With the boy's basketball season getting underway, the next few Saturdays will be jam packed with tournament action, the first of which will be Breakdown Sport's "Big 12 Classic". This new classic replaces what once was a handful of boy's games during the girl's Tip Off Classic and features six games between 12 of the state's top programs.
All Games At Cretin-Derham Hall High School on December 1st
11:00AM Lakeville North vs. Edina
The day starts off with a couple of AAAA schools matching up. The inside-out duo of Jack Middleton and Jacob Hutson will be Edina's main source of production. They combined for 22 ppg last season, and should take on even larger roles this year. It will be interesting to see who Lakeville North puts on the 6'9 Jacob Hutson down low. Tyler Wahl will be the difference maker for Lakeville North, and his ability to play every position for North will make him virtually match-up proof. Lakeville North comes in as the favorite, but Edina will be no pushover, and have a chance to make an early statement in this matchup.
12:45PM Perham vs. Minnehaha Academy
The second game of the day features two of the Class AA early favorites, with the defending champs Minnehaha Academy taking on Perham. Minnehaha will bring the star power at three different grade levels with junior Jalen Suggs, sophomore Chet Holmgren, and freshman Prince Aligbe. The three combined for 27 ppg last year, but all of them will take on bigger roles with one more year of experience under their belts. The size and athleticism could cause problems for Perham. Perham was a team that went 26-0 in the regular season last year, and returns some talented players of their own. Jenson Beachy will be their go to guy.
2:30PM Prior Lake vs. Park Center
The big storyline of this game will be the dominant big men from both teams, but the game could ultimately be decided by the frontcourts. Prior Lake features the most imposing front line in the state with Robert Jones and Dawson Garcia in the starting lineup. They'll face up against Park Center's stud Dain Dainja, who could very well be the best post in the state regardless of class. Park Center will also run with the experience and athleticism of upperclassmen Tommy Chatman, Khari Broadway, Emmanuel Tamba, and Detavius Frierson. Prior Lake's point guard Sam Nissen could be a big difference maker, with his ability to shoot from distance and feed his posts. This match-up has future State Tournament implications, and should make for a great game.
4:15PM Wayzata vs. Cretin-Derham Hall
Wayzata and CDH face off next in a rematch of last year's State Quarterfinals. Cretin-Derham Hall dominated in last season's matchup, but this year is another story. Wayzata returns a lot of high level talent with both experience and youth. Jacob Beeninga will be the star at point guard, with young talents Camden Heide and Kody Williams also playing important roles. CDH returns loaded with talent as well, but this will be the first regular season game for a team filled with newcomers. Jaeden King is looking like a stud and one of the state's elite scorers for this season. Freshman point guard Trejuan Holloman is looking like a national level talent, but he will be faced off against the experience and skill of senior Jacob Beeninga. Amari Carter, Curtis Jones, and Karsten Broadley will also play roles for CDH. Will CDH be able to rebound after losing a stacked 2018 class? Is Wayzata capable of competing with Hopkins in March? This game could very well answer those questions.
6:00PM East Ridge vs. Hopkins
Likely the premier match-up of the night is East Ridge vs. Hopkins. A traditional powerhouse in Hopkins taking on an East Ridge squad which has progressively built themselves up into a state contender over the past few seasons. Both teams are filled with high level college prospects, so I'll start with East Ridge. East Ridge features likely the best trio in the state with Courtney Brown, Ben Carlson, and Kendall Brown who are all capable of putting up 20 points a night. Kendall Blue, Zach Zebrowski, and Drew Adams are quality role players. Zeke Nnaji and Kerwin Walton will be Hopkins' studs, and will be matched up against Carlson and one of the Brown brothers. Jalen Dearring, Andy Stafford, Dane Zimmer are all scholarship level players as well. Andre Gray off the bench will be relied upon to provide an offensive spark when both teams go to their reserves. The winner of this game will likely take over the state's number 1 ranking, and should go down to the wire.
7:45PM Eden Prairie vs. DeLaSalle
The Big 12 Classic ends with a bang as traditional AAA powerhouse DeLaSalle faces off against Eden Prairie and their loaded class of juniors. The point guard matchup here is intriguing as Tyrell Terry and Drake Dobbs are both Division 1 talents. Tyrell Terry is a do-it-all floor general for DeLaSalle, while Eden Prairie's Drake Dobbs is as tough as nails and can light up the scoreboard in a hurry. The size of Jamison Battle for DeLaSalle against Austin Andrews, Connor Christensen, and Ariel Bland will also be exciting to watch. Both teams feature a combination of star power, depth, and experience that make them state title contenders in their respective classes, and this game will be a great way to cap off an event loaded with talent.
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