsoe (De La Salle)
Ray Brown (Richfield)
Travis Brown (Richfield)
Urule Igbavboa (Tartan)
Josh Vaughan (Braham)

30 Nominees, 15 Semifinalists
2004Spencer Tollackson (Chaska)Ryan Amoroso (Burnsville)
Eric Coleman (Tartan)
Mitch Henke (Hopkins)
Everette Pedesclaux (Robbinsdale Armstrong)

20 Nominees
2003Kris Humphries (Hopkins)Dan Coleman (Hopkins)
Kevin Henderson (Minneapolis North)
Lawrence McKenzie (Minneapolis Henry)
Kammron Taylor (Minneapolis North)
Eric Webb (Grand Rapids)
2002Stephen King (Holy Angels)Jeff Halbert (White Bear Lake)
Mike Keating (Cretin-Derham Hall)
Zerek Knight (Minneapolis Henry)
Terry Pettis (Minneapolis Henry)
2001Rick Rickert (Duluth East)Alan Anderson (De La Salle)
Eric Crawford (Tartan)
Moe Hargrow (St. Paul Highland Park)
Tim Theis (Shakopee)
2000Adam Boone (Minnetonka)Alex Carlson (Litchfield)
Johnnie Gilbert (Minneapolis Henry)
Jake Sullivan (Tartan)
Tony Travis (Minneapolis Henry)
1999Nick Horvath (Mounds View)Troy Bell (Holy Angels)
Nick Jacobson (Roseville)
Ben Johnson (De La Salle)
Shane Schilling (Minnetonka)
1998Joel Pryzbilla (Monticello)
Darius Lane (Totino-Grace)
Mark Buri (Trinity)
Ryan Iverson (Eden Prairie)
Josh Ziemke (Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton)
1997Khalid El-Amin (Minneapolis North)Greg Buth (Edina)
Jared Nuness (Hopkins)
Joe Snowden (Roseville)
Jabbar Washington (Minneapolis North)
1996Mitch Ohnstad (Faribault)Russ Archambault (Sartell)
Javier Collins (St. Thomas Academy)
Luke Jimenez (Redwood Valley)
Jamie Swenson (New London-Spicer)
1995Robert Mestas (Minneapolis Roosevelt)Nathan Holmstadt (Monticello)
Blaine Joerger (Staples-Motley)
Brady Larson (St. Francis)
James Ware (Hopkins)
1994Sam Jacobsen (Park of Cottage Grove)Jeff Ellens (Cretin-Derham Hall)
Marlon McCoy (St. Agnes)
Nate Pelowski (Chaska)
Justin White (Hopkins)
1993Skipp Schaefbauer (Elk River)Bryan Doughty (Anoka)
Arvesta Kelly (Cretin-Derham Hall)
John Thomas (Minneapolis Roosevelt)
Jake Voit (Duluth East)
1992Bret Yonke (Eagan)Darren Dearring (De La Salle)
Sly Johnson (St. Paul Central)
Chad Weeks (Blaine)
Trevor Winter (Slayton)
1991Joel McDonald (Chisholm)Mike Amos (Hopkins)
Brian Carpenter (Minneapolis Washburn)
Jeff Nordgaard (Dawson-Boyd)
Donald Phillips (Minneapolis Roosevelt)
1990Chad Kolander (Owatonna)John Brownfielde (Minnetonka)
Prentiss Perkins (Minneapolis Henry)
Mike VanDenGarde (Bloomington Jefferson)
Russell Wilson (Minneapolis South)
1989Tom Conroy (DeLaSalle)Stewart Cramer (Osseo)
Dana Grimsrud (Rushford)
Juriad Hughes (St. Paul Central)
Jason Johnson (Armstrong)
1988Derek Reuben (Minneapolis North)Mark Arzdorf (Blaine)
Jason Garrow (Marshall)
Bob Martin (Apple Valley)
Mike Polomny (Park Center)
1987Kevin Lynch (Bloomington Jefferson)Dan Bannister (Minneapolis North)
Michael Dearing (St. Paul Central)
Jeff Wirtz (Blaine)
David Zollar (Duluth East)
1986Steve Schlotthauer (Mounds View)Mike Alaspa (Columbia Heights)
Rod Grosse (Irondale)
Mike Hilley (Fergus Falls)
Sam Skarich (St. Cloud Tech)
1985Brett McNeal (Minneapolis North)Peter Anderson (Duluth East)
Damon Dragotis (De La Salle)
Larry Ogden (White Bear Lake)
Joe Regnier (White Bear Lake)
1984Tim Hanson (Prior Lake)Joe Geiger (New Prague)
Tery Kuechle (Armstrong)
Greg Lawson (Blaine)
Paul Westby (Pelican Rapids)
1983Tom Copa (Coon Rapids)Mark Dusbabeck (Faribault)
Keith Hasselquist (Chisago Lakes)
Kevin Treanor (Coon Rapids)
Paul VanDenEide (Willmar)
1982Robb Shelquist (Irondale)Dave Dahlke (Chaska)
Brad Dudek (Duluth East)
Harlan Hill (Minneapolis North)
Tom McDonald (Chisholm)
1981Redd Overton (Minneapolis North)Brian Amman (Richfield)
John Anderson (St. Louis Park)
Todd Anderson (Armstrong)
Barry Wohler (Bird Island-Lake Lillian)
1980Jim Petersen (St. Louis Park)David Gilreath (Marshall U)
Brian Hansen (Duluth East)
Chad Sheets (Moorhead)
Rickey Suggs (St. Paul Central)
1979Randy Breuer (Lake City)
Greg Downing (Duluth Central)
Ben Coleman (Minneapolis North)
Todd Swanson (Rocori)
Mark Wackler (Howard Lake-Waverly)
1978Jim Jensen (Bemidji)Steve Nett (Winona Cotter)
Tim Olson (Orr)
Ted Struger (Fridley Grace)
Bob Winzenburg (Fairmont)
1977Brian Pedersen (Prior Lake)Buck Easterling (Duluth Central)
Andre Griffin (Minneapolis Central)
Tim Wahl (Minneapolis Southwest)
Gary Wolters (Little Falls)
1976Kevin McHale (Hibbing)Greg Boone (Minneapolis Central)
Ronnie Henderson (Marshall U)
Steve Lingenfelter (Bloomington Jefferson)
Doug Pederson (Prior Lake)
1975Gene Glynn (Waseca)Rockne Johnson (Duluth East)
Kevin Mulder (Renville)
Bill Thompson (Mankato West)
Frank Wachlarowicz (Little Falls)

Minnesota McDonalds All-Americans

Minnesota's McDonald's All-American Game Participants
YearPlayers
2021Chet Holmgren (Minnehaha Academy) - Gonzaga
Kendall Brown (East Ridge/Sunrise Christian) - Baylor
2020Jalen Suggs (Minnehaha Academy) - Gonzaga
Dawson Garcia (Prior Lake) - Marquette
2019Matthew Hurt (Rochester John Marshall) - Duke
2018Tre Jones (Apple Valley) - Duke
2017Gary Trent (Prolific Prep (CA)/Apple Valley) - Duke
2014Tyus Jones (Apple Valley) - Duke
Reid Travis (De La Salle) - Stanford
Rashad Vaughn (Findlay Prep (NV)/Robbinsdale Cooper) - UNLV
2007Cole Aldrich (Bloomington Jefferson) - Kansas
2003Kris Humphries (Hopkins) - Minnesota
2001Rick Rickert (Duluth East) - Minnesota
1998Joel Przybilla (Monticello) - Minnesota
1997Khalid El-Amin (Minneapolis North) - Connecticut
1980Jim Peterson (St. Louis Park) - Minnesota

Minnesota Player Rankings

Last Updated: 3/10/2024

Class of 2024
Isaac Asuma (Cherry) - Minnesota
#99 247 Sports

Cash Chavis (Park Center) - Washington
#109 On3

Daniel Freitag (Breck) - Wisconsin
#103 247 Sports
#113 Rivals
#135 On3

Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (Totino-Grace) - Miami
#93 On3
#121 Rivals
#137 247 Sports
 
Jackson McAndrew (Wayzata) - Creighton
#23 On3
#35 Rivals
#37 247 Sports
#55 ESPN

Jack Robison (Lakeville North) - Wisconsin
#105 247 Sports

Class of 2025
Chase Thompson (Alexandria)
#129 Rivals
#134 247 Sports
#145 On3
 
Jalen Wilson (Benilde-St. Margaret's)
#140 247 Sports
#140 On3
 
Class of 2026
Dothan Ijadimbola (Totino-Grace)
#32 On3 
#44 247 Sports
#52 Rivals
 
Prep Hoops Minnesota Rankings (subscribers only)
Class of 2024
Class of 2025
Class of 2026
Class of 2027

AAU Web Sites

A list of high school level AAU teams from Minnesota is below. If your team is not listed here, please contact me to have it added. To view tweets about the Minnesota AAU scene from the teams, coaches and local writers including folks like me, click here

Minnesota