Minnehaha Academy: Minnehaha Academy has been a basketball powerhouse for the past few years, and still reign supreme in Class AA thanks to Jalen Suggs and company. But after Jalen graduates, will Minnehaha still be a top team regardless of class? With young talents like Chet Holmgren, Prince Aligbe, and Donovan Smith: the answer is yes. Chet Holmgren is looking more and more like one of the top centers to come out of Minnesota in the past decade. A very unique talent, Chet brings mobility, shooting, and ball skills to a 7 foot (and possibly still growing) frame. On the defensive end, Chet can completely disrupt an opposing team's offense with his shot blocking ability. As just a freshman, Chet was reported to have blocked 15 shots in a single game. This is made possible by his 7'6 wingspan and great timing. Looking at the 2022 class, Prince Aligbe is staking a claim for one of the top wing prospects nationally, and is likely the best freshman wing in the state of Minnesota. He stands 6'6 with a well built frame, and is an absolute freak of an athlete. Prince is a powerful leaper off of two feet, and is a fluid athlete for someone that tall at his age. He has shown the ability to knock down outside shots, and is also strong around the rim. One of the most impressive attributes in Prince's game is his passing ability. I have witnessed him drop some impressive dimes, with court vision well beyond his years. Donovan Smith is one of the better point guards in the 2022 class, and is a very high level three point shooter. Look for him to be a dangerous piece down the road for Minnehaha.
Minneapolis North: Like Minnehaha, Minneapolis North is a perennial powerhouse among the smaller classes, though often having enough talent to compete with much larger schools. Their constant presence among the state rankings is due to their ability to cultivate their young talent. Though the transferring out of Trejuan Holloman was a big loss, North still features two of the top young talents in the state. Class of 2022 Willie Wilson is arguably a top five freshman in the state, and will be a big time contributor at the varsity level. He spent most of 8th grade dominating at the junior varsity level, but when given the opportunity to play on varsity he could still get buckets. Joining Willie is class of 2021 Davon Townley Jr. Davon currently stands at about 6'6 with great athletic ability. He is capable of playing both on the wing and in the post due to his size and mobility. Like Willie, he played sparingly on varsity last year, but made the most of whatever opportunities he was given. North is known for getting good young talent, so don't be surprised if any more future stars emerge through the Polar program over the next couple of seasons.
Cretin-Derham Hall: I talked about the unfortunate loss of Trejuan Holloman for Minneapolis North, but benefiting from that transfer was CDH. In Tre they gained one of the elite point guard prospects nationally. The 2022 guard is a true floor general with a basketball IQ beyond his years. Every camp, showcase, game, or event he goes to, Tre leaves a lasting impression on everyone watching. He is an impressive athlete, as evident by his posterizing dunk at the Twin Cities Under The Radar event. Tre is the next in line of great point guards in the state of Minnesota. Besides Tre, the Raiders also have a talented sophomore in Tristan Lee. He's a top 30 level player in the state at this point, with lots of potential to improve. Standing at around 6' tall, Tristan is an imposing athlete. He has great strength and vertical leaping ability, as well as a high motor. CDH has a lot of veterans on their squad, but Tristan will likely play a key role for the Raiders in his upperclassmen years.
Hopkins: Hopkins is a staple in the class AAAA state rankings, and are always one of the main contenders to win the state title. It seems that no matter how much talent they lose to graduation, they come back reloaded and just as good as ever. Their current state is no different. Their youth charge is lead by sophomore Andre Gray. The 6'1 point guard brings scoring ability and ball handling to the floor. With increasing athleticism, Andre is becoming an increasingly dangerous prospect, and is one of the top guards in the whole state. Coach Novak will be set at the point guard spot for the next three years with Andre. Gray is joined by fellow sophomore guard Jalen Tremel. Jalen is a 6'2 shooting guard who is a dangerous scorer. He is a part of the talented D1 Minnesota program that is known for developing high level division one players. Jalen is a talented scoring guard, who will be an offensive weapon for the years to come. One of the more intriguing prospects in the Hopkins' ranks is Elvis Ohagwu. Related to current Royals' forward Zeke Nnaji, look for Elvis to inherit some of that length and athleticism that Zeke brings to the table. It is unknown how much of an impact Elvis will have early in his career, but he is oozing potential.
East Ridge: East Ridge has been developing a solid program over the past few years under the guidance of new coach Bryce Tesdahl. Perhaps their most known prospect is sophomore Kendall Brown. One of the top point guards in the 2021 class, Kendall has great length at 6'7 to match with good ball skills and athleticism. He is arguably the top sophomore in the state (him and Chet Holmgren are battling for that spot), and already plays with poise for such a young age. Though Kendall has a solid jump shot, at this point he is most dangerous attacking the rim where he uses his length and athleticism to finish over opposing bigs. Classmate Drew Adams joins Kendall as a top 20 level player in the Minnesota 2021 class. He is a solid post prospect standing at 6'7, and will be able to learn a lot under the guidance of nationally heralded recruit Ben Carlson. As for freshmen, East Ridge has a great one in Kendall Blue. Like Brown, Kendall Blue is a long and lanky guard prospect already standing at about 6'5. He played at the junior varsity level as an 8th grader, and was very productive playing both guard spots. He has good athleticism, and was showing off his vertical in East Ridge's preseason dunk contest last year. Down the road, Kendall could turn into one of the most dangerous players in the state of Minnesota, and will form a lethal duo with Kendall Brown.
DeLaSalle: DeLaSalle is another historic program in Minnesota, known for consistently reloading on talent year after year. Their current crop of youth is no exception to this trend. Cade Haskins is a new transfer to the program, and has a bright future as one of the top 2021 players in the state. A top 10 level talent for his class, Cade possesses a dangerous outside shot with the length to succeed at 6'5. As a freshman he was averaging a dozen points a game during his time at Minneapolis Washburn before transferring to the Island mid season. He is joined by Keijuan White to form a loaded 2021 class for the Islanders. Keijuan is scary athletic and can jump out of the gym. For someone his size (about 6'), Keijuan is capable of throwing down some powerful dunks with his leaping ability. A few years down the road, Keijuan could be one of the top prospects in the state if he continues to develop his basketball skills to match his physical tools.
Other Schools Of Note
Lakeville South: Lakeville South will be in good hands for the next three seasons, with a talented sophomore duo in Riley Mahlman and Reid Patterson. Riley is one of the top bigs in the 2021 class, while Reid is one of the better guards in the class.
Wayzata: Wayzata constantly puts out a quality basketball team, and with a trio of quality young prospects, their future is bright. Eddie Beeninga and Kody Williams provide a duo of guards both ranked in the top 20 in the 2021 class according to PrepHoops. In the 2022 class, Camden Heide is one of the top players in the state, and is looking like one of the top freshman wing prospects in the midwest. He has the potential to be special in this program.
Cristo Rey: The Burgess brothers have the future looking bright at Cristo Rey. Erick stands at 6'3 and is a terrific scorer, while Derek has a lot of potential on the wing with his 6'5 frame and athleticism. Down the road they'll form one of the top duos in class AA.
Brooklyn Center: Having lost a lot of talent heading into this season, Brooklyn Center's youth will be forced to develop early. They future arguably the top 8th grader in the state in Maxsamus Wilson. He is joined by freshman Akeem Nelson, who saw time at the varsity level as an 8th grader. Quyavant Douglas is another talented 8th grader on the squad. He was on the varsity team as a 7th grader, scoring 2 ppg in his handful of appearances.
Waseca: The Waseca program has a bright future, with two future stars in 2021 pair Andrew Morgan (6'8) and Kyreese Willingham (6'4). They bring size and skill to the lineup.
