2019-20 Season Tipoff

Prologue
Its a friendly Minnesota season opener as I venture back to Minneapolis Roosevelt for another opening night.  Howard Pulley coaching pals Willie Braziel and Mike Walker sit on opposite benches as coach Braziel brings his Columbia Heights squad into the city for game number 1.  Its a fully recognized AAU crew on duty for the evening.  For those of you wondering, despite it being Pulley guys, we don't get The Reverend though.  Roosevelt closing the opposite bleachers and swapping the scorers table and benches to that side.  Made for a much cozier feel.  The 500 ml bottle of Coke beverage option goes with a basic hot dog on a slightly stale bun.

Song of the Day: Downtown Train - Rod Stewart

Number of Teams I've Seen: 4 (2 games, 2 buildings, 0 online)

Beverage Ticker: 16.9 ounces (200 calories)

• Coke: 16.9 ounces (200 calories)

Food Ticker:

• Hot Dogs:1
• Pizza:0
• Walking Tacos: 0
• Extra: 0

Game Time:
Its a slow start on both ends.  Heights not happy with their start and coach Braziel takes time just over 2 minutes and his Hylanders down 3-2.  That inspires a 14-4 spurt over the next 5+ minutes.  But a couple of sloppy turnovers and a bad triple trigger a Roosevelt 5-0 mini-run.  16-12 Columbia Heights as we reach the midpoint of the first half.  Jordan Jones with a pair of tough triples and 12 points already.  Heights opens the game up from there with a 16-0 run over the next 6:45.  Elijah Williams with a free throw and bucket to start it.  Star soph Muja Burton with a triple, a nice cut for a 3 point play and a jumper to finish it.  36-20 Columbia Heights at half.  They'll turn it into a blowout with a 17-2 run to the midpoint of the 2nd half.  Jones and Burton leading that run to push the lead to 62-31 with 9:02 left.  We quickly get running time and garbage time from there.  Columbia Heights rolls to a 80-43 victory.

Post Game:
Minneapolis Roosevelt falls to 0-1 with the loss.  Dennis Holte leads the Teddies with 9 points off the bench.  Mustafa Salad chips in with 8 and he looks to be their best offensive option.  I had Roosevelt for at least 23 turnovers which didn't help the cause.  It doesn't get any easier with a trip to Cristo Rey on Monday.  They'll then host Bloomington Kennedy on Thursday before jumping into Minneapolis City play the following week.

Senior guard Jordan Jones leads Columbia Heights with 27 points including 3 triples.  Soph wing Muja Burton adds a couple of triples of his own.  He finished with 21 points.  They'll stay on the road next week with trips to Mahtomedi and St. Thomas Academy.  That Mahtomedi game is an important one for position behind Minnehaha in section 4AAA.  That leads into a tough schedule stretch from mid-December into mid-January.

2019-20 Season in a Nutshell

This is the final preview in the 2019-2020 Season Preview series.  Per normal tradition, it concludes with a season overview for the casual fan.  This is a higher level simplified preview for those who don't eat, sleep and breathe hoops like the rest of us.  Its who and what you need to see and when and where to see it.  If you missed any of the 121 team previews over 13 conferences or the 14 section previews, a full list of them can be found here.

10 Local Events

• Nov 30th - Big 12 Classic at Champlin Park
• Dec 7 - Boys Tipoff Classic at Hopkins
• Dec 14 - Southside Showcase at Minnehaha and Hiawatha Academy
• Jan 3rd and 4th - Sierra Canyon (CA) and Patrick School (NJ) at Minnehaha
• Jan 11th - Basketball Showcase at Minneapolis Henry
• Jan 18th - Hall of Fame Winter Classic at Anoka-Ramsey CC
• Jan 18th - Bragging Rights Classic at Prairie Seeds Academy
• Jan 20th - Dream Classic at Minneapolis Roosevelt
• Jan 25th - South Metro Hoopfest at Burnsville
• Feb 1st - Community Clash at St. Michael-Albertville

As usual the Breakdown Sports USA events kickoff the season with a bang.  A rematch of last season's class AAA title game between De La Salle and Waseca is just one of the notable games on the Big 12 schedule.  Waseca and Mankato East are a couple of outstate teams with tough matchups on the main court in the Tipoff Classic.  All 10 teams in the AAAA Breakdown top 10 will be on the main court along with 4 of the top 6 in AAA and #1AA Waseca.  Lake City and Caledonia are 2 of the top 5 class AA heavyweights playing on the east court.

The Southside Showcase expands to 2 gyms and 14 games.  Minnehaha has all big school games.  Don't sleep on the small school teams just down the street at Hiawatha.  Hiawatha, Cristo Rey, Hope Academy, Blake and Mayer Lutheran plus tradition power Rushford-Peterson are a good group of teams that will all be playing there.

Speaking of Minnehaha, they'll host a monster set of games on the 1st weekend of the new year.  Friday night will feature national powers Sierra Canyon of California and The Patrick School of New Jersey.  Sierra Canyon's roster has Bronny James (Lebron's son) amongst many high profile guys.  The Patrick School is loaded too.  They'll play each other on Friday night along with Minnehaha hosting Park Center.  Then Sierra Canyon sticks around to play Minnehaha on Saturday in the local game of the year.  Rumor says there might be ESPN involvement too.

The usual Tim Williams events dot the rest of the January calendar.  But 1 new event pops up with the Minnesota basketball hall of fame putting on an event at Anoka-Ramsey.  A possible state title preview there with the 2 top preseason favorites, Eden Prairie and Park Center, going at it.  It also includes the best chance for metro fans to catch the Madsen twins in action (Cincinnati commits) as they take on East Ridge.

10 Other Non-Conference Games to Watch

• De La Salle at North St. Paul - Dec 5th 
• Minnehaha at Hopkins - Dec 17th 
• Eden Prairie at East Ridge - Dec 21st
• East Ridge holiday tourney- Dec 27th and 28th
• De La Salle at Hopkins - Jan 10th 
• Prior Lake at Chaska - Jan 30th
• Eden Prairie at De La Salle - Feb 1st 
• De La Salle at Cretin-Derham Hall - Feb 15th
• Eden Prairie at Minnehaha - Feb 18th
• De La Salle at Minnehaha - Feb 22nd

There's nothing like a good grudge match and the first 2 games fit that bill.  North St. Paul went to the island and got everybody's attention with a win there last season.  Minnehaha has lost 3 straight to Hopkins over the last 2 years including their only 2 losses last season.  A tough trio of games for Ben Carlson and East Ridge to end the calendar year.  AAAA favorite Eden Prairie comes calling to start the holiday break.  Then Ben Carlson goes head to head with future Wisconsin teammate Steven Crowl to start their holiday tournament.  They finish that tourney against Minnehaha.  State contenders and powerhouses Hopkins and De La Salle have a return game to start the new year.  Prior Lake's only major solo non-conference matchup is a tough section battle at Chaska right in the middle of the South Suburban season.   De La Salle gets in a couple of rivalry games in February with CDH and Minnehaha.

10 Conference Games to Watch

• Prior Lake at Shakopee - Jan 7th
• Tartan at North St. Paul- Jan 14th
• Eden Prairie at Hopkins - Jan 16th
• Champlin Park at Park Center - Jan 28th
• Cristo Rey at St. Croix Prep - Jan 28th
• Shakopee at Prior Lake - Feb 7th
• Hopkins at Eden Prairie - Feb 11th
• North St. Paul at Tartan - Feb 14th
• St. Croix Prep at Cristo Rey - Feb 18th
• Cretin-Derham Hall at East Ridge - Feb 28th
  

The beauty in this list of games is not just the conference implications, but also the section seeding impacts.  8 of these 10 games are section matchups with the Hopkins vs Eden Prairie games being possible 1 seed matchups and a state title preview.  Great rivalries here too with Prior Lake and Shakopee in the section 2AAAA and a very underrated district rivalry in section 4AAAA between Tartan and North St. Paul.  Cristo Rey and St. Croix Prep had a tight non-conference game last year and are favorites in section 4AA.  Champlin Park vs Park Center is the only meeting between the division favorites in the NW Suburban and 2 of the best teams in section 5AAAA along with Osseo.  The regular season finale between CDH and East Ridge is too good to resist with a league title and top seed in section 4AAAA possibly up for grabs.

10 Upperclassmen to Watch

• Ben Carlson - East Ridge
• Steven Crowl - Eastview
• Dain Dainja - Park Center
• Drake Dobbs - Eden Prairie
• Dawson Garcia - Prior Lake
• J'Vonne Hadley - Cretin-Derham Hall
• Chet Holmgren - Minnehaha 
• Jacob Hutson - Edina
• Jalen Suggs - Minnehaha
• Kerwin Walton - Hopkins

10 Underclassmen You Need to Know

• Prince Aligbe - Minnehaha
• Kendall Blue - East Ridge
• Braeden Carrington - Park Center 
• Chase Carter - Minnehaha Academy
• Taison Chatman - Totino-Grace
• Camden Heide - Wayzata
• Tre Holloman - Cretin-Derham Hall
• Emmett Johnson - Holy Angels 
• CJ O'Hara - Totino-Grace 
• Elvis Nnaji - Hopkins

10 Local Teams to Watch

• Cretin-Derham Hall
• De La Salle
• Eastview
• East Ridge
• Eden Prairie
• Hopkins
• Minnehaha Academy
• Park Center
• Prior Lake
• Shakopee

Current 10 Games or More Streaks In Conference Play

• De La Salle - 40 wins
• Minneapolis North - 39 wins
• Minnehaha Academy - 32 wins (23 in a row overall)
• East Ridge- 23 wins
• St. Paul Central - 17 wins
• Park Center - 15 wins
• Tartan - 14 wins
• Cristo Rey Jesuit - 12 wins (in EMAC, move to Skyline this season)
• Lakeville North - 10 wins
• Hill-Murray - 17 losses
• International School of Minnesota/Eagle Ridge Academy - 14 losses* 
• Richfield - 13 losses (in Metro West, move to Tri-Metro this season)

* The International School of Minnesota/Eagle Ridge Academy streak ends this year as the programs are no longer doing their co-op.  ISM now combines with Chesterton but that will be under an independent banner this year.  Eagle Ridge joins the new era of the MCAA.

Season Thoughts
Its another quality year in class AAAA thanks to a deep 2020 class.  Park Center and Eden Prairie stand out as immediate favorites but the loss of Ariel Bland leaves a hole inside for Eden Prairie.  Hopkins won't be big either but will have lots of firepower on the perimeter with Kerwin Walton leading that crew.  Cretin-Derham Hall will be similar to that with J'Vonne Hadley filling the stat sheet on the wing and Tre Holloman running the show.  There's also plenty to talk about with big guys too.  Dawson Garcia at Prior Lake, Steven Crowl at Eastview and Ben Carlson at East Ridge will all make their teams forces to be reckoned with.  Can't forget Jacob Hutson of Edina in that group of outstanding bigs either.  I'm also looking forward to how Osseo and Champlin Park reload with young talent. 

Minnehaha moves up to AAA and is the heavy favorite thanks to a roster that may be as talented from top to bottom as we've seen in Minnesota.  De La Salle has talent but lacks experience and an obvious high level guy on the offensive end.  But Cade Haskins may be the guy to fill that role. Don't expect Holy Angels to go away, they were very good at all levels last year and have turned around in a hurry.  Soph Emmet Johnson is a big reason for that.  Totino-Grace has a group of very talented freshmen that will be a fun story to follow in the tough NW Suburban schedule.  St. Croix Lutheran has a nice junior class that can make a run this year and next.

As to the small schools, I think the races in the new Skyline conference and the renewed/revamped EMAC be really fun to watch.  St. Croix Prep and Cristo Rey have outstanding guard play that will make them very dangerous all season.  Those 2 look to be on a collision course in section 4AA.  Section 4A will once again be an entertaining mess figure out with Hope Academy, CHOF and the EMAC elite going after a trip to state.  Thomas Conroy won't put up the same crazy stats he did last year for Liberty thanks to an upgrade in competition but he's still an inside threat to be dealt with.  Hope's Caleb Hoilien will play all 5 spots and have a big year trying to get beyond last year's section final loss.  Hiawatha's freshman make them appealing to follow over the next few years.

So now that all the predictions and off season work are in, its time to let the season play out on the court.  Good luck to all and I hope everyone will #ShockTheCzar.

2019-20 Section 8AAAA Preview

This is the 27th preview in my 2019-2020 season preview series.  This is the final class AAAA preview, a look at section 8AAAA.  Tomorrow the series wraps up with a season overview.  For a list of all the season previews and how they are generated, click here.

Section 8AAAA (7 teams)
Defending Champion: Maple Grove

Tournament Schedule:
Quarterfinals: Tuesday, March 3rd
Semifinals: Saturday, March 7th at St. Cloud Tech
Finals: Thursday, March 12th at Monticello

Predicted Seeding

1. Maple Grove
2. Moorhead 
3. Buffalo 
4. Brainerd
5. St. Michael-Albertville 
6. Rogers 
7. Elk River

Maple Grove looks to defend their crown as section champs but it could be wild and very wide open.  Moorhead loses star Maleeck Harden-Hayes but with lefty veteran Drew Hagen leading the way from his do everything forward spot and the Walthall twins amongst the returnees at the guard spots, the Spuds will make a run here.  Buffalo despite losing Tony Dahl and Aidan Bowman can't be counted out as they still have Matt Willert to build around.  Tough 3 night section stretch for Maple Grove as they visit Buffalo, host Rogers and then Moorhead on Dec 11th thru 13th.  Brainerd should be very respectable as well.  STMA will get beat up by the Lake Conference schedule but they have a couple of solid pieces as well.  The loss of Sean Buchanan is a hit though.  Rogers and Elk River are both looking at down seasons.

Sleeper: Brainerd. They return a couple of double figure scorers and did pull off a home win vs Wayzata last year.

Section Winner: Maple Grove.  They return quality size and have plenty of options that will step in on the perimeter.  That depth will carry them through to another state appearance.

2019-20 Section 7AAAA Preview

This is the 26th preview in my 2019-2020 season preview series.  The class AAAA previews move on to section 7AAAA.  For a list of all the season previews and how they are generated, click here.

Section 7AAAA (7 teams)
Defending Champion: Cambridge-Isanti

Tournament Schedule:
Quarterfinals: Wednesday, March 4th
Semifinals: Saturday, March 7th at Elk River
Finals: Thursday, March 12th at Elk River

Predicted Seeding

1. Cambridge-Isanti 
2. Duluth East
3. Coon Rapids 
4. Forest Lake
5. Blaine
6. Anoka
7. Andover

Cambridge-Isanti loses 3 double figure scorers but they still have 2 of the best shooters around in Henry Abraham and Micah Ladd.  Ryan Cox will step into that group as well.  Connor Braaten will fill in nicely for London Williams on the front line.  They have section road games at Duluth East (12/17), Coon Rapids, Forest Lake and Blaine.  They also have Wayzata, Eden Prairie and Edina at home.  Duluth East returns 3 starters and a top reserve from last season.  Will Van Scoy at a guard spot and center Noah Paulson and Mattie Thompson on the wing give them a nice trio for the next 2 years.  Beyond that, its the local teams.  Coon Rapids appears to be the best of the rest with a quality front line.  Forest Lake and Blaine will battle for the last home game.  Anoka will try to jump in that group as well.  Andover will struggle.

Sleeper: Coon Rapids.  They do have good size returning plus that funky 1-3-1 makes you prepare differently.

Section Winner: Cambridge-Isanti. I think the Bluejackets get it done again with their offense.  The matchup zone is another difficulty to prepare for as well.

2019-20 Section 6AAAA Preview

This is the 25th preview in my 2019-2020 season preview series.  The class AAAA previews continue with a look at section 6AAAA.  For a list of all the season previews and how they are generated, click here.

Section 6AAAA (8 teams)
Defending Champion: Hopkins (State Champion)

Tournament Schedule:
Quarterfinals: Wednesday, March 4th
Semifinals: Friday, March 6th at Osseo
Finals: Wednesday, March 11th at Osseo

Predicted Seeding

1. Hopkins
2. Wayzata
3. Robbinsdale Armstrong
4. St. Louis Park
5. Robbinsdale Cooper
6. Minneapolis Washburn
7. Minneapolis South
8. Minneapolis Southwest

The usual suspects of Hopkins and Wayzata lead the way again.  Both teams can really fill it up on the wings.  Armstrong is clearly next in line with plenty coming back from an 18 win group last year.  Then its a sea of orange behind these teams.  Metro West members St. Louis Park and Robbinsdale Cooper will battle it out for the final home game.  The Minneapolis City comes in behind them.  Washburn with the most back gets the nod.  South and Southwest battle to stay out of the last seed.

Sleeper: Robbindale Armstrong.  With a solid returning group and a couple of youngsters ready to step into bigger roles, the Falcons have the best chance to surprise in this section.

Section Winner: Hopkins.  Too much offense from the Royals.  Kerwin Walton with a big year leading the Royals back to state.

2019-20 Section 5AAAA Preview

This is the 24th preview in my 2019-2020 season preview series.  In this 6th and final week of previews, I complete the last half of the class AAAA section previews and then finish up with the annual season overview on Friday.  Today its section 5AAAA.  For a list of all the season previews and how they are generated, click here.

Section 5AAAA (8 teams)
Defending Champion: Park Center

Tournament Schedule:
Quarterfinals: Wednesday, March 4th
Semifinals: Tuesday, March 10th at Coon Rapids
Finals: Friday, March 13th at Rogers

Predicted Seeding

1. Park Center
2. Champlin Park
3. Osseo
4. Spring Lake Park 
5. Roseville
6. Centennial
7. Mounds View
8. Irondale

Park Center is a heavy favorite here and a state championship threat with all the pieces.  Then a very interesting battle behind them for 2nd between Champlin Park and Osseo.  They'll meet on Jan 17th at Champlin Park in a game that could decide that seed.  Both have lots of talented new guys stepping into the rotation.  Spring Lake Park's experience will keep them in the fight with that group as well.  Roseville and Centennial will battle it out behind them.  Then the Mounds View district lags behind.

Sleeper: Centennial.  Shooting comes and goes and can be suspect in the playoffs.  Not sure they can stop the size in this section. But if they get hot in the right matchup, an upset could happen.

Section Winner: Park Center.  The lineup is too loaded and experienced to not pick them.  Dain Dainja is a monster inside.  Josh Brown gives them a shooter.  DT Frierson can do multiple things for them.  Then a bunch of interchangeable parts off the bench.  John Grigsby as a stretch 4 is another important dimension for them.

2019-20 Section 4AAAA Preview

This is the 23rd preview in my 2018-2019 season preview series.  Continuing our look at the class AAAA sections, we move on to section 4.  For a list of all the season previews and how they are generated, click here.

Section 4AAAA (8 teams)
Defending Champion: East Ridge

Tournament Schedule:
Quarterfinals: Wednesday, March 4th
Semifinals: Saturday, March 7th at Hastings
Finals: Thursday, March 12th at Hastings

Predicted Seeding

1. Cretin-Derham Hall
2. East Ridge
3. North St. Paul
4. Tartan
5. Woodbury  
6. St. Paul Central 
7. White Bear Lake 
8. Stillwater

While not as strong as section 2, this section also has 3 projected conference champs plus 2 other projected runners-up.  East Ridge will have their hands full defending the section title.  Cretin-Derham Hall sticks out as a favorite.  East Ridge still has Ben Carlson and some young guys who will have to step into bigger roles.  The inexperienced guard play could be a major factor against the other top teams here.  North St. Paul and Tartan will battle it out in the Metro East.  North St. Paul's crazy difficult December schedule will help them prepare.  That includes the season opener at home vs Cretin-Derham Hall on December 3rd.  That's a must win for North St. Paul if they want any kind of top 2 seed considering how the Suburban East votes in bloc.  Woodbury and St. Paul Central will battle it out behind that group.  Central has a ton to replace but the St. Paul City schedule will help their record.  They have the young talent to do it as well with the freshman and JV squads playing the Twin Cities games last season.  Woodbury has a few pieces coming back as they look to make a jump.  White Bear Lake and Stillwater have to replace just about everybody.  But White Bear Lake as a couple of replacements ready to step in that should keep them out of the 8 seed.

Sleeper: Woodbury.  No expectations and they are experienced which is more than a lot of the section can say.

Section Winner: Cretin-Derham Hall.  Too much offensive firepower here with Curtis Jones and J'Vonne Hadley on the wings.  Plus they have star PG Tre Holloman to make it all go.  Add in Amari Carter and Will Burke to fill front court roles and they have to be the pick.

2019-20 Section 3AAAA Preview

This is the 22nd preview in my 2019-2020 season preview series.  Continuing our look at the class AAAA sections, we move on to section 3.  For a list of all the season previews and how they are generated, click here.

Section 3AAAA (8 teams)
Defending Champion: Eastview

Tournament Schedule:
Quarterfinals: Thursday, March 5th
Semifinals: Monday, March 9th at Farmington
Finals: Friday, March 13th at Farmington

Predicted Seeding

1. Eastview
2. Lakeville North
3. Eagan  
4. Apple Valley 
5. Hastings 
6. Burnsville
7. Park
8. Rosemount

After an 8 year hiatus and sweep in Section 1AAAA, business has picked up with Lakeville North returning to section 3AAAA.  They replace Henry Sibley who dropped down to section 3AAA.  Lakeville South is the last team to beat Lakeville North in both sections.  Its a weak section with only 1 team projected above 5th in their league.  So Lakeville North's chances are still reasonable to reload and keep their 8 year streak of state trips alive.  Don't expect John Oxton's crew to fall far as they'll fill in with some nice JV pieces from last year.  Eagan has lots of shooting coming back and Apple Valley has experience back.  Hastings loses their size but they have a quality guard in Devon Haraldson coming back from injury and a couple other returning guards.  They should battle for the final home game.  Burnsville will  try to jump in that mix as well.  Park has to replace a ton of talent from last year's team.  Rosemount continues to rebuild.

Sleeper: Burnsville.  Daniel Rosenbur gives Burnsville a chance to move up but not much help for him.

Section Winner: Eastview. They are deeper and bigger than everybody in the section.  Star Steven Crowl in the middle, Ryan Thissen on the wing and Jaylen James at the point are solid and they have plenty of pieces to go around them.

2019-20 Section 2AAAA Preview

This is the 21st preview in my 2019-2020 season preview series.  Continuing our look at the class AAAA sections we stay in the south metro with section 2AAAA.  For a list of all the season previews and how they are generated, click here.

Section 2AAAA (8 teams)
Defending Champion: Eden Prairie

Tournament Schedule:
Quarterfinals: Wednesday, March 4th
Semifinals: Saturday, March 7th at Highest Seed (both games)
Finals: Friday, March 13th at High Seed

Predicted Seeding

1. Eden Prairie
2. Prior Lake
3. Shakopee 
4. Chaska
5. Edina
6. Minnetonka 
7. Chanhassen
8. Bloomington Jefferson 

Once again, this section is absolutely stacked.  I project 3 conference champions and a runner-up here as the top 4 seeds.  Eden Prairie and Prior Lake are the clear top 2.  Shakopee and Chaska will battle for the 3 seed.  Edina is the clear next best team in the group.  The Hornets getting beat up by the top of the loaded Lake vs Chaska winning the weak Metro West will be an interesting seeding battle to watch.  Then it drops off to a couple of grit and grind squads that will be tough outs every night.  Jefferson falls into the 8 slot.  Nice thing with this section is most of the teams see each other in non-conference play.  As an example, of the projected top 5, the only missing matchup of teams is Prior Lake vs Edina.  That makes for a bunch of very good games to see in December.  Biggest one of those games is Prior Lake vs Eden Prairie in the tipoff classic on December 7th.

Sleeper: Minnetonka.  With a tough power forward in Cameron Steele and a defensive mindset to go with a tough schedule to prepare, the Skippers are the only team I can pick to have a chance to surprise in the state's toughest section.

Section Winner: Eden Prairie.  Losing Ariel Bland is a big loss for the Eagles.  He was their best matchup for defending Dawson Garcia.  But Prior Lake has plenty of other pieces to replace and Eden Prairie returns everybody else.  Too much shooting and discipline for Eden Prairie to not make it thru this tough group.

2019-20 Section 1AAAA Preview

This is the 20th preview in my 2019-2020 season preview series.  Now we begin our look at all of the class AAAA sections going in numerical order.  We'll do the 1st half of class AAAA this week and finish up with the last 4 sections next week.  For a list of all the season previews and how they are generated, click here.

Section 1AAAA (8 teams)
Defending Champion: Lakeville North (state runner-up)

Tournament Schedule:
Quarterfinals: Tuesday, March 3rd
Semifinals: Saturday, March 7th at High Seed
Finals: Friday, March 13th at Rochester Civic Arena

Predicted Seeding

1. Rochester Mayo 
2. Lakeville South
3. Rochester Century
4. New Prague
5. Northfield
6. Owatonna
7. Farmington
8. Rochester John Marshall

In a great bit of irony, its only after the Hurt brothers at Rochester John Marshall both graduate that the sections are updated so that Lakeville North moves out.  So after 8 consecutive section titles (the last 7 over John Marshall), there will be a new section champion this year.  The last time Lakeville North lost a section 1AAAA game was ... March 7th, 2007 46-43 at Lakeville South.  Its a trick question since Lakeville North was in section 3AAAA for the 4 years before this last 8 year run. 

A couple of favorites at the top lead the section with quality in the middle.  Rochester Mayo returns 3 junior guards, a potential sleeper in Riek Riek and oh by the way the Cincinnati committed, do everything, Madsen twins.  Lakeville South will be battle tested in the South Suburban and they have a nice trio that could lead them to state.  Then a very interesting group of 3 teams in the middle.  Rochester Century finished 1 game behind Northfield last season at 12-10 in the Big 9 but beat them twice last year.  Plus Century returns just about everybody including their top 5 scorers.  Northfield and New Prague have to replace big and talented front lines but have quality guard play coming back in Kip Schetnan (Northfield) and Parker Johnson (New Prague).  Northfield also has a new coach.  Rochester John Marshall and Owatonna each have major pieces to replace but they do have a center to build around in soph Evan Dushek (Owatonna) and senior Lincoln Meister (JM).  There wasn't a ton else besides Meister to go with Matt Hurt last year so I see a big dropoff from JM.  Farmington will battle these 2 to stay out of the 8 seed.

Sleeper: New Prague.  Despite the losses up front, they have an experienced backcourt and are very disciplined defensively.

Section Winner: Rochester Mayo. The Madsen twins lead a group that fill up the stat sheet in a hurry so that makes them very dangerous on any given night. Granted they will need to figure out the defensive end of the floor if they want to be a serious state contender.  That was a major weakness last year.  In this section, that weakness won't be enough to hold them back and they'll advance.

2019-20 Section 6AAA Preview

This is the 19th preview in my 2019-2020 season preview series.  Week 5 of the 6 week season preview series begins with a glance at the final metro area section in class AAA, section 6.  For a list of all the season previews and how they are generated, click here.

Section 6AAA (8 teams)
Defending Champion: De La Salle (State Champion)

Tournament Schedule:
Quarterfinals: Friday, March 6th
Semifinals: Saturday, March 7th at High Seeds
Finals: Thursday, March 12th at Chanhassen

Predicted Seeding

1. De La Salle
2. Waconia 
3. Benilde-St. Margaret's 
4. Minneapolis Henry   
5. Mound-Westonka 
6. Minneapolis Edison
7. Orono 
8. Minneapolis Roosevelt   

The section might not be super loaded as we've seen in the past but it will still be deep.  De La Salle is the favorite here but not the no-brainer favorite of many years past.  Plenty to prove for the defending state champs.  The next group of 5 could end up in any order.  I'll take BSM as the runner-up in the metro west over the next best in the Minneapolis City in Henry and Edison.  Waconia with PJ Hayes looks to be a contender in the always tough Wright County East.  Then there's Mound-Westonka who is the favorite to win the Wright County West.  They've beefed up the schedule where they can but the west half is AA schools which will hurt them in the computer polls.

Sleeper: Mound-Westonka.  They've been down for years and coach Andre Phillips has done a great job building them to this point. The first reaction will be to overlook them and the AA schedule.  That's a mistake.

Section Winner: De La Salle.  I'll take the defending champs by default here but its very wide open.

2019-20 Section 4AAA Preview

This is the 18th preview in my 2019-2020 season preview series.  To end week 4 of this 6 week series, I take a look at section 4AAA.  For a list of all the season previews and how they are generated, click here.

Section 4AAA (8 teams)
Defending Champion: Mahtomedi

Tournament Schedule:
Quarterfinals: Wednesday, March 4th
Semifinals: Saturday, March 7th at Woodbury
Finals: Thursday, March 12th at Woodbury
 
Predicted Seeding

1. Minnehaha Academy
2. Mahtomedi 
3. St. Paul Johnson  
4. Totino-Grace   
5. Columbia Heights  
6. St. Anthony 
7. St. Paul Como Park
8. Hill-Murray

Minnehaha joins the section as the clear state favorite in AAA.  Mahtomedi and St. Paul Johnson get the next 2 seeds thanks to weak conferences.  Totino-Grace wins enough games in their half to stay in the top half.  Columbia Heights and St. Anthony battle for the next 2 spots.  Como Park and Hill-Murray have new coaches and will struggle.  Of course, I recall Mahtomedi as a 1 seed being knocked off by 8 seed Hill-Murray not too long ago so be prepared!

Minnehaha moving in to the section bumps former section member Fridley to section 5AAA.  That's a better draw for Fridley than this section but I still see the Tigers losing a 1st round road game.

Sleeper: Totino-Grace.  There is young talent for the Eagles that will be battle tested by the tough NW Suburban schedule.  That goes with an experienced duo of junior guards who both get after it defensively.

Section Winner: Minnehaha.  The roster has as much talent as we've seen in Minnesota in a long time.  A heavy favorite to win their 4th straight state championship.