2012 Mr Basketball Finalists Announced

Here are the 5 finalists for the 2012 Mr Basketball Award

Siyani Chambers - Hopkins
Joey King - Eastview
Sanjay Lumpkin - BSM
Johnny Woodard - Duluth East
Isaiah Zierden - BSM

King and Chambers were absolute locks and you have to think that if one of their teams wins the state title that the Mr Basketball award will go that direction.  Lumpkin and Zierden might have been questionable after losing in the 6AAA final but they are 2 of the best prospects in the state and they were number one most of the season.  No problem with either one making it, both is a little more dicey but hard to argue against.  Most interesting case is Woodard.  He sat out until the Timberwolves Shooout and the Greyhounds needed a buzzer beater from halfcourt with him fouled out just to make state.  That said he's been dominant (see TWolves Shootout vs future Gopher Wally Ellenson) and had a huge impact on East when he returned.  Definitely was a name everybody thought would be in the discussions.  All of these are D1 level kids and that definitely appeared to be a major factor to the committee.

Kids going off to the NSIC and at small schools will feel snubbed by this list.  That includes Tyler Vaughan from Braham (MN-Moorhead) and Zach Huisken (Augustana) from SW MN Christian who have had their teams on top of the polls all year and have played very well.  Vaughan's 53 point game in the section final made him a lock on my list.  Mitch Weg (SMSU) had a great year for Worthington leading his team to a state over Michael Busack (Mankato) of Redwood Valley.   He never had the high recognition of the others.  I would have gone with 4 big school kids and 1 small school for balance.  That would have meant 1 of this group and then 2 from Woodard, Zierden and Lumpkin.