The 2023-24 high school season in Minnesota has officially come to its conclusion. Finishing the year later than most states in the country, the Land of 10,000 Lakes holds a four day state tournament that offers eight teams in each bracket with consolation play, providing a great evaluation opportunity for scouts, coaches, and fans alike.<\/p>\n
Cherry (Junction, Minn.) cruised to the MSHSL state title in Class A (Minnesota\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
The Breck School (Golden Valley, Minn.) is another first time winner of their first state tournament in the state\u2019s AA division. Coached by Tyus Jones\u2019 high school teammate and former Howard Pulley AAU coach Harry Sonie<\/strong>, Breck was paced by Wisconsin-bound playmaker Daniel Freitag<\/strong>, who used his energy and leadership to push his teammates on both ends. The alma mater of Memphis Grizzlies forward David Roddy<\/strong>, Breck ultimately topped Lake City (Minn.), 76-72, to take home the crown.<\/p>\n 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<\/strong> 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\u2019s team, T-G will be the early favorites to hit a 4-peat next season.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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\u2019s 2023-24 high school season.<\/p>\n Here are a few of the top performers from the 2024 MSHSL State Tournament:<\/em><\/p>\n Isaiah Johnson-Arigu, 6\u20197, SF\/PF, Totino-Grace HS (MN), 2024<\/strong> Daniel Freitag, 6\u20193, PG, Breck School (MN), 2024<\/strong> Andy Stefonowicz, 6\u20191, PG, Minnetonka HS (MN), 2024<\/strong> Casmir \u201cCash\u201d Chavis, 6\u20193, PG, Park Center HS (MN), 2024<\/strong> Isaac Asuma, 6\u20193, PG, Cherry HS (MN), 2024<\/strong> Jaeden Udean, 6\u20192, PG\/SG, DeLaSalle HS (MN), 2027<\/strong> State Champs Crowned! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":275056,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8316,1444,6886,38,1975,46250,23192],"tags":[47042,46449,47032,12992,46403,46443,46406,12775],"featured":[],"class_list":["post-275055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-all-blogs","category-exclusive-videos","category-high-school","category-hs-midwest","category-news","category-profiles","tag-andy-stefonowicz","tag-casmir-chavis","tag-daniel-freitag","tag-fab-50","tag-isaac-asuma","tag-isaiah-johnson-arigu","tag-jaeden-udean","tag-minnesota-high-school-basketball"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nChanging 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\nMinnesota\u2019s 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\u2019s four point victory over Lake City.<\/p>\n
\nOne of the state\u2019s more crafty players, Stefonowicz showed how much he could impact the game with things that don\u2019t 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\u2019s combination of IQ, ability to play out of ball screens, and intangibles should allow him to see playing time early on.<\/p>\n
\nDespite 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\u2019 catalyst left no doubt in anyone\u2019s minds who the most exciting guard in the state of Minnesota was with his electric style play and charisma on the court.<\/p>\n
\nAnother 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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
\nAs 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"