23-24 Month 1: What Have We Learned

Happy New Year everybody!  The 1st month of the 2023-24 season is in the books.  40 games online with another 36 in person (would be 44-32 in person if I had made the Tipoff Classic).  I've seen 101 teams that I previewed with a few more outstate class AAAA schools.  That leaves just 5 class AAAA schools for me to see.  Apologies to Chanhassen, Edina, Prior Lake, Burnsville and Owatonna.  Let's take a look at what's stuck out to me in the 1st month. 

Section 1AAAA
Farmington off to an impressive 8-0 start before losing to Armstrong at Hamline.  A 40 point boat racing of section rival Lakeville South really stuck out.  Granted Lakeville South is still playing without wing Marley Baah-Yeboah which will be a big addition.  But they're still 6-3 and have played only 1 home game.  Lakeville North is what we expected.  Rochester Century is a dangerous squad with star forward Shaun Wysocki.  They showed that by taking Farmington to the buzzer at Farmington on opening night and beating Mankato East.

Section 2AAAA
Minnetonka took Park Center to the wire at CSP over the holiday and that's their only loss.  Andy Stefonowicz has been terrific running the show for them.  Lowest point total so far is 81 points so they can really fill it up as shown by the 103 they put on Lakeville South.  A fun test on the island awaits the Skippers January 6th.  

Eden Prairie is 5-4 with no bad losses there (LS, BSM, Farmington, Orono).  But in my viewing against Orono, their defense was porous and the offense was very stagnant.  4 wins in a row for the Eagles including wins at CDH, at East Ridge and vs Eastview in the East Ridge event is a good sign.

We reserve judgement on Chanhassen since A) I haven't seen them.  B) most of their schedule has been without star PG Max Woods..  But they did take a very good Buffalo squad to the wire at Buffalo.

Section 3AAAA
Big story here is Eastview off to a 1-6 start for new coach Danny Olsen.  Having an entirely new roster around Jon Mekonnen and a tough schedule have shown.  Rosemount has taken advantage of a soft schedule but they did pick up a close win over Eagan.  Eagan with experience and a bunch of length.  Soph Alex Schropfer has stepped into his rotation role nicely.  Max Buslee gives them a 16 PPG sniper.  Hastings got off to a hot start and then the Czar curse hit as they lost 4 of 6 games since I thought they might jump out to a crazy good record.

Section 4AAAA
East Ridge is 3-5 but they're still trying to get a couple rotation pieces back.  Woodbury 6-2 but the schedule has been soft.  Eagan's length and switching really took them out of offense at Hamline.  Tartan 6-2 with a tough loss at St. Louis Park but they did knock off Minneapolis North to win the 3 day Hibbing holiday tournament.  Young guard play for the Titans has made for some struggles.

Section 5AAAA
Park Center everything we expected.  Cash Chavis has enjoyed the bright lights as he's come up big at the end of wins over Lakeville North and Minnetonka.  Roseville off to a nice 4-2 start including a home win over Forest Lake.  Maple Grove 4-5 with a win over Benilde-St. Margaret's over the holiday.  Losing Brady Laliberte saps the Crimson lineup of a critical scoring option.  Champlin Park lost their 1st 5 and has won their next 5.  Wing Preston Thielke is having a breakout year for the Rebels.

Section 6AAAA
Wayzata just keeps it rolling as the top ranked team in AAAA.  Hopkins is 7-2 with the only losses to #1AAA Totino-Grace and #1AA Breck.  Washburn making their case too at 7-1.  Only loss is to Eagan but they have wins at Tartan, vs Eastview and at section foe Armstrong.  Speaking of Armstrong, they were on a 5 game losing streak before knocking off Farmington.  Seth Newbern should be back soon and that's a huge boost to the Falcons lineup.

Section 7AAAA
Forest Lake getting a nice year from Owen Waldoch to top yet another down year in this section.  Anoka knocked off Holy Family and gave a ranked Fridley team a run.  Trey Borchers was out of the Tornadoes lineup over the holiday so hopefully they get him back soon.  Centennial getting Ty Burgoon back was critical and they just knocked off Forest Lake.  Andover missing Chase Pemberton for the season deprives them of an offensive option.  Alex Kopetzki and Cam Begalle push the pace for an entertaining squad.

Section 8AAAA
Rogers at 9-1 to lead the section.  The loss is a 22 point loss to Buffalo though.  Losing Adam Broberg to injury is a major change to their season.  He had a great start.  Buffalo 7-2 but the 2 losses were blowouts to Mankato East and Sauk Rapids-Rice.  Bison 4-18 from 3 in the loss to Mankato East, 3-33 from deep in the loss at Sauk Rapids.  Sauk Rapids size was a major problem in that game.  Frosh forward Isayah Cook is one to keep an eye on for the Storm.  There's no bottom feeder team in this section so don't be shocked if we get another wild and crazy year of seed upsets at tourney time.

Class AAA
Totino-Grace won the 1st matchup with Park Center.  Only loss was a tight loss to Wayzata in the Tipoff classic.  So they've made it clear they're the top team in AAA at the moment.  Mankato East has staked their claim to the #2 spot in AAA with wins over Buffalo, Orono and Alexandria.  De La Salle and Benilde-St. Margaret's both ready to fall out of the AAA poll is a surprise.  BSM is struggling to figure out their offense and they have no depth.  De La Salle has the win over the Red Knights just before the holiday but they're still putting the pieces together.  Orono has also stumbled with a home rivalry loss to Delano and a Granite City loss to Mankato East. They did bounce back with a win over Stewartville.  Junior guard Nolan Groves is having a great season for Orono.

In section 3AAA, how about Minneapolis South jumping in the AAA poll at #7 this week with only 1 loss.  Jumarion Weh has been a nice addition on the wing with 19 a game.  That goes with 3 other holdovers averaging double figures including wing Poet Davis at almost 21 a night.  On Feb 3rd, they get section foe St. Paul Harding who's off to a 6-2 start.  Highland Park is off to a 1-6 start is a major surprise but I still think they can contend in the St. Paul City.  Tommy Hesse's grit and hard play for Two Rivers has been a real pleasure to watch.

In section 4AAA, Columbia Heights and St. Paul Johnson both squads that can make your life totally miserable with defensive pressure.  The Heights 30 point drubbing of St. Cloud Tech jumps off the page there.  We knew Mahtomedi would be down but an 0-7 start is a surprise.  Then they go and hit 19 3s against Austin including 10 from Tyler Swanson to get their only win.

In section 6AAA, the AAA section of death, we already mentioned BSM and Orono.  How about Richfield's CJ Armstrong.  He started the season with back to back 50 point games.  Then 38 in a buzzer beating loss at Orono.  He's still averaging 34.2 a night after 2 slower games in Wisconsin over the break.  On Thursday, the Spartans host Delano.  Delano is 8-2 and has won 5 out of 6 including the win at Orono.  Will Strandemo vs Armstrong is appointment viewing.  Holy Angels off to a 2-7 start with losses to Kennedy, Jefferson and a 3rd straight loss to Brooklyn Center.  But the Stars just beat Highland Park and Simley for new coach Troy Bell.

Class AA
In 4AA, St. Paul Academy with a blowout statement win against St. Agnes in the Harding holiday tourney sticks out.  Minnehaha has lost 4 in a row but all those were against AAAA schools.  Quick quiz, who has the top record in section 4AA?  That's right, the Nova Classical Academy Knights at 5-2.  Reality will set in very quickly now that they've started league play in the Skyline, but who would have thought.  Its a much improved defensive squad.  Math and Science has somehow played half a season already at 6-7.  Need buckets?  Take a look at Shawn Huberty of St. Paul Washington.  He's putting up 33.7 PPG from his guard spot.  Slippery getting to the rim off the bounce.

In 5AA, Breck ran the table at Augsburg including a win over Hopkins.  They are the standout squad in class AA right now.  Minneapolis North just reloads.  They lost a close game to Tartan in the Hibbing tourney final.  Their game on Wednesday at Holy Family looms large for section seeding.  Southwest Christian is lurking at 5-2 as they get ready for Wright County East play.  Blake and Maranatha also off to nice starts.  Liked what I saw from Providence Academy frosh PG Leo Giwa.  Cristo Rey at 0-7 with every loss in blowout fashion is a major surprise.

Class A
New Life is 4-3 and took a couple games on the chin in the Legacy tourney but 6 winnable games coming up to finish 1st rotation of Skyline play before a rematch at Maranatha (remember last year's double 5 min OT and stay there until 10:30 PM fiasco last season?).  Heritage has won 6 in a row including the Pierz holiday title to stand at 6-1.  Big MCAA game for them this week at Spectrum.  Both of these teams have tight home wins over Avail Academy.  Avail lost by 1 at New Life and 3 at Heritage.  Avail started out 1-4, all on the road.  But that 1 win was at Park Christian who beat New Life over the holiday.  Now they've won 4 in a row including a blowout win in their big EMAC showdown vs Math & Science.  The next group in the MCAA looks to see if they can capture that 4th spot.  Will it be PACT who has a win over Avail?  How about 6-3 United Christian?  Or does somebody come out of nowhere and make a run?  Hope Academy 1-8 as they have a young roster starting 2 freshmen and an 8th grader but with senior wing Brian Moss, they are dangerous since 4A is so weak after the top 3.

2023 Big Stage Thoughts

Its the 2023 Big Stage event.  This season its at Park Center.  Chick-Fil-A at the concession stand is a major win.  Big crowd around the rails for the big nightcap.

Game 1: #2AA Holy Family 77 Robbinsdale Armstrong 45
Armstrong coming off a game at Park Center the night before and it showed.  Not having Seth Newbern doesn't help either.  Holy Family ran whatever they wanted and got great looks.  Luke Graff took advantage of that for 23 points and 5 3s.  Kole Hanson got it going in the 2nd half and ended up with 3 triples and 24 points.  They ran a shuffle set to death that got open 3s or easy post ups for Brayden Carlson.  Depth and decision making are the questions that come up for me.  Desmond Ware led Armstrong with 13 points.

Game 2: Minneapolis Washburn 64 #10AAAA Eastview 59
Another brutal 1st half for Eastview as they went 0-8 from 3 and turned it over 13 times.  That allowed Washburn to jump out to a quick 14-4 lead and keep it at 8 at the half.  Then a quick Jon Mekonnen 3rd foul send him to the bench very early in the 2nd half for a long break.  Eastview would go on a 9-0 run and take the lead.  Abdulqadir Abdulqadir with a pair of 3s, a bucket and 1 of 2 free throws off the Eastview bench for a 51-47 Lightning lead with 6:27 left.

Kyle Jorgensen took over the ending for Washburn.  Triple, bucket, triple in a personal 8-0 run to put Washburn back on top within 2 minutes.  He adds 2 free throws and then the skip pass out of the post for a dagger 3 from Blake Bergren with 1:05 left.  Jorgensen seals it with both ends of the bonus after another Abdulqadir 3 cut the margin to 3 with 5.9 left.  Abdulqadir with 17 of his 19 in the 2nd half to lead Eastview.  Jon Mekonnen added 16 points in the matchup of Colorado State commits.  Kyle Jorgensen 22 of his 34 points in the 2nd half to go with 10 rebounds on my sheet.  Clearly the MVP performance of the day.

Game 3: Cretin-Derham Hall 63 Maple Grove 54
Cretin-Derham Hall's defense was the story here.  Their man to man pressure totally took Maple Grove out of anything they wanted to run.  That forced 24 Crimson turnovers that CDH turned into 35 points.  Monteff Dixon solid work inside with 15 points while Joe Mitchell led CDH with 19 points and 3 triples from his guard slot.  Keegan Harney 16 points and 4 3s to lead Maple Grove.

Game 4: #4AAA Orono 92 Eden Prairie 72
Orono dominant in this one but like last week at the Tipoff Classic they almost let a big lead slip.  Eden Prairie cut a 23 point margin to 5 with 4 minutes left before a 8-0 Orono run finally put the game out of reach. Orono outscores EP 42-22 on points in the paint.  Eden Prairie very stagnant and 1 on 1 jump shot oriented in their offense.  Plus they put up very little resistance defensively as Orono shot 35-64 from the floor. That included 11-26 from 3 while EP was 8-32 from deep.  Nolan Groves another impressive showing with 25 points and 3 triples.  Brady Wooley adds 19.  Guard Hamze Yusuf leads Eden Prairie with 19 points.  JJ Sullivan 17 and Max Lorenson 16 for the Eagles.

Game 5: #5AAAA Minnetonka 99 #9AAAA Osseo 78
Tough matchup for anybody but Osseo's size an especially difficult task to try to guard the Skippers.  Osseo had no answers in that chess match.  Minnetonka at 1 point scored on 23 out of 28 trips down the floor.  Skippers shoot a crazy 40 of 67 on the day thanks to 22 of 32 in the second half.  Huge edge of 64-38 on points in the paint for a smaller Minnetonka lineup.  Greyson Uelmen 28 points and 3 triples.  Andy Stefonowicz another nice showing with 21 points.  De'Mari Larkins leads Osseo with 28 points of his own.  Temi Denado adds 16.

Game 6: #8AAAA Hopkins 89 #7AAAA Lakeville South 78
The scrambling Hopkins defense looked like it would run Lakeville South off the floor early as the Royals jumped out to a 22-9 lead.  But the Cougars settled down and moved the ball well to take a 2 point halftime lead.  This was a 4 point game with 5 minutes left but the turnovers reared their ugly head.  Back to back giveaways for 5 points and you can't dig out from that.  22 Lakeville South turnovers for a 22-3 points off turnover edge for Hopkins in this one.  Anthony Smith 31 points and a couple of big second half 3s to keep the Hopkins offense going.  Davie Hart adds 21.  Keaton Ressler 6 triples and 20 points to lead Lakeville South.  Ryan Johnson adds 16.  DaMarcus Burks 12 points and the unenviable task of guarding Jayden Moore who he held to 11 points.

Game 7: #1AAAA Park Center 77 #2AAA Benilde-St. Margaret's 60
Overall a pretty sloppy game as the teams combined for 35 turnovers.  BSM got off to a nice start but after the first 10 minutes, this one was mostly all Pirates.  BSM 1 FG in the last 8 minutes of the 1st half as the PC lead grew to double digits.  Park Center's defense really held down Jalen Wilson who had 12 points with a bad shooting day.  Jaleel Donley with 24 points to lead the Red Knights.  4-23 from deep for Benilde-St. Margaret's which will be an ongoing theme to watch for them.  Great balance from Park Center.  Jackson Fowlkes with 3 triples and 22 points.  Cash Chavis and Chiang Ring each add 19

All Big Stage Team
Luke Graff - Holy Family
Nolan Groves - Orono
Kyle Jorgensen - Minneapolis Washburn
Anthony Smith - Hopkins
Greyson Uelmen - Minnetonka

Notable Underclassmen
Baboucarr Ann - Maple Grove
Drew Coleman - Holy Family
Joe Mitchell - Cretin-Derham Hall
Tre Moore - Hopkins
Joel Saah - Robbinsdale Armstrong
Ty Schlagel - Eden Prairie
Hamze Yusuf - Eden Prairie

Czar Insights

For details on exactly what the value in the chart mean, click here for the full explanation of Czar Insights.  

Best of the EMAC 2023-24

Prologue
Its the EMAC game of the year as Math & Science with league MVP candidate Josh Balami visit Avail.  Since a group of rhinos is called a crash, I'm now calling the Avail gym The Crash Pad.  Its Avail's home opener after playing their 1st 6 on the road.  The concession stand is open but no ball in the nachos.   Tom Petty's Runnin Down a Dream and Tears for Fears Everybody Wants to Rule the World amongst the hit music selections.

Game Time
Balami attacks for a bucket on the 1st trip of the game and scores 4 of the first 5 Dragons buckets.   Kiro Kamel adds a 3 point play and its 14-12 Math & Science at the 11 minute mark.  Lincoln Bock 2 putbacks and a free throw as Avail turns the tables to take a 23-19 lead with 8:22 left in the half. Justin Kroeze 3 late buckets countered by 2 more Balami hoops.  45-43 Avail at the break.

We're still close at 53-50 Avail after a Zeb Shefa 3 from the left corner.  Then Issac Aune knocks down a pair of triples to start a 14-0 run.  Valor score on 6 straight trips for that run.  The Rhino is in control up 17 with under 12 minutes left.  Zachariah Schaap drives for a bucket with 8:22 left and that puts him at 1000 points for his career.  Its a 17 point game with 3:15 left before a late run allows Avail to hit the century mark.

Post Game
Math & Science gets 39 points from Josh Balami.  He knocked down 4 3s on the night as he tried to will his crew on.  Guard Kiro Kamel with a nice performance of 15 points with a couple of 3s.  He had 13 of those points in the 1st half.  The Dragons fall to 2-5 with the loss and have lost 5 of 6 since the opening night win at Eagle Ridge.  They have the quick turnaround at Nova on Friday.

Avail improves to 3-4 overall.  Their 4 losses are by a combined 13 points.  That includes a 1 point loss at New Life and a 3 point loss at Heritage.  Those are 2 of the favorites in section 4A.  Isaac Aune 15 of his 26 in the second half thanks to 5 3s.  He's a dangerous big wing shooter.  Zachariah Schaap 13 of his 20 in the 2nd half to pass 1000 points for his career.  Justin Kroeze adds 17 with 2 others scoring 9.  The early season schedule has been tough but softens up now to the point where they may be favored in most every game the rest of the regular season.  They get AFSA and LILA at home with a trip to West Lutheran sandwiched between those for their last 3 games before the holiday break.  Avail pounds the offensive glass for a 21-5 edge and 14-2 advantage in 2nd chance points.  They shoot 21-34 in the 2nd half to blow the game open.  Avail is a fun team to watch as they share the ball, make open shots, get rebounds and cut well.

Czar Insights

For details on exactly what the value in the chart mean, click here for the full explanation of Czar Insights.  

 

2023 Breakdown Tipoff Classic Review

Another great day of games at the 2023 Tipoff Classic.  As is tradition I took in all 8 games played on the main court.  But this season I had to do them on video due to illness.  Here's a review of the great day of hoops I saw.

Game 1: #7AAA Mankato East 85 #9AAAA Buffalo 51
Mankato East very impressive as they jumped on Buffalo early and never let up.  Carson Schweim looks like a hometown steal for Minnesota State.  He scored 24 of his 28 points in the 1st half and knocked down 5 3s.  3 others in double figures for the high powered Cougars offense.  They had a ridiculous 67% EFG%. Defensively they held a good offensive team to 40% EFG.   Jordy Sorenson 3 triples and 14 points to lead Buffalo

Game 2: #4AAA Orono 74 #10AAAA Eastview 68
Rack up another one for class AAA in this one.  Eastview 1-19 from 3 in the 1st half as they fell behind 49-18 at the break.  Jon Mekonnen would score 21 of his 32 in the 2nd half with 4 of his 5 triples.  Kam Mestas in foul trouble all game held to 6 points for the Lightning.  Nolan Groves another showcase game as he poured in 27 points.  Brady Wooley added 13 of his 17 in the 1st half.

Game 3: #1A Cherry 73 #2AA Holy Family 69
Gopher fans got a chance to see recruit Isaac Asuma play and he was solid with 21 points.  Cherry would use a 21-5 first half run to take a 6 point halftime lead.  Holy Family's Brayden Carlson was a major advantage inside with a 17 points double double.  Holy Family pounded the offensive glass but didn't convert those chances.  Add in 3 triples on his way to 21 points from Luke Graff and the Fire were poised for a win. But down 3 with 3:20 left, Cherry would go on a 10-0 run to win it.  Isaac Asuma with a dagger 3 to close it out.  Kole Hanson held to 1 3 in in each half after going off for a school record 47 against Chanhassen earlier in the week.

Game 4: #1AA Breck 71 #3AAA Alexandria 68
The smaller class school keeps the run going with this win.  Alexandria would survive 1st half foul trouble from their stars Grayson Grove (Gopher commit) and Chase Thompson to take a 5 point lead into halftime.  Sophomores Mason and Talan Witt carrying the offense in their absense.  Thompson would lead the Alexandria offense with 4 triples and 23 points.  Daniel Freitag (Wisconsin commit) came off the Breck bench in the 1st half before starting the 2nd half.  3 buckets in the 1st half before he controlled the 2nd half with 18 more points and finding corner shooters vs the Alexandria 1-2-2 zone.  Grayson Grove passed the 1000 career points mark in the game.  It was also the 1st game of the day that would come down to the final possession as Alexandria had a final chance to tie with a 3 but missed (HINT HINT!).

Game 5: #8AAAA Hopkins 73 #7AAAA East Ridge 72
Hopkins would take a 25 point lead in the 1st half and a 17 point lead to the half.  Soph guard Bennett Skinner 10 second half points with 2 bombs as East Ridge would pull all the way back to even.  JJ Semanko would break a 5 minute Hopkins drought by scoring 11 straight Royals points.  East Ridge late rally with a Cedric Tomes hammer 3 and a layup off a turnover. Hopkins then misses a free throw to seal it.  East Ridge out of a timeout tries to go back to the same hammer play for Tomes, but Hopkins recognizes it.  The layup on the slip allows the clock to run out.  JJ Semanko 16 of his 25 in the 2nd half to lead all scorers.  Jayden Moore 18 pts 3 triples for Hopkins and Cedric Tomes 19 points 5 3s for East Ridge in the matchup of the top 2 2026 point guards in the state.  Bennett Skinner and Charlie Theis add 16 each for East Ridge.  East Ridge without a couple of important pieces for this one in Charlie Bern and Grant Miley.

Game 6: #1AAAA Park Center 81 #3AAAA Lakeville North 79
2 turnovers for Lakeville North and 4 trips into the game, Park Center was up 10-0.  That lead would grow to 15 but Lakeville North calmed down and wiped away the margin before halftime.  Xavier Frelix with 3 of his 4 triples early during the Pirates run.  Park Center would push the lead back to 11 before a North rally.  Jack Robison 7 straight in that stretch.  Andrew Quam adds in a 3 before a Robison bomb and its 76-72 Panthers with 2:45 left.  Cash Chavis 2 and the foul and another bucket and we're tied under a minute.  2 Matt Drake free throws with 24 seconds left keep it tied and here we go.  Give the ball to Chavis and get out of the way. He fits the floater at the buzzer for the win.  Another classic between these 2 teams.  Chavis with 23 points to lead Park Center.  Chiang Ring 20, Jackson Fowlkes 16 for the Pirates.  Jack Robison 25 to lead Lakeville North.  Andrew Quam 4 3s plus interior play on his way to 22 points.  Matt Drake adds 17.

Game 7: #2AAAA Wayzata 83 #1AAA Totino-Grace 81
Totino-Grace would open a pair of 7 point leads in this game, 1 in each half.  Isaiah Johnson 3 late buckets for TG.  McAndrew carrying the Wayzata offense.  Last possession and its Wayzata with it.  McAndrew drives, tough shot from the left elbow at the horn to win it.  Another wild finish.  McAndrew with 22 of his 38 in the 2nd half in the win.  Wyatt McBeth 11 for Wayzata.  Wayzata played without wing Christian Wiggins.  Very balanced game for Totino-Grace.  Chace Watley 19 points including interior buckets against smaller guards.  Gotta love guards in the post.  Dothan Ijadimbola, Isaiah Johnson and Tian Chatman all add 17 points.  Johnson and Ijadimbola both look like they could go for 40 on any given night. 

Game 8: #6AAAA Minnetonka 103 #4AAAA Lakeville South 92
Marley Baah-Yeboah not yet back in the Lakeville South lineup.  Minnetonka would jump out to a 42-23 lead in the 1st half.  That lead would be cut to 13 at the break.  Minnetonka with a very thin bench but 4 starters in double figures.  Andy Stefonowicz and Jordan Cain with 27 points each.  Grayson Uelmen adds 20.  Ryan Johnson and Lauson Schmidt with 20 each for Lakeville South.  Forward Hudson Greene 18 points off the Cougars bench with 3 triples. 

What a day of games.  The smaller class school goes 4-1 on day.  McAndrew's buzzer beater prevents the sweep.  The stars showed out, games came down to the end, big rallies so we had just about everything.

All Showcase Court 1st Team
Cash Chavis - Park Center
Daniel Freitag - Breck
Jackson McAndrew - Wayzata
Carson Schweim - Mankato East
Andy Stefonowicz - Minnetonka

All Showcase Court 2nd Team
Isaac Asuma - Cherry
Nolan Groves - Orono
Jack Robison - Lakeville North
JJ Semanko - Hopkins
Chase Thompson - Alexandria

Czar Insights

For details on exactly what the value in the chart mean, click here for the full explanation of Czar Insights.  

 

A weekend of wings

Now on special at Buffalo Wild Wings, we have all these new flavors!   OK that's not what we're here for.  I took in 4 games on video over the opening weekend and the wing play was a major factor in all of them.  Here are some standout names from those games.

Farmington 80 Rochester Century 78
Another big day for Century's star wing Shaun Wysocki as he had 25 and cleaned the glass in the Friday night loss at Farmington.  Big, athletic, passes well and lefty to boot.  Definitely one of the best remaining unsigned 2024 guys out there.  Reid Weckwerth with 16 points for the Panthers in a nice supporting role.  Wing Ryan Beckwith 17 critical points including a pair of 3s off the Farmington bench   Brandon Hrncir getting to play a more perimeter role for the Tigers this season with his shooting had 4 triples and 29 points in the win.  Farmington with a run out for the winning layup with 4 seconds left after Century missed 2 chances to win it and didn't hold for the final shot in a tie game.  Farmington is a very interesting team with all their size but still the ability to shoot it, move it and execute.  They ran a great set multiple times vs zone after Century went to it because of foul trouble.

Rogers 83 Centennial 64
Rogers off to a nice 2-0 start and after watching their Saturday matinee with Centennial, I definitely have underestimated them.  Adam Broberg has had 2 quality outings for the Royals.  But in this one, the Rogers also got 18 points each from Trey Mix and Christian Wagner off their bench.  Lots of mix and match pieces for a wing laden Rogers squad.  Centennial is coming off a late start due to football and played without Ty Burgoon (football all-star game).  Add in that Rogers already had played once and this one was going to be tough.  Soph forward Tristan Hanson 11 points off the Cougars bench.  Junior wing Jackson Driessen scoreless in the 1st half but heated up for 30 with 5 3s in the 2nd half.

St. Anthony 64 Mahtomedi 36
Kenji Asai 15 points off the wing for St. Anthony in their blowout home section win.  Very entertaining to watch 3 easy layups he got off of slipping screens.  They get 10 3s from 5 different guys in a classic showing of how they'll win games.  Mahtomedi having to replace their entire lineup didn't have anybody in double figures.

Chaska 71 Champlin Park 67
No 1st game jitters in this Saturday afternoon game as both teams already had a game in.  Champlin Park with the quick turnaround after a loss at Maple Grove Friday night.  Junior Jimmy Coddington with 25 points and 3 triples from his wing spot to lead Chaska.  That picked up for forward Trey Lenzen missing a bunch of minutes with foul trouble.  But early on it was Champlin Park junior wing Preston Thielke doing the damage.  He had 17 of his 27 in the 1st half.  He's a clone of teammate Amory Peterson.  Freshman guard Kwa Silikpoh able to get to the rim off the bounce to cause major problems late.

A High Quiz Bowl convention broke out

Prologue
Night 2 of the season takes me to a new opening season tourney at Eagle Ridge Academy in the depths of the Opus office park.  Its a group of high academic schools so its aptly named the Brains and Balls tourney.  Nova Classical Academy, Mounds Park Academy, Eagle Ridge Academy and Math & Science Academy all represented.  Chick-Fil-A at the concession stand so I'm all over that at halftime of the 1st game.

Game 1: Mounds Park Academy 48 Nova Classical Academy 43
Good first half for Nova as they take a 5 point lead to the break.  No answer inside for Silas Revenaugh as he scores 13 of his 19 points in the half.  Adnaan Said heats up with 11 of his 20 in the 2nd half.  Micah Hudock 3 triples in the 2nd half (13 pts for the game) to keep MPA close.  Panthers trail by 4 with 11 minutes left but finish the game on a 14-5 run to win. Nova with 4 of their 22 turnovers late to stop any chance they had.  Nova started 16-31 from the floor but finished 2-15 in those last 11 minutes.

Game 2: Math & Science Academy 56 Eagle Ridge Academy 53
First half of this one was the Josh Balami show for Math & Science.  He scores 22 of the 28 Dragons points in the half.  Eagle Ridge starts off 1-18 from the floor to fall behind by double figures.  But they manage to stay within 5 at the break.  Eagle Ridge would show zone for most of the 2nd half and that did slow Balami down.  Balami spent time mostly playing at the FT line region after starting outside against that.  The Gryphons cut the lead down to 4 but see it blow up to 13 with under 3 minutes left.  Then Balami fouls out with 1:21 left and all havoc breaks lose.  Turnovers on 6 of the next 7 trips for the Dragons.  Eagle Ridge had 5 fouls to give and it was almost a blessing that the fouls forced inbounds plays for turnovers rather than free throws.  The lead is down to 3 with 6.5 seconds left.  Dragons can ice it at the charity stripe but the front end is no good.  Rebound tapped out towards half court and it goes back to Math and Science in the last 5 seconds.  Dragons get the last inbounds pass in and hang on to win.  Josh Balami outstanding with 22 of his 28 points in the 1st half for Math and Science.  He added in 14 rebounds, 6 assists and 6 steals on my officially unofficial stat sheet.  First reaction for a player like this in the EMAC is that he gets a ton of shots and lights up bad competition.  While its true the competition isn't great, its far easier when watching him to make the case that he's unselfish to a fault.  Very poised and willing to share the ball and be a team player first.  Only 3 missed shots to get those 28 points.  Math and Science commits 20 of their 27 turnovers in the 2nd half including 6 in the last 1:20 with Balami fouled out.

Czar Insights

For details on exactly what the value in the chart mean, click here for the full explanation of Czar Insights. 

2023-24 Opening Night

Prologue
Welcome to the 2023-24 Season Opener.  For season 17 I begin once again in St. Paul.  This time at St. Paul Academy for the Spartans to take on St. Cloud Cathedral.  Another early season visit to SPA as I was there on opening Saturday last season.  Its middle school night so we get the young crowd.  No concessions for me as I didn't want to hobble over to Drake Arena on a bad wheel for those.  SPA coming with high expectations and a veteran roster.  Cathedral retooling after seeing a large senior class graduate.

Game Time
3 quick buckets for SPA as they score the 1st 6 points of the game.  Cathedral goes with a whole new bench mob of 5 sophomores after starting 2 sophomores.  Later on they'd add in another sophomore and a freshman.  That 2nd group gets a rude introduction to varsity play.  Its 17-3 SPA when Cathedral gets a timeout at the 11:48 mark.  Looks like this one will be blowout city.

SPA hits a rash of turnovers.  Sloppy ones at that too as there wasn't any real pressure from Cathedral.  After a cold start from 3 (1-9), Cathedral hits 5 of their last 8 in the 1st half.  Cathedral cuts the lead down to 3 late in the half before 6 late points from Ethan Carter lets the Spartans keep the lead at 38-30 going to the break.

Cathedral keeps the momentum going with a quick 9-2 run to start the half.  SPA 2 more messy turnovers to start the half.  So after a 14 point lead, we're down to 1 just over 2 minutes into the 2nd half.  The sophomore bench mob strikes with a Henry Sand triple and we're back to even.  The teams trade buckets and we're tied at 44 with 11:15 to play.

Then 8 straight misses and 7 turnovers for Cathedral as the roof falls in.  Its a drought of 6:30 until the next field goal.  The SPA run is 27-3 in about 8 minutes and that turns a tie game into a 20 point blowout.  Spartants senior forward Mikkel Rawdon taking it to the smaller and younger Cathedral lineup inside during the run.  SPA wins 78-58 in a game that was much different that the final score appears

Post Game
St. Cloud Cathedral starts the season 0-1.  They stay on the road next week at Becker and then a trip to Legacy.  Then in 2 weeks they open a 7 game home stand that includes their annual holiday tourney in the middle of it.  The Crusaders used a 12 man rotation with 8 sophomores and a freshman in it.  That's a crazy amount of youth but something to build with.  29 points from the starters, 29 from the bench and nobody in double figures with 15 players scoring.  Frosh Owen Grove and soph Jacob Oliver with 2 3s each for 6 points as the top scorers.

St. Paul Academy starts the season 1-0.  They get an immediate harsh test at Breck on Tuesday before returning home to play Chisago Lakes.  The senior leaders lead the way for the Spartans.  Ethan Carter leads the Spartans with 25 points including a perfect 12 for 12 from the foul line.  Tysen Hayes and Mikkel Rawdon each add a triple and 12 points.  Solid bench minutes as well for frosh John Grimsrud with 7 points.  Overall I can't imagine that the Spartans will be pleased with 24 turnovers and shooting 41.1%.  Would have liked to see them step on the gas with that early 14 point lead.  They'll want to run more offense for looks rather than some of the forced 1 on 1 looks they took tonight.

Czar Insights

For details on exactly what the value in the chart mean, click here for the full explanation of Czar Insights.  

SPA older, bigger and stronger.  That showed up in a 36-10 edge in free throw attempts and a 21-15 edge on the offensive glass.  32-16 edge in the paint for the Spartans as well. Cathedral 8 of 25 in close attempts and 13 of 36 from inside the arc.

2023 Jamboree Thoughts

I took in 5 rounds at the CDH Jamboree and then 5 halves of action at the Spring Lake Park Jamboree.  That included Osseo in both events and 18 others teams.  Some thoughts from what I saw.

General Observations

1) Lack of awareness of the shot clock.  As I expected, most possessions didn't have it as a factor.  But when it came into play, most players were unaware that it was running out.  I expected more bench countdowns to address this.  Overall I saw about 10 shot clock violations between the 2 scrimmages and in almost every case, it was a player holding the ball unaware. 

2) Transition defense.  Simply put, just disgusting.  Teams just don't understand getting back, plugging gaps, finding shooters etc.  Its mostly just buddy running.  Way too many easy buckets.

Notable Players

Miami commit Isaiah Johnson-Arigu of Totino-Grace stood out for his play in the CDH Jamboree.  Well rounded moving the ball, attacking the basket and making a defensive impact.  

Owen Waldoch carried Forest Lake in the SLP Jamboree with 25 of 30 Rangers points in about 13 minutes of time.  Hit open shots and made plays inside plus he swatted away a shot or 2.

Brock Remme went toe to toe with Waldoch in that half as Spring Lake Park controlled the half and won.  He attacked the basket and showed range with his lefty jumper.  Has a chance to be a high stock raiser this season.

Jaymeson Travis of Osseo was a revelation to me.  Good feet and mobility for the forward to go with Aaron Smith on the front line and their slew of guards.  Yet another big man that has come up thru the program that they just plug in to replace graduation losses.

A Few Specific Team Thoughts
One doesn't want to read too much into these as they are short scrimmages but here are some quick hitters.

Minneapolis South beating De La Salle in a 10 minute half and playing them tough in another half was more than expected considering some significant losses there.

De La Salle will be undersized, but with their defense and shooting, still an elite squad.  Their guards vs Columbia Heights guards will be extremely entertaining.

Spring Lake Park handled Forest Lake who's expected to be a section contender in 7AAAA.

Benilde-St. Margaret's extending their defense on make or miss makes sense for their athletes.  That will generate a few points.  Though against the tough schedule that may backfire.  They may need those points as they look totally lost on offense.  No concepts and struggled to get into basic pick and roll or weave action.  It will be interesting to see them play in the half court when they can't get easy transition hoops.  That will be especially true vs zone.

Once again coach Ogorek at Coon Rapids keeps the 1-3-1 in his pocket and goes man for the evening.  One of these days I'll figure it out.

2023-24 Season In A Nutshell

The Czar's 2023-2024 Season Preview series concludes with the traditional Season In A Nutshell preview.  This is a higher level season overview for casual fans who don't eat, sleep and breathe hoops.  Its who and what you need to see and when and where to see it.  If you missed any of the conferences or teams covered in the previews, a full list of them can be found here.

New Coaches

• Eastview - Danny Olsen
  
• Eden Prairie - Zander Culver
• Hill-Murray - Cam Jones
  
• Hmong Academy - Mike Sauer
• Holy Angels - Troy Bell
• Maranatha - Matt Shepard
  
• New Life Academy -  Charlie Hoaglund
  
• North St. Paul -  Anthony Harris
  
• Rogers - Mike Pomroy
• Roseville - Jamin Cook
• St. Louis Park - Arsenio Richardson
  
• St. Thomas Academy - Jacob Sand
  
• Southwest Christian - David Flom
  
• White Bear Lake - Aaron Turner

10 Notable Local Events

• Breakdown Tipoff Classic - Dec 9th (Hopkins)
• Southside Showcase - Dec 9th (Benilde-St. Margaret's)
  
• Breakdown Big Stage - Dec 16th (Park Center) 
  
• Hutton Winter Classic - Dec 19th/20th (Hamline)
• CSP Holiday Classic - Dec 28/29th (Concordia-St. Paul)
  
• Hall of Fame Winter Classic - Jan 13th (Anoka-Ramsey)
• Southside Super Showcase - Jan 13th (Minnehaha)
  
• Dream Classic - Jan 15th (Minneapolis Roosevelt)
  
• Border Battle - Jan 20th (Benilde-St. Margaret's)
• Breakdown Community Clash - Jan 27th (STMA, Becker and Chanhassen)
  

10 Non-Conference Games to Watch (single game events only)

• Lakeville North at East Ridge - Dec 5th
  
• Shakopee at Wayzata - Dec 12th
• De La Salle at Benilde-St. Margaret's - Dec 22nd
  
• Wayzata at Lakeville North - Jan 4th
  
• Benilde-St. Margaret's at Totino-Grace - Jan 6th
  
• Minnetonka at De La Salle - Jan 6th
• Alexandria at Orono - Jan 6th
  
• Wayzata at East Ridge - Jan 8th
• Hopkins at De La Salle - Feb 24th
  
• East Ridge at Totino-Grace - Feb 28th

10 Conference Games to Watch

• East Ridge at Cretin-Derham Hall - Dec 19th 
• Tartan at South St. Paul - Jan 17th
• Spectrum at Heritage - Feb 2nd
  
• Totino-Grace at Park Center - Feb 2nd
• Lakeville South at Lakeville North - Feb 13th
  
• De La Salle at Columbia Heights - Feb 15th
• Breck at Minnehaha - Feb 22nd
• Orono at Benilde-St. Margaret's - Feb 23rd
• Holy Family at Delano - Feb 23rd
• Minnetonka at Wayzata - Mar 1st
  

10 Impact Transfers

• Daniel Freitag - Bloomington Jefferson to Breck
  
• Luke Graff - Champlin Park to Holy Family
  
• Joe Mitchell - Apple Valley to Cretin-Derham Hall
• Temi Omotoyinbo - Osseo to Park Center
  
• Zy'Lerre Stewart - Totino-Grace to Columbia Heights
  
• Jack Thelen - Monticello to St. Michael-Albertville
• Daejohn Thomas - East Ridge to St. Paul Johnson
  
• Jaeden Udean - Columbia Heights to De La Salle
• Kayden Wells - Benilde- St. Margaret's to Minnetonka
• Christian Wiggins - Benilde-St. Margaret's to Wayzata

Extra: Jerome Williams and Harrison Aligbe from Minnehaha to east coast prep schools

10 Upperclassmen to Watch

• Cash Chavis - Park Center
  
• Daniel Freitag- Breck
• Isaiah Johnson-Arigu - Totino-Grace 
• Kyle Jorgensen - Minneapolis Washburn
  
• Jackson McAndrew - Wayzata
• Jon Mekonnen - Eastview
• Chiang Ring - Park Center
  
• Jack Robison - Lakeville North
• Andy Stefonowicz - Minnetonka
  
• Jalen Wilson - Benilde-St. Margaret's
  

10 Underclassmen to Watch

• Tian Chatman - Totino-Grace
  
• Tyler Forrest - Chaska
  
• Dothan Ijadimbola - Totino-Grace
• Will Kirsch - Waconia
  
• Joe Mitchell - Cretin-Derham Hall
  
• Jayden Moore - Hopkins 
• Colin Piper - White Bear Lake 
• Jack Thelen - St. Michael-Albertville
  
• Cedric Tomes - East Ridge 
• Jaeden Udean - De La Salle
  

10 Local Teams to Watch

• Benilde-St. Margaret's
  
• De La Salle
  
• East Ridge
  
• Lakeville North
• Lakeville South
  
• Orono
  
• Park Center
  
• Shakopee
  
• Totino-Grace
  
• Wayzata

Active Streaks of 20 Games Or More In Conference Play

• Minnehaha - 49 wins.  Last loss was 2/6/15 at St. Paul Academy
• 30 home wins.  Last home loss was 1/28/14 vs Blake in Tri-Metro play. 
  29-0 home record all-time in IMAC play (includes neutral home games in 17-18)
• 23 road wins.  Last road loss was 2/6/15 at St. Paul Academy 
• Minneapolis North - 48 home wins.  Last loss was 2/6/15 vs Minneapolis South
  
• Minneapolis Roosevelt - 47 losses 
  
• 21 home losses - Last home win was 2/1/19 vs Minneapolis Washburn
  
• 26 road losses.  Last road win was 1/24/19 at Minneapolis South
  
• Nova Classical Academy - 41 losses
• 0-41 all-time in Skyline play
• 21 home losses. Last home win was 2/19/19 vs International School in TCAC play.
  
• 23 road losses.  Last road win was 1/25/19 at International School in TCAC play.
  
• Mounds Park Academy - 39 losses 
  
• 21 home losses -  Last win was 2/9/18 at home vs St. Paul Academy
• 73 road losses including their years in the Tri-Metro.  Last road win was 2/1/08 at St. Paul Academy.
• Hill-Murray  - 38 losses.  Last win was 2/18/21 vs Two Rivers
  
• 49 road losses.  Last road win was 2/10/17 at South St. Paul.
• De La Salle - 24 wins.  Last loss was 1/11/22 at Columbia Heights
• Spectrum - 23 wins.  Last loss was 1/25/22 vs West Lutheran
• Maranatha - 21 wins.  Last loss was 2/4/22 vs New Life Academy
• East Ridge - 21 home wins.  Last home loss was 2/19/21 vs Woodbury
  

Section Winners

I gave thoughts on 14 conferences plus independents.  I'll match that here with predictions for the winners of 14 metro area sections.  That includes the 6 local A, AA and AAA sections and all 8 AAAA sections.

4A: With Legacy moving up to section 6AA, its a really weak section.  New Life will have the chance to repeat.  Heritage is my pick here.  CHOF and Higher Ground are sleepers.

4AA: Minnehaha loses 2 major pieces.  Can somebody like St. Paul Academy jump up and over take them?  I don't see it but it should be very competitive.

5AA: Breck is the team to keep an eye on here and they're my pick.  But Holy Family with Kole Hanson and traditional power Minneapolis North will give them a run.  Blake and Maranatha won't be easy outs.  SW Christian could be a major sleeper here.

3AAA: South St. Paul is my pick to move on out of a weak section.  St. Thomas Academy and Highland Park are also contenders here.
4AAA: The defending state champion Totino-Grace moves to section 5AAA only to be replaced by the state runner up De La Salle.  Give me the Islanders in an epic 3rd game vs Columbia Heights.

6AAA: Benilde-St.Margaret's comes out of the class AAA section of death.  Orono and Delano are major contenders here.  Cooper and Richfield will be tough outs.

1AAAA:  Lakeville North owns this section and I can't pick against that.  I see another Lakeville city meeting for the state ticket.

2AAAA: Once again its the class AAAA section of death.  I'll take Minnetonka to repeat but Shakopee is a major threat here.  Chanhassen, Waconia and Eden Prairie all good enough to win it as well.

3AAAA: Eastview loses a ton but with Daniel Freitag now at Breck, they have the best player in a weak section.  Lightning move on.

4AAAA: East Ridge trying to rebound after a disappointing loss to White Bear Lake in last year's section final.  They're arguably the favorite.  But give me Tartan here as they haven't come out of the section in a long time.  Cretin-Derham Hall is a spoiler here.

5AAAA:  Park Center is the heavy favorite and pick here.  District rivals Osseo and Maple Grove are the other contenders.

6AAAA: Another year, another Hopkins vs Wayzata 3rd game for a section title.  Wayzata moves on.

7AAAA:  Another weak year in section 7 (does anybody know the last time this section won a game at state?).  I see it as a brother battle between Forest Lake and Duluth East.  Forest Lake gets my vote with everybody coming back.

8AAAA: This section provides great entertainment each year.  Buffalo repeats as section champs.

Season Thoughts

Let's begin with my take on the big elephant in the room, the shot clock.  I believe it will be far less noticed than many fans may expect. I recall watching a number of shot clock games last year where I didn't even realize it was in use until a long period into the game.  Where you will notice it is late in the game when you can't hold the ball.  With apologies to the Suggs/Holmgren triangle delay era, no more of pulling the ball out with 5 minutes to go.  I'm looking forward to seeing how teams manage the last 2-3 minutes.  The other strategy item to watch is what teams do at the end of the clock.  Is it just high pick and roll, do teams switch defenses late, how many late clock sets do teams have are just some of things I'll be watching for.  But overall I expect it to be less of a factor than some may expect.

Its another quality year of events on the season schedule.  The Border Battle at Benilde-St. Margaret's on January 20th is loaded.  With my Wisconsin roots, I'm really looking forward to that.  Though my outlandish Breakdown book prediction on it may come back to haunt me.  Also keep an eye on Saturday, January 6th.  That day is one of the more loaded game days for non-conference showdowns that's I've seen in a long time.  That's particularly true in AAA with Benilde-St. Margaret's at Totino-Grace and Alexandria visiting Orono.  That's a chance for locals to see Minnesota commit Grayson Grove.  A salute to General Grove for expanding the battle field.  You also have Lakeville South visiting Chanhassen, Minnetonka at De La Salle and a possible 7AAAA finals preview of Forest Lake visiting Duluth East that day.  Another future Rodent Gopher, Isaac Asuma and top ranked Cherry, will be in the metro for the tip off classic and over the holidays in the Concordia-St. Paul holiday event where they have a game on December 29th with Park Center.  The Asuma and Cash Chavis matchup will be fun to watch.

Its a new 2 year cycle of section assignment before the 6 year makeover.  Class AAAA should be deep again as Park Center and Wayzata look to make runs again.  Minnetonka and Buffalo also poised to make return trips.  Lakeville North looks to continue their dominance of section 1AAAA.  The top of AAA is stacked with Totino-Grace, Benilde-St. Margaret's, Orono, Alexandria, Hermantown, Mankato East and De La Salle.  The Breck vs Minnehaha dynamic in the IMAC will be fun in AA.  Not out of the question to see a 3rd meeting between those 2 at state.

 

The time is now.  Go #ShockTheCzar.

2023-24 Lake Conference Preview

This is the 14th preview in my 2023-2024 season preview series.  In this preview, I finish my look at my look at each of the metro area conferences with a look at the Lake Conference.  There's 1 more preview left.  That will include section predictions and what to watch.  For a list of all the season previews and how they are done, click here.

Buffalo Bison (2022-23 season 23-8, 7-5 Conference, Tie 3rd)
Wing Nate Dahl (24.1 PPG) was a Mr Basketball final 10 guy.  His production and clutch play will be hard to replace.  But the rest of the roster returns and is poised for another state trip.  Senior wings Grady Guidy (13.9 PPG) and Brody Wishart are the top offensive threats.  Those are just 2 of the 7 rotation members coming back.  The junior class is strong too.  Not much size but they will always run sound offense and play hard-nosed defense for coach Josh Ortmann.

Eden Prairie Eagles (2022-23 season 11-14, 2-10 Conference, 6th)
Zander Culver comes over from Roseville to replace David Flom as head coach after last year's off court controversy.  He'll have a strong perimeter group with juniors Max Lorenson (14.4 PPG) and JJ Sullivan (10.6 PPG) and soph Nolen Anderson (10.5 PPG).  There are questions up front but Cam Riggins-Brown and Parker Fahning should see time there.  Fahning's inside out ability should fit the system very well.  Frosh Ty Schlagel could be a rotation factor too.

Edina Hornets (2022-23 season 15-12, 6-6 Conference, 5th)
Coach Jon Bryant has 4 of his top 5 scorers coming back.  Wing Josiah Coleman (13.4 PPG) and versatile forward Daniel Molhoek (10.8 PPG) were the top 2 scorers last season.  Waylon Erlandson and Owen Kemper are returning perimeter starters.  Nick Presthus, Billy DeMars and Charlie Moore should also figure into the wing rotation.  Frosh Vince Cronin could step into a forward slot.

Hopkins Royals (2022-23 season 19-9, 7-5 Conference, tie 3rd)
Soph PG Jayden Moore (20.8 PPG) and junior SG Anthony Smith (20.8 PPG) form one of the top backcourts in the state.  Add in junior wings JJ Semanko (11 PPG) and Daveion Hart from last year's rotation as well.  They'll miss Vince Hillesheim (13.7 PPG) and his interior presence.  Jacob Rothman's pesky defense and toughness will be missed too.  Senior Anthony Walker will provide experience.

Minnetonka Skippers (2022-23 season 23-8, 8-4 Conference, 2nd)
The Skippers return their top 2 scorers.  PG Andy Stefonowicz (16.4 PPG) leads the offense not only in scoring but also with his poise.  He'll play at North Dakota State.  Wing Jordan Cain put up 15.8 PPG last season.  Wings Duke Richardson and Greyson Uelman are both shooters who can reach double figures on any night.  Wing Kayden Wells comes over from Benilde-St. Margaret's.  They'll need to play small and fast but have the firepower to do it once again.

St. Michael-Albertville Knights (2022-23 season 8-19, 1-11 Conference, 7th)
Forward Colton Demarais was a double figure scorer inside and needs to be replaced.  Freshman transfer Jack Thelen should step into his interior spot.  He's arguably the top 2027 big man in the state.  Juniors Jeremiah Johnson (11.3 PPG at PG) and Hudson Hochstedler (13.4 PPG) return to lead the offense on the perimeter.  Landon Riebel will be an inside out option.  Jordan Holm, Andrew Luster and guard Carter Arnlund also return to the rotation.

Wayzata Trojans (2022-23 season 27-4, 11-1 Conference, 1st, AAAA State Champions)
Wayzata has a 3 year streak of making the state title game with 2 titles to show for it.  That will be a tall task this year as they have to replace most of their rotation.  Creighton commit Jackson McAndrew (16.7 PPG) should have a big season and be a Mr. Basketball favorite.  Guard Ben Shaffer (4.7 PPG) and Drew Nepstad (4.1 PPG) are the 2 other rotation guys coming back.  Soph guard Isaac Olmstead should see a major role.  Soph Christian Wiggins is a rotation option too after spending last season at Benilde-St. Margaret's.

Predicted Order of Finish

1. Minnetonka   
   
2. Wayzata
   
3. Buffalo 
   
4. Hopkins
5. Edina
   
6. Eden Prairie
7. St. Michael-Albertville

Conference Overview
Despite some significant losses across the league, its another loaded year in the Lake.  The perimeter play with Jackson McAndrew, Jayden Moore, Andy Stefonowicz and others is top notch.  Three teams in the league made state in AAAA last year and I'd be surprised if that wasn't the case again.  Seeing 5 of them in a section final wouldn't be a surprise either.  Minnetonka gets my pick for the top spot with their offensive firepower.  Wayzata won't drop far as they'll plug in new pieces to go with the state's top senior. Buffalo beat Hopkins twice last year so I'll give them the nod for the 3rd spot.  Any of the top 4 could finish in any order so it should be exciting.  Edina and Eden Prairie make up the 2nd tier.  They're top half in any other league but this league is too deep.  Both have good young players to look forward to watching.  Eden Prairie has a new coach and system plus 2 head to head losses last year so I give Edina the nod for that 5th spot.  Both will play a spoiler role in the final league results.  Remember Edina beat Buffalo twice last year and Eden Prairie gave Wayzata its only league loss.  St. Michael-Albertville gets the leftover spot.

Conference MVP: Jackson McAndrew- Wayzata

Underclassmen to watch:  

• Nolen Anderson, Hamze Yusuf, Ty Schlagel- Eden Prairie
• Vince Cronin, Gus Carpenter, Race Deshotel - Edina
• Jayden Moore, Quincy Johnson - Hopkins
• Jack Thelen - St. Michael-Albertville
• Christian Wiggins, Isaac Olmstead - Wayzata
  

Conference Games to Watch

• Buffalo at Wayzata - Jan 12th 
• Buffalo at Minnetonka - Jan 19th
  
• Wayzata at Hopkins - Jan 23rd
  
• Minnetonka at Hopkins - Jan 30th
• Wayzata at Minnetonka - Feb 1st
• Buffalo at Hopkins - Feb 2nd
  
• Wayzata at Buffalo - Feb 6th 
• Minnetonka at Buffalo - Feb 12th
  
• Hopkins at Wayzata - Feb 15th
  
• Hopkins at Minnetonka - Feb 23rd
  
• Minnetonka at Wayzata - Mar 1st
• Hopkins at Buffalo - Mar 1st
  

 Non-Conference Games to Watch

• Orono at Hopkins - Nov 30th
• Totino-Grace at Hopkins - Dec 5th
  
• Wayzata vs Totino-Grace - Dec 9th (Tipoff Classic at Hopkins)
• East Ridge at Hopkins - Dec 9th (Tipoff Classic)
• Minnetonka vs Lakeville South - Dec 9th (Tipoff Classic at Hopkins)
• Mankato East vs Buffalo - Dec 9th (Tipoff Classic at Hopkins)
• Shakopee at Wayzata - Dec 12th
  
• Minnetonka vs Osseo - Dec 16th (Big Stage at Park Center)
• Hopkins vs Lakeville South - Dec 16th (Big Stage at Park Center)
• Chanhassen at Buffalo - Dec 19th
  
• Wayzata vs Eastview - Dec 28th (East Ridge Holiday Tourney)
  
• Wayzata at Lakeville North - Jan 4th
  
• Minnetonka at De La Salle - Jan 6th
• Wayzata at East Ridge - Jan 8th
  
• Hopkins at Benilde-St. Margaret's - Jan 9th
  
• Minnetonka vs Grafton (WI) - Jan 20th (Border Battle at Benilde-St. Margaret's)
• Wayzata at De La Salle - Feb 3rd
  
• Minnetonka at Cretin-Derham Hall - Feb 7th
• Shakopee at Minnetonka - Feb 10th
  
• Totino-Grace at Minnetonka - Feb 17th 
• Hopkins at De La Salle - Feb 24th
• Hopkins at Minneapolis North - Feb 27th
  
• Minnetonka at Chanhassen - Feb 28th
  

2023-24 South Suburban Conference Preview

This is the 13th preview in my 2023-24 Season Preview Series.  In this preview, we head south for a look at the South Suburban Conference.  For a list of all the season previews and how they are generated, click here.

Apple Valley Eagles (2022-23 season 4-23, 2-16 Conference, 10th)
Two important pieces of the perimeter rotation need to be replaced with the graduation of Eli Ocharo and transfer of 2026 Joe Mitchell.  Mitchell was the lone double figure scorer at 15 PPG.  Senior guard Nati Tizazu (8 PPG) is the top returning scorer.  Sophs Camare Young and Ryan Christiansen once again figure to play major minutes.  Isiah Ford also returns to the rotation.  Limited size and firepower as the Eagles continue to rebuild in the post-Jones era.

Burnsville Blaze (2022-23 season 9-17, 4-14 Conference, 9th)
Wings Khalif Bettis and JT Thornton were last year's top 2 scoring options and need to be replaced.  Guards Charlie Pettis and Jeremy Sherlock look to step into those roles.  7-foot shot blocker Henry Buchanan is a defensive factor inside.  Scoring will be hard to come by.

Eagan Wildcats (2022-23 season 16-13, 8-10 Conference, tie 6th)
4 year starting wing Emmanuel Schmitter (13.1 PPG) and shooter Oscar Khazon (11.8 PPG) need to be replaced after being last year's top 2 scorers.  Guard Max Buslee (9.8 PPG) is the top returning scorer.  Seniors Jack Hansen and Trevor Syring form a solid center duo.  Charlie Birk will be a wing shooting option.  Liam Madigan, Jack Kruger and Owen Ford also saw major minutes last season. Soph wing Alex Schroepfer should play a bigger role too.

Eastview Lightning (2022-23 season 23-9, 14-4 Conference, 2nd)
Assistant Danny Olsen takes over the program as Paul Goetz retired.  He has to rebuild the rotation.  But he gets the advantage of having 1 guy back in Colorado St commit Jon Mekonnen (18 PPG).  Expect a huge year from the lefty forward.  Nolan Segner is another front line option.  Junior Jack Frigstad should also see rotation minutes.  Experience and guard play are the major concerns.

Farmington Tigers (2022-23 season 17-11, 10-8 Conference, tie 4th)
Three starters including last year's leading scorer, PG Baiden Bean (16.1 PPG), need to be replaced.  Brandon Hrncir (12.6 PPG) and junior Nik Domier (7.2 PPG) make up a solid front court duo.  Wing Tyler Beckwith (7.8 PPG) is another solid starting option.  Junior Cole Wilcek will also see many significant minutes.  Junior Jonah Ask will be a guard option.

Lakeville North Panthers (2022-23 season 28-4, 16-2 Conference, 1st)
Wisconsin commit Nolan Winter (23.4 PPG) will be hard to replace inside.  They also lose 15.9 PPG from wing Hudson Vaith.  But the Panthers still have a ton to work with.  Wing Jack Robison (15.1 PPG) makes whatever play is necessary.  He'll play at Wisconsin next year with Winter.  Matt Drake missed time due to health issues last season.  His toughness and shot making from the point guard spot is very valuable.  Forward Andrew Quam is coming off a very productive summer and should step into a critical role.  Grant Ryan should step into a big wing role.

Lakeville South Cougars (2022-23 season 17-12, 10-8 Conference, tie 4th)
The Cougars appear ready to pounce on a great season.  DaMarcus Burks (11.5 PPG) and Ryan Johnson (10.2 PPG) accepted D2 offers after playing well in the summer.  Junior PG Keaton Ressler also returns.  Then there's the wildcard in senior wing Marley Baah-Yeboah.  He's the best athlete of the bunch but he's coming off a knee injury that cost him most of last season.  Joe Hager will man the inside.  Lauson Schmidt and Carter Wilson returns in reserve perimeter roles. 

Prior Lake Lakers (2022-23 season 13-15, 8-10 Conference, tie 6th)
The Lakers have big losses yet again with 6 of their top 7 scorers graduting.  Forward Joe Ofori and his 16.3 PPG is 1 of the double figure scorers gone.  Junior guard Luke Loehlein (7.9 PPG) is the top returning scorer.  Junior PG Cade Wozney returns to the starting lineup.  Juniors Brayden Thompson and Norbu Jenpa are other rotation options.

Rosemount Irish (2022-23 season 11-17, 5-13 Conference, 8th)
Luck wasn't with the Irish last season as they didn't fare as expected.  Both double figure scorers have graduated including star guard Anish Ramlall (16.1 PPG).  Guard Bennett Arlandson and forward Kyson Leenderts (6.5 PPG) are the top returnees.  Seniors Ben Siwek and Will Peroutka also return to the rotation

Shakopee Sabers (2022-23 season 16-11, 13-5 Conference, 3rd)
Shakopee had to replace their entire starting lineup and still finished 3rd.  Lefty PG Jalen Langsy (18.8 PPG) leads a strong perimeter group.  Shooters Isaac Snell (12 PPG) and Eli Schroeder (5.8 PPG) join him.  Then there's Kaden Braxton, Devin Pass and Isaac Cordes returning too.  Luke Wherley is the primary forward but he can step out and shoot it too.

Predicted Order of Finish

1. Shakopee
   
2. Lakeville North
   
3. Lakeville South
   
4. Eastview
   
5. Farmington
   
6. Eagan 
   
7. Prior Lake 
8. Rosemount 
   
9. Burnsville  
   
10. Apple Valley

Conference Overview:
The top 3 are going to be really tough.  I take Shakopee because they have so much returning.  But you can make an argument for the other 2 as well.  Eastview has the best remaining player and they always reload so I'll go 4th with them.  Farmington will give them a run for that spot with their size.  Eagan and Prior Lake battle for the 2 spots behind them.  Burnsville is the next best and Apple Valley continues a rough rebuild.

Conference MVP: Jack Robison - Lakeville North

Underclassmen to watch:

• Camare Young, Ryan Christiansen- Apple Valley
• Alex Schroepfer - Eagan
• Dane Danielson - Lakeville North
  
• Kobby Sambrew, Trey Theis - Prior Lake
  
• Peyton Gholson - Rosemount

Conference Games to Watch

• Shakopee at Lakeville North - Dec 19th
• Lakeville North at Lakeville South - Jan 12th
  
• Lakeville South at Shakopee - Jan 26th
• Lakeville North at Shakopee - Feb 1st
• Lakeville South at Lakeville North - Feb 13th
  
• Shakopee at Lakeville South - Feb 23rd
  

Non-Conference Games to Watch

• Lakeville North at East Ridge - Dec 5th
  
• Eastview vs Orono - Dec 9th (Tipoff Classic at Hopkins)
• Lakeville South vs Minnetonka - Dec 9th (Tipoff Classic at Hopkins)
  
• Lakeville North vs Park Center- Dec 9th (Tipoff Classic at Hopkins)
• Shakopee at Wayzata - Dec 12th
  
• Lakeville South vs Hopkins - Dec 16th (Big Stage at Park Center) 
• Chanhassen at Lakeville North - Dec 29th (Lakeville North Tourney) 
• Wayzata at Lakeville North - Jan 4th
• Lakeville South at Chanhassen - Jan 6th
  
• Chanhassen at Shakopee - Jan 11th
• Shakopee at Minnetonka - Feb 10th
  

2023-24 Suburban East Conference Preview

This is the 12th preview in my 2023-2024 season preview series.  In this preview, I continue my look at the local big schools with a look at the Suburban East Conference.  For a list of all the season previews and how they were generated, click here.

Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders (2022-23 season 14-14, 9-9 Conference, tie 4th)
The Raiders have to replace a bunch of offense on the wing with the graduations of Jake Little, Luke Jacobson and Adam Tauer.  All 3 averaged double figures last year.  Sam Koopmeiners is also a loss on the front line.  Senior wing Miles Bollinger is a top option.  Junior Monteff Dixon (7.8 PPG) should be ready for full time minutes inside.  Soph guards Jason Johnson and Apple Valley transfer Joe Mitchell will lead the backcourt.  Senior Anthony Knight (5.3 PPG) is a veteran guard as well.

East Ridge Raptors (2022-23 season 22-7, 17-1 Conference, 1st)
Shooting guard Alex Mattes needs to be replaced after averaging 17.2 PPG.  The perimeter play is still strong with soph PG Cedric Tomes (12.4 PPG) and senior wing Charlie Theis (10.7 PPG).  Tomes has some of the deepest shooting range in the state.  Parker Wellman and Grant Miley are also experienced guards.  Charlie Bern (8 PPG) should see a bigger role in a combo forward spot this season.  That's because big men Brayden Carlson and Daejohn Thomas have transferred.  Carlson is now at Holy Family while Thomas has returned to St. Paul Johnson.  Junior Kyle Frandt is another possible front line option.

Forest Lake Rangers (2022-23 season 9-18, 6-12 Conference, 8th)
Coach Kyle McDonald looks for his Rangers to make a leap with his senior laden rotation coming back.  Concordia St. Paul commit Owen Waldoch (16.5 PPG) leads the way from his inside out forward spot.  Brennan Sauvageau and Braeden Turk return on the wings as double figure scorers.  Nolan Dumonceeaux (6.8 PPG) returns at a guard spot.  Soph DJ Westman (4.4 PPG) will join them.  Reid Olson (5.9 PPG) is another front line option.

Irondale Knights (2022-23 season 11-16, 7-11 Conference, 7th)
The Knights have to replace most of their rotation.  Junior guard Jake Dedominces (6.9 PPG) is the top returnee.  Latrell Bagget will join him in the backcourt.  Forward Mekhi Edwards (12.2 PPG) is now at St. Cloud Tech.  That leaves a big hole on the front line.  The rest of the roster has very limited experience.   

Mounds View Mustangs (2022-23 season 17-11, 9-9 Conference, tie 4th)
Senior forwards Eli Roe (5.2 PPG) and Joey Fretheim (11.6 PPG) will be the main offense.  Juniors Nate Edelman and Jacob Sampson will be big man options.  The 17.4 PPG from guard Cody Deluce will be hard to replace.  Junior Cody Loegering looks to fill in that role.  Senior Tyler Nystrom looks to play a perimeter role as well.

Park Wolfpack (2022-23 season 9-17, 5-13 Conference, 9th)
The rumors of head coach Mike Weah's demise are greatly exaggerated (see last year's Park preview if you don't understand).  All 3 double figure scorers including wing OT Omot (16.2 PPG) have graduated.  Junior Miskar Esayas (7.1 PPG) and senior Tayvion Stewart (6.9 PPG) lead the backcourt.  Forward Dominic Batts (4.7 PPG) also returns as a front court option.

Roseville Raiders (2022-23 season 14-13, 8-10 Conference, 6th)
Former Minneapolis Washburn and Bloomington Kennedy head man Jamin Cook takes over for Zander Culver.  Culver took the Eden Prairie job in the offseason.  He has a solid backcourt rotation of seniors to work with.  Ataa-Adjetey Mensah is the leading scorer at 13.4 PPG.  Nate Hatteburg (8.9 PPG) and Will DeVries (4.9 PPG) are also returning starters.  Jamin Cook transfers in from Robbinsdale Cooper as well.  The front line needs to be replaced including 13 PPG from Evan Fischer.

Stillwater Ponies (2022-23 season 18-10, 13-5 Conference, 3rd)
The Ponies have to replace star point guard Max Shikenjanski (26.7 PPG).  The entire offense revolved around his creation.  Looking forward to seeing if they stay with the same system or how they tweak it.  Guard Tanner Thomson (13.8 PPG) also needs to be replaced.  They still have guards Brett Hilde (6.7 PPG) and Joe Hoheisel (4.4 PPG).  Henry Zollar and Aiden Hammond will join them.  Big man Lake DeJongh (6.4 PPG) will be the primary interior guy.  Joe Fredkove will also be an interior rotation guy.

White Bear Lake Bears (2022-23 season 23-8, 15-3 Conference, 2nd)
Aaron Turner takes over for Greg Burke as the head man.  He has a standout senior class to replace.  Star guard Jack Janicki (20.8 PPG) is now at Wisconsin.  Forward Wyatt Hawks (14.8 PPG) is now at St. Cloud State.  Sawyer Collins is the lone returning guard.  Soph forward Colin Piper should become the primary option after seeing reserve minutes last season.  Korey Raheem, Colin McMonigal, Anthony Turner and Austin Gibson are looking to step up into rotation roles.

Woodbury Royals (2022-23 season 4-23, 1-17 Conference, 10th)
Junior guard Marquivion Beasley (10.2 PPG) is the lone returning double figure scorer.  Junior Finn Norman figures to play a bigger role as a big wing or stretch 4.  Senior Quentin Cobb-Butler also returns to the perimeter rotation.  Seniors Liam Fromnelt and Isaiah Tisdle should see rotation minutes as well.

Predicted Order of Finish

1. East Ridge     
   
2. Cretin-Derham Hall    
   
3. Forest Lake    
   
4. Stillwater
   
5. Mounds View
   
6. White Bear Lake 
   
7. Roseville
8. Woodbury
   
9. Park 
10. Irondale  
    

Conference Overview:
Its a down year in the Suburban East.  East Ridge once again is the huge favorite here.  Then I see CDH moving back up to their usual top of the league location.  But Forest Lake with everybody back and the losses around the rest of the league looks to make a big jump and challenge them.  Stillwater is the best of the rest despite losing all everything Max Shikenjanski.  Mounds View and White Bear Lake battle to stay in the top half but they too need to replace top scorers.  Roseville will look to challenge them too in that middle area but they have to adjust to a new coach and system.  Then a drop to the bottom 3.  Woodbury with the most returning so I'll put them there.

Conference MVP: Owen Waldoch - Forest Lake

Underclassmen to watch: 

• Jason Johnson, Joe Mitchell, Isaiah Thom, Jullian Smith - Cretin-Derham Hall
  
• Cedric Tomes, Bennett Skinner - East Ridge 
• DJ Westman - Forest Lake
• Miles Stuart - Roseville
• AJ  Taban, Zach Krusemark  - Stillwater
  
• Colin Piper - White Bear Lake
  

Conference Games to Watch

• East Ridge at Cretin-Derham Hall - Dec 19th
  
• Cretin-Derham Hall at East Ridge - Feb 1st
  
• East Ridge at Forest Lake - Feb 21st
  

Non-Conference Games to Watch

• Lakeville North at East Ridge - Dec 5th
  
• East Ridge at Hopkins - Dec 9th (Tipoff Classic)
• Holy Family at Cretin-Derham Hall - Dec 29th (CDH Holiday Tourney) 
• Forest Lake at Duluth East - Jan 6th
  
• Wayzata at East Ridge - Jan 8th 
• Minnetonka at Cretin-Derham Hall - Feb 7th
• Cretin-Derham Hall at De La Salle - Feb 17th
  
• East Ridge at Totino-Grace - Feb 28th
  

2023-24 NW Suburban Conference Preview

This is the 11th preview in my 2023-2024 season preview series.  Its the 3rd and final week of the preview series and that means its time for the big schools.  Most of the teams this week will be AAAA schools.  In this preview, a look at the Northwest Suburban Conference. For a list of all the season previews and how they are done, click here.

Andover Huskies (2022-23 season 23-9, 16-3 Conference, 1st North)
The Huskies have to replace their entire starting lineup.  That includes their star backcourt of Ben Kopetzki (25.5 PPG) and Sam Musungu (21.2 PPG).  They'll also miss the inside out forward play of Landyn Nelson (11.5 PPG).  Chase Pemberton and Luke Dehnicke should move into starting roles after being in reserve spots last season.  Guards Cameron Begalle and Alex Kopetzki should see increased roles as well with Kopetzki likely taking over the PG duties for his brother.  Ayden Shaw is an interior option.

Anoka Tornadoes (2022-23 season 12-16, 6-13 Conference, 5th North)
Junior guards Peyton Podany (13.5 PPG) and Trey Borchers (14.7 PPG) return after leading the team in scoring last season.  Soph Dre Ellis should also be a part of the backcourt rotation along with juniors Caleb Sherer and Afy Ibekwe.  Evan Freking looks to replace Reagan Reeder (13 PPG) as the interior guy. 

Blaine Bengals (2022-23 season 15-12, 11-8 Conference, 3rd North)
Forwards Ryan Bohlman (18.4 PPG) and Zack Schusted (14.5 PPG) are 2 major losses for the Bengals.  They also lose a reserve big man too so size is a question mark.  They'll be strong on the wing with shooter Ethan Pettis (16 PPG) and Alvin Payne (11.6 PPG).  Jordan Lyon (9 PPG) also returns to the starting lineup at a guard spot.

Centennial Cougars (2022-23 season 5-22, 3-16 Conference, 6th North)
Most of the roster returns.  Guard Ty Burgoon (14.9 PPG) and junior wing Jackson Driessen (10.5 PPG) are the top scoring threats.  Jack D'Agostino and Timmy Ball provide the interior play.  Seniors Will Quick and Luke Gunderman will be other primary rotation options.

Champlin Park Rebels (2022-23 season 10-16, 8-11 Conference, 4th North)
Champlin Park has to replace 4 starters.  That includes leading scorer Luke Graff (14 PPG) who transferred to Holy Family.  Wing Amory Peterson (11.8 PPG) will be the primary offensive option.  Nobody else averaged more than 4.5 PPG.  Senior guards Jevon Kiros and Parrish Wallace will look to step into bigger roles.  Lefty Dominick Mueller will be a front line option.

Coon Rapids Cardinals (2022-23 season 6-21, 1-18 Conference, 7th North)
Most of the roster returns from the end of last season.  But that was after 2 pieces were already gone.  The remaining group includes 3 double figure scorers. Lefty PG Jerry Freeman (12.2 PPG) and wings Jaxon Young (11.6 PPG) plus Jackson Hettwer (10.2 PPG) are the top options.  They'll be experienced but how will they rebound from a rough 2nd half.

Elk River Elks (2022-23 season 12-15, 8-11 Conference, 5th West)
The Elks have to replace 4 starters including guard Cade Osterman (21.8 PPG) and wing Carson Haack (19.3 PPG).  Guards TJ Caouette (6.5 PPG) and soph Levi Harris are top perimeter options.  Owen Van Drehle is a top forward option.  The rest of the rotation will be very inexperienced.

Maple Grove Crimson (2022-23 season 21-7, 15-4 Conference, 2nd North)
The Crimson need to replace center Lincoln Palbicki (11 PPG) and PG Raoul Vaidya (10 PPG) as part of losing 4 starters.  SG Henry Stang (11.8 PPG) returns after leading the team in scoring.  Gannon McGuire and Brady Laliberte will be solid wings who can knock down shots.  Josh Femrite will take over the primary minutes in the middle.  A solid group of juniors plus soph Kaden Harney will provide quality depth.

Osseo Orioles (2022-23 season 16-13, 11-8 Conference, 3rd West)
Wing Trey Smith (16.5 PPG) is the biggest loss.  He's now playing at Minnesota-Duluth.  Senior PG De'Mari Larkins (15.8 PPG) is the lone double figure scorer returning.  Fellow seniors Ty Swanson and Temi Deneno return with him in the backcourt.  Aaron Smith returns as big body in the middle.  Jaymeson Travis will be another interior option.

Park Center Pirates (2022-23 season 28-3, 17-2 Conference, 1st West, AAAA State runner-up)
The Pirates replaced 5 starters and were still an inch away from winning a state title.  This year they return 3 major pieces.  PG Cash Chavis (16 PPG), wing Jackson Fowlkes (13 PPG) and shot blocking forward Chiang Ring (10.5 PPG) make up a talented and experience nucleus.  Add in Osseo transfer Temi Omotoyinbo on the other wing and you have a roster looking to make another state title run. Aiden Memene is an experienced guard that returns.  They'll miss the clutch play of CJ O'Hara and dirty work from Kaden Cook.

Robbinsdale Armstrong Falcons (2022-23 season 10-18, 6-13 Conference, Tie 6th West)
Coach Rob Ware used a ton of players last season and hopefully that experience pays off this season.  Leading scorer Owen Skram's shooting and 16.1 PPG will be missed.  Wing Seth Newbern (15 PPG) is the top returnee.  Junior Desmond Ware (8.2 PPG) returns at the point.  Senior guard Navonn Fields and Charles Scott are 2 experienced rotation options.  Fitz Freeman is an effective option at center.  Senior Langden College can also give them big man minutes.

Rogers Royals (2022-23 season 8-19, 6-13 Conference, Tie 6th West)
Mike Pomroy returns to the metro to take over the Royals program.  He was at the University of South Dakota women's program but has previous experience as the Irondale girls head coach.  Rogers has 3 of its top 4 scorers returning.  They are all on the perimeter.  Senior guards Blake Dalluge (16.2 PPG) and Jaxson Fuller (12.8 PPG) are the 2 returning double figure scorers.  Junior wing Colton Kazmierkoski (9 PPG) should be a double figure scorer this year too.  Treyvon Mix, Adam Broberg and Alexander Kane will also see perimeter minutes.  Michael Watson's 7.4 PPG inside will need to be replaced.

Spring Lake Park Panthers (2022-23 season 9-18, 9-10 Conference, 4th West)
The Panthers lose 2 of their 3 double figure scorers.  The wing position should be strong with leading scorer Andrew King (14.3 PPG) and Myles Thomson (6.2 PPG) coming back.  Forward Brock Remme (9.3 PPG) also returns to the lineup.  Gavin Welch will fill some point guard minutes.  They'll need to find a replacement for Beau Johnson (10.5 PPG) in the middle.

Totino-Grace Eagles (2022-23 season 24-8, 16-3 Conference, 2nd West, AAA State Champion)
Coming off a state championship season, the Eagles now look to reload.  4 significant members of the rotation need to be replaced with 3 of them off to mid or high major basketball.  Guard Zy'Lerre Stewart (5.9 PPG) is the other major loss as he's transferred to Columbia Heights.  Forward Isaiah Johnson (12.4 PPG) had a terrific summer and has committed to play at Miami.  Expect a huge season from him.  Sophs Tian Chatman and Dothan Ijadimbola are 2 of the best in the class and will step right in to starting roles.  Junior guards Tyler Wagner (9.4 PPG) and Chace Watley are very experienced.  Wagner is one of the premier shooters in his class.  A talented freshman group waits behind them.

Predicted Order of Finish

1. Park Center
   
2. Totino-Grace
   
3. Osseo
   
4. Maple Grove
5. Robbinsdale Armstrong
6. Spring Lake Park
   
7. Rogers
   
8. Anoka
   
9. Elk River
10. Andover
11. Champlin Park
    
12. Blaine
13. Centennial
14. Coon Rapids

Conference Overview:
Major change to the league schedule this year as they decide to play a single round-robin league wide.  That means only 13 league games and more openings for those higher profile non-conference events.  Once again Park Center and Totino-Grace are the class of the league.  Park Center gets the home game plus they have experience so I'll take them.  Maple Grove and Osseo are the next tier.  Robbinsdale Armstrong will try to jump into that group.  Beyond that, it falls off to a ton of mediocrity.  That includes most of the entire former north division which is really down this year.  I'll take Anoka to make a jump with their returning guards.  Rogers also has some nice returning pieces for me to move them up.

Conference MVP: Cash Chavis - Park Center

Underclassmen to watch: 

• Dre Ellis - Anoka 
• Drew Bryant, Shiloh Ayitey, Lane Pettis - Blaine
• Kyler Pust - Champlin Park
• Levi Harris - Elk River
  
• Kaden Harney - Maple Grove
• Joel Saah, Eli Kuempel, Braxton Thomas - Robbinsdale Armstrong
  
• Xavier Frelix - Park Center
  
• Tian Chatman, Dothan Ijadimbola, Malachi Hill, Jaylan Hynes - Totino-Grace
  

Conference Games to Watch

• Totino-Grace at Maple Grove - Jan 16th
• Osseo at Maple Grove - Jan 19th
  
• Maple Grove at Park Center - Jan 23rd
• Totino-Grace at Osseo - Jan 23rd
  
• Park Center at Osseo - Jan 26th
  
• Totino-Grace at Park Center - Feb 2nd
  

Non-Conference Games to Watch

• Totino-Grace at Hopkins - Dec 5th
• Totino-Grace vs Wayzata- Dec 9th (Tipoff Classic  at Hopkins) 
• Benilde St. Margaret's at Park Center - Dec 16th (Big Stage) 
• Bellevue West (NE) at Totino-Grace - Dec 16th
  
• Benilde-St. Margaret's at Totino-Grace - Jan 6th
  
• Totino-Grace vs Onalaska (WI) - Jan 20th (Border Battle at Benilde-St. Margaret's)
  
• Park Center vs Eau Claire Memorial (WI) - Jan 20th (Border Battle at Benilde-St. Margaret's)
• Eastview at Totino-Grace - Feb 10th
  
• East Ridge at Totino-Grace - Feb 28th
  
• Park Center at Columbia Heights - Mar 1st