Cherry (Junction, Minn.) cruised to the MSHSL state title in Class A (Minnesota’s smallest division), led by the Asuma family. Isaac is heading to the University of Minnesota, Noah (2026) is an elite baseball prospect who also has the ability to play college basketball, and Isaiah (2027) is next in line, but is already playing his third year of varsity basketball. The township of less than 1,000 people cruised to a 78-40 win over Fertile-Beltrami (Fertile, Minn.) to take home their first state title.

The Breck School (Golden Valley, Minn.) is another first time winner of their first state tournament in the state’s AA division. Coached by Tyus Jones’ high school teammate and former Howard Pulley AAU coach Harry Sonie, Breck was paced by Wisconsin-bound playmaker Daniel Freitag, who used his energy and leadership to push his teammates on both ends. The alma mater of Memphis Grizzlies forward David Roddy, Breck ultimately topped Lake City (Minn.), 76-72, to take home the crown.

The most talented team in the state from top to bottom, Totino-Grace (Fridley, Minn.) took home their third consecutive AAA state title, topping Mankato East (Mankato, Minn.), 73-64. Coach Nick Carroll has a squad that has been building over the years and keeps reloading, sporting a roster that will likely have eight eventual D-1 players by the time that it is all said and done. Losing a minimal amount of seniors from this year’s team, T-G will be the early favorites to hit a 4-peat next season.

In the biggest upset of the day, Minnetonka (Minn.) upset FAB 50 No. 36 Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.), 72-61, to take home the AAAA title, Minnesota’s largest division. Coach Bryce Tesdahl had an upperclassmen-laden squad that played with grit on both ends, unselfishness, and extreme continuity in what was an absolutely electric final game that wrapped up Minnesota’s 2023-24 high school season.

Here are a few of the top performers from the 2024 MSHSL State Tournament:

Isaiah Johnson-Arigu, 6’7, SF/PF, Totino-Grace HS (MN), 2024
Changing his role throughout the season, Johnson-Arigu became the facilitator for Totino-Grace as a 6-foot-7 point forward and yet another state title followed. Posting averages of 26.5 points, 13 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.5 steals, and 2.5 blocks in the Final Four, Isaiah showed the immense versatility and improvement that he’s made to develop into a high major prospect. After transferring from Osseo as a sophomore, Johnson-Arigu completed the journey of winning back-to-back state titles to finish his high school career and begin his next chapter at Miami in the ACC.

Daniel Freitag, 6’3, PG, Breck School (MN), 2024
Minnesota’s top wide receiver on the gridiron, Freitag opted to hang up his cleats during his senior year, but still brings that football toughness to the basketball court. After playing varsity for four years at Bloomington Jefferson HS (he played as an eighth grader), Freitag flirted with transferring to So Cal Academy for his senior year before opting to stay at home and make history at the Breck School with a first state championship for the program. The sturdy guard was ridiculous finishing through contact at the rack, provided an outstanding presence on the glass from the backcourt, and offered his patented lockdown defense on the perimeter. The future Wisconsin Badger capped his high school career with 33 points, eight rebounds, and five steals in Breck’s four point victory over Lake City.

Andy Stefonowicz, 6’1, PG, Minnetonka HS (MN), 2024
One of the state’s more crafty players, Stefonowicz showed how much he could impact the game with things that don’t show up in the box score. An incredibly heady lead guard, Stefonowicz showed immense patience and poise en route to his 19-0point, 8-rebound, 5-assist showing in the AAAA title game. Heading to North Dakota State next year, Andy’s combination of IQ, ability to play out of ball screens, and intangibles should allow him to see playing time early on.

Casmir “Cash” Chavis, 6’3, PG, Park Center HS (MN), 2024
Despite suffering a shocking loss to Eagan in the quarterfinals, Park Center bounced back to win the consolation championship on the back of its elite senior point guard. Putting up straight up video game numbers of 26.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.6 assists, and 5.6 steals per game throughout the three games this week, the future Washington Huskies’ catalyst left no doubt in anyone’s minds who the most exciting guard in the state of Minnesota was with his electric style play and charisma on the court.

Isaac Asuma, 6’3, PG, Cherry HS (MN), 2024
Another player whose presence is felt well beyond the stat line, Isaac Asuma wrapped up his storied high school career as a state champion. The gritty guard is an outstanding cutter when he doesn’t have the ball in his hands, is elite finishing through contact, and has shown the ability to guard all three perimeter positions. The Minnesota recruit showed how he will be able to make an impact all over the floor with his play on Saturday, posting 12 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, five blocks, and three steals in the championship game.

Jaeden Udean, 6’2, PG/SG, DeLaSalle HS (MN), 2027
As the MSHSL State Tournament went on, Udean continued to solidify his case for best freshman in the state of Minnesota. The electric lefty scorer showcased NBA range on his 3-point shot, was outstanding creating separation to get to his shot, and showed no shortage of confidence letting it fly during critical moments of the game. Udean averaged double digits on varsity as an eighth grader last year and played up on the 3SSB circuit with D1 Minnesota, preparing him for big moments like this.

The post MSHSL Top Tourney Performers! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.

The section finals offered no shortage of excitement as well, though. With all three games that we took in throughout the week being sold out, the atmosphere was like no other. Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.) beat Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) in the section 6AAAA final to take a 2-1 victory in their 2023-24 trilogy to move up to No. 36 in the latest FAB 50 National Rankings, Orono beat Benilde St. Margaret’s in double OT in the section 6AAA final in a game that had three separate buzzer beaters that broke the internet, and private power Breck School cruising to the section 5AA title over Minneapolis North.

Jackson McAndrew, 6’9, PF, Wayzata HS (MN), 2024
The state’s top senior certainly lived up to his reputation, pouring in 40 points in a 105-76 win over rival Hopkins to advance to the state tournament. The versatile forward showed his effortless 3-point range, scored out of quick flashes in the post, and blew by defenders trying to run him off the 3-point line. McAndrew is the highest ranked recruit ever to head to Creighton, where he should be able to make an immediate impact with his deep range and offensive versatility as a forward. Jackson was also recently selected to play in the prestigious Iverson Classic in May.

Nolan Groves, 6’5, PG/SG, Orono HS (MN), 2025
There hasn’t been a junior in the state of Minnesota who has helped themselves more in the high school season than 6-foot-5 combo guard Nolan Groves of Orono. The J-Sizzle guard continued to add to this sentiment in the section finals. He dropped 43 points, 18 rebounds, and 11 assists in a double OT victory while making a half court shot at the buzzer that was No. 1 on ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10 to send Orono to States. Groves showed his effortless 3-point range, underrated ability to drop pocket passes, and ability to utilize his size against smaller guards in his legendary performance in what has been one of the better games in recent Minnesota playoff history. Groves has already visited St. Thomas, but has also heard from high major programs such as Clemson, Iowa, and Northwestern.

Daniel Freitag, 6’2, PG, Breck HS (MN), 2024
The epitome of a power point guard, Daniel Freitag has been an absolute game changer on both ends during his senior season. Doubling as the top wide receiver in the state of Minnesota, Freitag opted to focus on hoops at the next level and it has shown with his growth as a lead guard. Daniel used his toughness/athleticism to lock down all three perimeter spots, made outstanding passes with both hands, and ripped the rim off at every time he attacked the rack. The Wisconsin signee dropped an easy 27 points en route to a state tournament berth for Breck.

Brady Wooley, 6’9, PF, Orono HS (MN), 2025
One of the most intriguing players in Minnesota’s junior class, Brady Wooley is everything that you look for in a new age forward and showed that against BSM with 17 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists. The agile big man with great hands is versatile enough to contain defensively on the perimeter, can playmake for others from the post position, and is skilled enough to punish you facing the basket. Wooley holds an offer from Ivy League power Yale and has already visited the likes of Iowa State and Minnesota.

Jaleel Donley, 6’2, PG, Benilde St. Margaret’s (MN), 2025
While it was a disappointing end to the season, the fastest guard in the state of Minnesota ended his junior campaign in about as impressive of fashion as one could imagine. The lefty junior playmaker has shown consistent improvement on his 3-point shot (including three to send game to first overtime), is outstanding passing the rock with both hands, and is a truly electric finisher once he gets into the paint. Donley is still a bit under the radar nationally, but shouldn’t be for much longer once he hits the EYBL with Howard Pulley.

Marcus Marshall Jr., 5’11, PG, Minneapolis North HS (MN), 2027
Many freshmen emerge throughout their freshman campaigns, and Marcus Marshall Jr. was certainly one of those dudes who kept growing, both in terms of stature and in terms of his game. He is a confident 3-point shooter with super deep range, owns super sneaky athleticism, and will make you pay if you try to run him off the three point line. Marcus is coached by former NBA sparkplug scorer Ricky Davis and wrapped up his freshman campaign with 31-point and 17-point games in the playoffs, finishing with a 14.9 PPG average on the year.

The post Minnesota Section Finals Recap! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.