Team Preview: East Ridge

Last season East Ridge put together a solid campaign, going 21-5 while periodically holding a top 10 ranking in AAAA. With a talented yet youthful team, East Ridge was unable to advance to state, losing to eventual champion Cretin-Derham Hall in their section. East Ridge lost just one starter, and they return with a deep lineup loaded with talent at every position. Take a look at the team that will compete with CDH for Suburban East Conference champs, as well as a trip to state.

Taking a note from the Pittsburgh Steelers' book, East Ridge is led by their "Killer B's". Courtney Brown, Ben Carlson, Kendall Brown, and Kendall Blue provide a division one prospect at all four grades, and provide talent and length at all positions on the floor. Courtney Brown is one of the states top scorers, putting up 20 ppg the past two seasons, and entering his senior year with 1,347 career points. He is an explosive leaper off of two feet, making it hard to stop him around the rim, and this inside game is opened up by his jump shot. He can pull up off the dribble from mid range, and elevates on his three pointer making it extremely hard to defend with his 6'6 frame. Courtney has been the backbone of the Raptors for the past two seasons, and his play will be a key role in East Ridge's hopes of winning state.

The inside will be controlled by junior Ben Carlson, who combines skill and athleticism in a 6'9 body. He has added strength during the off-season which has made him difficult to stop going to the rim. He has excellent body control when finishing which allows him to power through contact down low. As a sophomore Ben averaged 19 ppg, combining with Courtney Brown to form one of the most lethal scoring duos in the state. There's a reason schools like Stanford, Minnesota, and Wisconsin have offered, as Ben has the ability to dominate a game inside.

With Courtney and Ben providing veteran experience, Kendall Brown and Kendall Blue provide a youthful spark to the team. Brown already has a division one offer, and is considered a top 25 nationally ranked player in the class of 2021. Blue on the other hand is one of the top incoming freshmen in the state, and a likely division one caliber player as well. With Brown at 6'6 and Blue at 6'5, both players bring excellent length to the guard position, and are both exceptional athletes as well. At such a young age they already have the ability to throw down some explosive dunks, but also play with poise and composure at the varsity level. Brown averaged 11.1 ppg during a strong freshman campaign, a number that could increase as he becomes more skilled and confident at the varsity level. Blue on the other hand played mostly at the JV level as an 8th grader, where he was able to work on his game against older players. During his limited time on varsity he managed to average 2.3 ppg. It is still unknown what his role on the team will be as a freshman, but he has the talent to be an impact player on this talented team.

With all of this big name talent on the Raptors, it can become easy to overlook the true depth of this squad. Zach Zebrowski is the fourth returning starter for East Ridge and will provide a lethal three point shot. Watching him play before, he brings energy to the floor and is a good communicator. When he gets his shot going he can put up big numbers in a hurry as was evident in his 15 point outing against Minnehaha Academy last season. The depth doesn't stop there though, as Alex Larson brings more size inside. The 6'7 forward would likely be a starter on most teams in the state, and will provide solid contributions either next to, or in place of Ben Carlson at times. After averaging 3.2 ppg as a junior, Alex will look to contribute even more during a senior campaign in which many Division 3 schools will be watching him. Drew Adams and Zac Thomas are two 2021 players who will be returning members of the varsity squad as well. Adams had a really good showing at the NEP event, and has the potential to be a very good player. They bring solid length to an already tall lineup, and could provide solid minutes.

On paper, East Ridge will be looking like one of the favorites to win the AAAA state title. They have a young and energetic coach in Bryce Tesdahl who has been pushing his team to get stronger in the weight room all summer, and is constantly involved in his players' development. With all of these pieces in place, only time will tell if the Raptors can live up to their high expectations.

Predicted Regular Season Record: 23-3

Predicted Scoring Leaders: Courtney Brown 21 ppg
                                                Ben Carlson 20 ppg
                                                Kendall Brown 15 ppg