2026-27 EMAC Preview

This is the 3rd preview in the 2026-2027 season preview series.  We continue on with the small local schools and a look at the Eastern Minnesota Athletic Conference.  For a list of all the season previews and how they are done, click here.

Academy for Sciences and Agriculture Eagles (2025-26 season No Varsity Team)
AFSA did not play a varsity schedule last season.  Unknown if they will play a varsity schedule this season.

Avail Academy Valor (2025-26 season 11-12, 5-4 Conference, 4th)
Avail returns 3 starters including top forward Carsten Bruin.  Senior Eli Brockmeier and junior Ezra Aune also return on the wings.  Junior guard Andon Vande Glind also returns to the rotation.  A group of 4 sophs looks to provide depth.

Community of Peace Academy Tigers (2025-26 season 3-18, 2-6 Conference, Tie 7th)
The Tigers didn't win a game last year against an opponent that was outside the league.  4 starters return including 3 that were underclassmen last year.  Junior guard Zach Dimmich-Shaw (12.6 PPG) led the team in scoring last season.  Sophomores  Jaylenen Phipps and Centrell Green join him on the wings along with Sincere Bradley.  Senior Achilles Madison (9.5 PPG) leads the front court.  Jiar Walker is another interior option.

Cristo Rey Jesuit Pumas (2025-26 season 3-20, 2-6 Conference, Tie 7th)
The Pumas have a lot to replace.  Guard Genric Lenoir is 1 of 3 or 4 top scorers that needs to be replaced.  Guard Marnelle Moore is a top returnee for a small lineup.  Sophs Anthony Porter and Eli Sears are undersized guards who will see lots of minutes.  Senior Tristan Fields will be the big man with soph Nemo Gutierrez backing him up.

Great Oaks Academy Royals (2025-26 season, No Varsity Team) 
Great Oaks is a new Eagan based charter school that will be playing their 1st year of a varsity schedule.

Groves Academy Griffins (2025-26 season, No Varsity Team)
Once again it appears that Groves will not play a varsity schedule

Hiawatha Colliegiate Wolves (2025-26 season 21-6, 7-0 Conference, 1st)
After last season ended it looked like this was a year for Hiawatha to be a major threat not just to win the league but to be the team representing section 5AA at state.  Then star forward and league MVP King James left for prep school and 3 other significant pieces led by Kristian Ward (12.4 PPG) also left via transfer.  2 of those to section rival Minneapolis North.  So now the season looks totally different for the Wolves.  Jaden Hollowell, Montez Brown, Myshawn Washington should make up a solid backcourt.  Tim Holmes (15.7 PPG) is the top big man in the league. Ay'veon Taylor joins him up front.

Hmong Academy Warriors (2025-26 season 10-19, 4-4 Conference, 5th)
Nate Robinson takes over the Warriors program this season.  Lone double figure scorer Xavier Yang is one of 10 seniors that needs to be replaced.  That decimates the rotation leaving limited experience and size.  Guard Houston Thao (5.9 PPG) is the top returning option.

Hope Academy Lions (2025-26 season 15-13, 7-1 Conference, 2nd)
The Lions look to make a run for the league title and maybe a section crown as they return most of their rotation. Lefty wing Jordan Moss leads the team with 17.7 PPG.  Junior point guard Tyriek Martin was the other double figure scorer at 12.4 PPG.  Senior Braylon Peterson provides shooting.  Senior Eli Samuel returns to man the paint.

International School of Minnesota/Chesterton Academy Huskies (2025-26 season 5-18, 3-4 Conference, 6th)
The Huskies have to replace the entire starting lineup  That includes top scoring option Greg Hovey inside and their single season record holder for total 3s made Vance Sabers.  It will be a very inexperienced roster with 9 seniors graduating and no juniors on last year's roster.  Note: I write this assuming they'll have a team  Its possible their scholastic team has been replaced by their prep school academy team run by Chris Carr.

Prairie Seeds Academy Lycans (2025-26 season 2-15, 0-8 Conference, 9th)
Charles Anderson and Reed Thanadabout return on the wings.  Top offensive option Maceo Moua returns at the point guard spot for another season.  Wing Jeremy Mannah is the biggest loss.

Twin Cities Academy/Great River Tigers (2025-26 season 14-12, 6-2 Conference, 3rd)
The Tigers return 3 starters but have to replace do everything forward Jake Stiele and his 28.4 PPG.  Senior guard Jamarrion Atkins just missed double figures last season but could double that this year.  Jahlil Martin and junior Randy Carter join him as returning starters.  Germany Garcia, Jamie Tossey and Elijah Carter are also part of that perimeter rotation.  Replacing the size of Prince Normil and King Normal inside is a big question for a very small lineup.  Don't be shocked to see Atkins guard bigs on 1 end and play point guard on the other.

Trinity Tri-Hawks (2025-26 season 6-23, 1-15 Skyline Conference, 9th)
Trinity joins from the Skyline Conference and with a new coach.  Max Bohrer takes over the program.  Interesting that they dropped all the way to the EMAC rather than go back to their old home in the MCAA.  3 junior starters return.  That includes forward Teagan Nammeh and lefty point guard Jacob Bowden who both averaged just over 10 PPG.  Kenneth Kaluza, Benoit Gjengdahl and Jonathan Adbebe also return to the backcourt crew.  Nammeh is poised for a breakout type of season as a raw big man who has developed quickly.  Who backs him up is a question.

Predicted Order of Finish 

1. Hope Academy
2. Hiawatha 
3. Twin Cities Academy
4. Trinity 
5. Avail Academy
6. Community of Peace Academy 
7. Prairie Seeds 
8. Cristo Rey Jesuit 
9. Hmong Academy
10. Great Oaks
11. ISM/Chesterton 
12. AFSA
13. Groves 

Conference Overview
Great Oaks moves up to varsity status and Trinity joins from the Skyline Conference.  Expect another single round-robin schedule and don't be surprised if its not a full schedule.  Hope with most everybody back is my favorite.  Hiawatha loses a ton but they have enough talent back to make a run at the title again.  I expect the Hope vs Hiawatha game to once again decide the league title.  Twin Cities Academy and Trinity will battle for the next spot with Avail looking to jump in that group as well.  Things drop off significantly from there.  Community of Peace has the most back of the rest so I'll take them.  Rest of the league has major losses and is rebuilding.

Conference MVP: Jordan Moss - Hope Academy

Underclassmen to watch: 

• Jaylen Phipps, Centrell Green - Community of Peace 
• Anthony Porter, Eli Belyeu-Sears - Cristo Rey
• Jonathan Adbebe - Trinity 

Conference Games to Watch

• Hiawatha at Hope - Jan 11th

Non-Conference Games to Watch 

• Hiawatha at Maple Grove - December 8th 
• Hope at Concordia - Jan 5th
• Heritage at Hope -  Feb 26th  

 

2026-27 City Conference Preview

This is the 2nd preview in the 2026-2027 season preview series.  For the first conference on the list, I start with a look at the City Conference made of of small local charter schools.  Its not exactly clear who is in the league as there are different lists.  This group is not to be confused with the Minneapolis City Conference or the St. Paul City Conference.  For a list of all the season previews and how they are done, click here.

Exploration Explorers (2025-26 Season, 9-14)
Exploration looks to improve on last season's record with a young cast coming back.  This year may not be the year but they look to be building for later seasons.

High School for Recording Arts Falcons (2025-26 season 0-8)
The Falcons have 1 win combined over 2 seasons.  Last season was a season of blowouts. 

Higher Ground Academy Panthers (2025-26 season 21-9)
The league champions have to replace 7 seniors.  That includes top forward Abdiaziz Abdi and PG Sakariya Ahmed.  Both scored over 1000 points in their careers.  Seniors Heysan Nure, Asif Bashir and Hanad Moalim will step into significant roles.  Soph guard Abdullahi Guled will also see rotation minutes.

Lincoln International Eagles (2025-26 season 1-1)
Lincoln's season appears to have ended early as they played a couple of games in week 1 and then no results.

Metro Deaf School Cheetahs
No information available.

Metro Schools College Prep Lions (2025-26 season 8-11)
Forward Aiman Hassan needs to be replaced.  Forward Shakur Musse and lefty wing Najmudiin Abdi return as the top offensive threats.  Junior forward Omar Abdirahman also returns to the rotation.  Sahal Aden and Sharmarke Ali will also see rotation minutes.

Minnesota Transitions Wolves (2025-26 season 10-9)
They were competitive with the top teams in the league last season, Higher Ground and Ubah.  Unknown what they have back but they usually have good guard play.

St. Paul City School Wolves (2025-26 season 0-4)
This is another team that played early in December and then wasn't around after that.

Ubah Academy (2025-26 season 16-8)
Star center Omar Omar is a major loss inside.  In league play he was capable of a triple double every night.  A pair of double figure scorers on the wing are also gone.  Guard Abdullahi Mahamoud is the top returning scorer.  Abdullahi Warsome returns to the rotation on the wing.  Ayub Hersi and Guled Farah are options to replace Omar inside.

Venture Academy Tigers (2025-26 season 1-3)
They split with Exploration and lost big to Higher Ground and Ubah.

Overview
As always, there's very little to go on here.  Heavy losses at Higher Ground, mean I'm picking Ubah to win the league.  Higher Ground will still be right there.  Minnesota Transitions and Metro Schools College Prep make up a middle tier.  Exploration looks to jump into that group.  Long seasons ahead for everybody else.

2026-27 Independents Preview

Welcome to the 20th annual season preview series!  This is the 1st preview in the 2026-2027 season preview series.  As usual, I'll start from the small class A schools and move all the way up to the class AAAA schools.  The previews will once again span 4 weeks leading right up to the start of practice.  16 local conferences, independents, the rest of class AAAA all included.  It all ends November 20th with season overview for the casual fan.  That will also include my preseason picks for the winners of the 15 sections that I follow.  Let's get started with a look at the small local independents.  For a list of all the season previews and how they are done, click here.

Aim Academy Arctic (2025-2026 2-10)
The Arctic were 2-10 last season with their only wins over Community School of Excellence.  Every other game was a major blowout.  Another long season ahead in midtown Minneapolis

Community School of Excellence Mighty Ones
Besides the 2 losses to Aim Academy, no other info on this program.  Like Aim they are in their very early stages of starting a program.  Fear the Pachyderm!

Minnesota Math and Science Academy Mustangs 
Continuing the theme of programs that are almost new, let's stay in St. Paul.  The Mustangs will jump into the fray this season after starting last season.  No other information available.

Parnassus Prep Olympians (2025-26 season 12-11)
The Olympians have to replace 4 valuable seniors including Ayoub Komara and Dylan Ntutu.  Junior forward Mekhi Madden leads the interior.  Senior point guard Sam Salapeh will handle a heavy load on the perimeter.  Junior wing Alex Kochendorfer returns to the starting lineup on the wing.  Junior guard Elliot Bush provides guard depth.

Overview
Come for the mascots because there's not much info out there for anything else.  New programs mean some rough losses for the first 3 programs.  Parnassus has a few pieces back but being above the 500 mark is going to be tough.  While the Olympians were a 500 team last season, one of those losses was to Medford which broke a 65 game long losing streak for them.

Games to Watch

• Parnassus at LeSueur-Henderson - Feb 4th

Welcome to Czar Season 20

Welcome to Czar Season 20!  Another new school year means another season in cyberspace.  That includes the standard updates to flip the site forward to the 2026-27 season.

The usual list of fall leagues and camps is now posted on the Fall Hoops page.  If I missed yours, please pass it along.

My notorious season preview series returns for another season (see the schedule here).  Need #ShockTheCzar material?  Its all there.  4 weeks of nothing but hoops starting on October 26th until the start of practice on November 23th.  It will include all teams in class AAAA and 16 metro area conferences.

The list of class of 2027 players that have committed is now its own page.  That list can be found here.

The annual holiday tournament schedule is also posted.  Here's a list of the ones I know about currently.  Schedules will be added as we get closer to the games themselves.  If you have info on any local tourneys or teams that I didn't post, please feel free to reach out so I can get it added.

I've updated the current national recruiting rankings from all the major services.  See that on my Players page.

Once the college and NBA seasons get started, I'll be filling out the pages for Minnesotans that are playing D1 or in the NBA.  I did this last year for the first time and it was a fun project as I don't get to follow the next level very much.  Those links will be added once the NBA and college seasons get underway.

To long time readers and those of you who may be newer, don't forget about the Links page.  Its always the 1st option in the menus.  There is no more complete list of Minnesota high school resources than what you'll find there.  You can find links to anything and everything you may want to know about Minnesota hoops during the high school or grassroots seasons.  For the Minnesota high school season, you can find state records, section assignments and maps, along with history of the big awards.  For grassroots info, it includes national recruiting sites, recruiting calendars and links to national leagues just to name a few of the useful things that can be found there.  It also has historical links to previous seasons of my writings including old season previews, CzarPI values and polls.

A way to bring some magic back to July.

It was 15 years ago that I made my 1st trip to Las Vegas and it was for the last open period of the season.  That season had the Adidas Super 64 with the likes of Andre Drummond, Kris Dunn and the top ranked "17U" player Shabazz Muhammed.  The entire court at Rancho was decked out in silver trim along with the backboards and a custom center court logo.  1 full side of bleachers dedicated to the college coaches with that entire sideline filled with tables for the media.

Then came the Fab 48 and Bigfoot Hoops followed later by the Under Armour championships.  Finally you had popup tournaments that built their schedules around the big 3.  Need a game on Thursday or Friday, they set you up.  Heck, even NY2LA had a tourney out there 1 year and it included a memorable Minnesota matchup.  You had star power, big games and as the last tourney of the season it was a celebration.  Who was watching that kid?  Duke had full staff there and blue bloods X,Y,Z were also there.  There was a magic to it in the 2010s.

Fast forward to today.  The shoe companies dominate the 3 AAU open periods and our local High School open period is setup like a camp.  That's not a bad thing, but for the non-shoe teams what is there?  My personal level of interest for July was as low as its ever been.  When was the last time we writers actually were focused on what coaches were in the stands watching?  Certainly doesn't help that just about anything below 17U is meaningless these days.  Even then, high school kids are being recruited less than ever.  Thank you transfer portal.  Kids just have games that have no meaning or you play a full bracket, lose 1st game and then are playing out the string.  Indianapolis had the final 4 of all Minnesota teams in just a regular 16 team bracket with no pool play.  16U final was an all Minnesota affair.  That's demoralizing.  The lack of interest that players had this July was shockingly bad.  Then you have the highlight dunk by Gideon Horne from this summer and the aftermath of that. I'll just say Thank You to the video vultures for that.

But this isn't a media member group text chat (Hi Jared, Hi RJ, Hi Alex).   Time for some solutions to try and bring back some buzz to the local scene in July.  The concept here is simple.  Small, limited travel but still exposure for all.  Plus the idea of new matchups and a new format.  So here goes.  All of these ideas by my decree

First of all, the spring period is already loaded and many of the Sanford league teams already have matchups at BATL, the GPA and the Comets Shootout.  Therefore, the Scheels League week in May is moved and left open as a badly needed off week between the TC Takedown, BATL and the spring open period.  Instead, we move it to the final week of July right after the last open period.  We'll still treat it like an open period though as we'll go Thursday thru Sunday.  My version is only 32 teams and just 17U, all under 1 roof.  None of this 330 teams in 17U and 6 gazillion teams in other divisions and every gym between Juneau, AK and Albuquerque, NM in use.  Also these teams are from Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, the Dakotas and I'm inviting Huestis Elite from Montana too as their kids get NSIC interest.  Like the days of the Adidas Super 64 at Rancho HS and its 3 courts, we'll do everything in 1 location.  We'll do 1 of those as a main gym show court where the games are given full treatment.  None of this 3 courts crowded together and whistles everywhere because 700 courts are going like any other week.  There will be coaches/media reserved seating on 1 side and like the Super 64 give me public address like a real game.  Sorry to those coaches who don't put in rosters, you'll need them here.  We'll start at 9 AM with final game at 7:30 PM on the 1st 3 days.  90 min game windows so you have time to move around a bit and maybe catch the end of the other games.  So that means 8 games a day (6 Sunday).  Then championship day starts at 8 AM with semifinals in the consolation bracket, semis in the championship bracket and then the title games.  Top final at 3:30 PM so its not insanely late.  All games will also be online. I'll even make a major concession and allow video vultures, but they will be caged in a specific area of the bleachers where they don't block fan viewing.  None will be allowed in the court area for safety reasons.  All rights to the event are reserved and your access is dependent on paying a nominal fee.

32 of the best teams in the region are invited with the idea to have top teams from as many states that recruit our area as possible.  That means shoe teams too, not just Scheels league with a few extras.  D1 MN 3SSB, Hoop Habits UA Rise, Power 5 3SSB, Team Herro EYBL, Howard Pulley, Kingdom Hoops EYCL etc.  You're invited.  Now in an effort to add some spice to it, remove politics and to avoid many same region matchups that may have already occurred, I'm doing this like the World Cup Soccer draw.  The 32 teams will be divided into 4 pots.  Teams will be placed into the pots largely by region with a sample distribution that might look something like this.  And for sake of discussion, spare me the politics of we won't come or we won't play so and so etc etc.  Focus on the concept and structure and play along.

West Pot: Huestis Elite, Team Warwick, Sanford SD UA Rise, SW MN Stars, MN Comets, ND Phenom, Sanford ND, MN Rise

South Pot: Kingdom Hoops EYCL, Martin Brothers UA, All Iowa Attack, Murray Elite, Howard Pulley EYCL, Real Phenom, Sizzle MHC, Minnesota Heat GVR

Central Pot: MN Fury Zurn, MN Fury Goring, MN Select Fuerte, MN Lightning, Gain Elite P32, Hoop Habits UA Rise, D1 Minnesota 3SSB, Northstar Titans

East Pot: WI Academy, Team Herro EYBL, Team 1848, Power 5 3SSB, Playmakers P32, WI Swing, Chapman Basketballl Academy, 24: UP

From these 4 pots, we'll generate 8 pools of 4 and we do it like soccer where each pool gets 1 team from each of the 4 pots. This is also how we generate new matchups, avoid early rematches and give teams their shot at shoe teams.  We'll use pool play to make those games more meaningful. Top 2 in each pool go on to the 16 team championship bracket.  Bottom 2 in each pool play a 16 team consolation bracket.  Lose and go home in both.  Just like the old Vegas days, you might be done early Saturday.  Pool play on Th/Fri with bracket on the weekend.  Round of 16 and quarters on Saturday.  Semis and finals on Sunday.

Every team gets exactly 1 pool game on the main court and its their only game that day so no excuses about being tired or less rest than another team.  Everybody gets their moment in the sun.  The other 2 pool games will be on the other day (1 Th/2 Fri or vice versa).  Half of the round of 16 is on other courts but all the quarters (Sat PM), semis and finals for the top bracket are on the main show court to get the special treatment.  In a perfect world, this would be at the Pentagon, but that's too far away and too big and expensive for what we're after here.  Plus Minneapolis is well suited for travel access and entertainment.  The other fun location I'd consider is the JAG Fieldhouse in Wisconsin Dells where they have a wonderful show court along with 4 adjacent courts  How about Noah's Ark for the teams on the day they play on the show court?

With my proposal, you'd have one of the biggest events of our AAU season even without it being open.  Consider it a smaller summer version of Battle At The Lakes but in tourney form not just pre-defined matchups.  A chance for a defacto regional championship to end the season too as the top programs from 6 states are invited.  You'd have the most talent, better matchups and everything close under 1 roof.  I propose a place like Eastview which has a nice cozy main gym and 2 very suitable side courts adjacent.  D2 kids could show out against D1 kids.  Kids at the back end of a shoe roster would get their shot in front of the D2 guys which is rare since they're always on the road.  Not to mention you could get some very fun cross shoe matchups (D1 vs Team Herro?  Yes please).  Its just a hard fact that recruiting is as regional as ever and where kids attend college show that.  A thread on X from today shows numbers on that for Wisconsin and Indiana (click here).  If you look at Minnesota numbers over the years, we may get 1 kid who goes D2 outside of the region.  For far too many teams in this event, they'd get more exposure in this 1 weekend than in the rest of their travel season.

So in conclusion, you'd have a final regional event that would have a definite champion.  That's how you end a season.  It'd be in front of the audience that the kids need to playing in front of.  That means maximum exposure.  Plus it comes without all the fluff and extra-curricular activity of Las Vegas.  What are your thoughts?  Discuss in the post on X.

 https://x.com/MammothBB/status/2079738200843603977?s=20   

The Czar's Grassroots 2026 Stockrisers

The 2026 Grassroots season has reached its conclusion.  While the Grassroots game has changed a ton in recent years, the end objectives are still the same.  Let's take a look at some players who I feel helped their recruiting stock the most.

Biggest Stockriser: Matthew Johnson (St. Louis Park) - Minnesota Fury Zurn
Johnson is the 1 name on this list that wasn't a known scholarship guy before the summer season.  He got off to a great start at the Comets Shootout and made himself one of the most coveted D2 prospects in the Minnesota 2027 class.  Made his mark attacking the rim, shoots it well enough and has prototype size and athleticism on the wing.

Other Top Stockrisers:
Malachi Hill (Totino-Grace) - D1 Minnesota.  The state champion point guard was D1 Minnesota's most consistent player during the season.  He was very productive in their 3rd place run at the Adidas 3SSB Palmetto Road championships.  That included 26 points in the 3rd place game.  He picked up a handful of division 1 offers from his play.  The latest being a mid-major offer from Northern Iowa.

Bryce Gaustad (Anoka) - Northstar Titans.  The skilled big man was on a bunch of D2 radars and played his way into a major target for the NSIC.  Then he took it up a notch in July.  That resulted in an offer from North Dakota. 

Kobby Sambrew (Prior Lake) - Minnesota Fury Goring.  The athletic forward has long had the physical gifts.  This summer his productivity made him a major NSIC target.  Too big and strong for guards, too quick for many bigs at the high school level.  Reminds me of former Osseo star Josh Ola-Joseph.

Luke Schroeder (Shakopee) - Hoop Habits UA Rise.   The Sabers guard was the top guy for Hoop Habits all season.  He's sneaky athletic and one of best shooters in the class with deep range.  That allows him to be a guy who can score in bunches.  Also has a competitive edge to him.  Another priority target for the NSIC.

Nick Taylor (Lanesboro) - Minnesota Lightning Ellerbusch. Taylor really broke out at the Great Plains Alliance in June.  Thanks to being a small school he's a bit a hybrid at about 6'8.  Plays a ton of wing on offense but has to be an interior guy defensively.  Add in his bounce and he's a major matchup problem during the high school season which leads to huge numbers.  But it was the defensive presence blocking shots at the GPA that really stuck out.  St. Cloud State jumped in quickly and got him to commit.

Honorable Mentions:
Gavyn Lorenson (Lake City) - WI Playmakers P32  (Committed to MN-Duluth)
Asher Wieberdink (Central Minnesota Christian) - SW Minnesota Stars
Ayden Green (Minnehaha) - Sizzle MHC
Owen Counce (Osseo) -  Gain Elite
Shay Jackson (Totino-Grace) - Minnesota Select Fuerte  (Committed to Concordia-St. Paul)

2026 GPA Preview

The summer section of the 2026 grassroots season is set to fire up this weekend with the annual Great Plains Alliance tournament in St. Cloud.   Games begin on Friday afternoon with bracket play on Saturday.  This is one of the top D2 and D3 showcases of the entire season with most of the top players from the Dakotas attending and many of the tier 2 Minnesota squads.  Plus you never know what ringers will show up.  I'll be in attendance and here's what I'll be watching.

17U
This is a 48 team bracket setup.  8 play-in "pool" games to begin Friday.  Then the standard 32 team bracket tipping off at 3:35.  2nd game of the bracket is late night.  Then 3 games starting late Saturday  leading up to the 6:50 championship game.

The top 5 2027s from South Dakota will be in attendance.  Sanford South Dakota Black features 3 D2 commits in F Davis Chase (Augustana), PG Connor Mebius (Sioux Falls) and W Deondre Painter (Northern St).  Team Warwick features the top rated 2027 Brant Wassenaar who is committed to Drake.  You also have 2028 David Walter playing up with Sacred Hoops and the return of Kent Mueller to the sidelines.  Mueller was the longtime coach for the old Dakota Schoolers program.  Can we bring in Paul Seville to ref that just to make the reunion complete?  On the North Dakota side, 15 top hoops prospects from there are expected.  F Kyson Keller is also with that Team Warwick squad with multiple D2 offers.  North Dakota Phenom has D2 talents Oakley Trueblood and Owen Terras (Jamestown commit) on the wings with a pair of good point guards in Weston Scott and Najeh Boyd

Minnesota 2027s to watch
Isaiah Asuma (Montana St FB commit), Ray Brau - Comets
De'Anthony Sells - D1 MN Gold
AJ Taban - Elevate Skills
Hunter Vinkemeier (Augustana commit), Kobby Sambrew - Fury Goring
Matthew Johnson, Max Beeninga (Moorhead commit), Owen Brezinski - Fury Zurn
Nick Taylor - Lightning Ellerbusch
Bryce Gaustad - Northstar Titans Stone
Carter Brown - Playmakers North
Asher Wieberdink - SW MN Stars

Best Games of Each Friday Round (projected)
Round of 32: Comets Hondl vs Elevate Skills 5:45 Fri 
Round of 16: North Dakota Phenom Symens vs Buffalo Legacy 9:00 Fri

Bracket Predictions
Quarterfinals: Comets Elite over Titans Stone, Fury Zurn over Team Warwick Warner, Fury Goring over Lightning Ellerbusch, North Dakota Phenom Symens over Sanford South Dakota Black

Semifinals: Fury Zurn over Comets Elite, North Dakota Phenom over Fury Goring

Championship: North Dakota Phenom over Fury Zurn to replicate similar results to this year's Scheels Series that ND Phenom won over Fury Goring.

16U
The 16s are divided into 8 top pools of 3 with 2 more stray pools.  The winners of those 8 top pools advance to the championship bracket.   2 pool games on Friday with the 8 team bracket on Saturday.  The host Comets and loaded top Team Warwick crews get Whitney Rec games on Friday to start the tourney.  Those will begin my viewing.

Plenty of talent to watch here too.  17 of the top 18 players in the South Dakota 2028 Prep Hoop rankings are coming.  16 of them in this division with 1 playing up in the 17s.  Team Warwick stars Ryan Dieleman and Sully Felberg lead that list. Both have offers from South Dakota and South Dakota St.  North Dakota Phenom 16s have 3 of the top North Dakota 2028s.  The top 2029 in the Dakotas is Noah Woods.  He'll be playing with the D1 Minnesota 15s.

3 Minnesota kids at 16U playing up in the 17s
Thomas Jordan and Eli Hegle - Buffalo Legacy
Moussa Dukuly - D1 MN Gold

Other Minnesota names to watch in the 16s
Brady Molenaar, Nolan Greene, Brooks Rechtzigel, Gavin Bauer, Ben Koch - Fury Wilde
Zeid Ndiaye - Heat Dedina
Ben Banwart - Team Hudson
Romeo Kromah - West Central United
Kolden Johnson, Dexter Simmons, Mal Jock  (all 2029s) - D1 Minnesota 15s

Best pool game is Sanford South Dakota Black vs Heat Dedina.  That's 1:25 on Friday at Sauk Rapids.

Pool Winner Predictions
Comets Elite
West Central United
Team Hudson
Heat Dedina
Team Warwick Shane
North Dakota Phenom
D1 Minnesota 15s
Fury Wilde

Bracket Predictions
Love the 16s bracket.  You have a really good Team Warwick squad with the most talent and they're huge plus skilled.  Not to mention their sets are as good as any you'll see in summer ball anywhere.  Then you have Fury Wilde who won the Scheels and the NHR State Tourneys in May.  West Central United won the Prep Hoops Region tournament in between that.

Quarterfinals: West Central United over Comets, Team Hudson over Heat Dedina, Team Warwick over ND Phenom, Fury Wilde over D1 15s.

Semis: West Central United over Team Hudson, Team Warwick over Fury Wilde

Championship: Team Warwick over West Central United.