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by Ryan James
The BREAKDOWN
posted 08-15-2009
The word transfer is taboo in Minnesota but fact is they happen and they will make an impact this year. Several teams added some key pieces to the puzzle with new talent moving to town and make sure you grab a program when heading to the Minneapolis City Conference, keeping all those moves straight in the Breakdown book was impossible.
Jordan Jackson coming over from Como Park to Sibley was one of the biggest as his athletic ability and knack for scoring helps put them right back into contention for the state title once again. With Jackson and Dante Grant scoring from the wings and the bigs up front Henry Sibley is multi-dangerous once again.
Another senior expected to make a large impact is Devon Knopke. The former Burnsville standout will be running the floor along side Dajon Newell to give the North Panthers one of the most dangerous backcourts in the state of Minnesota.
Robbinsdale Cooper lost a ton of seniors from last year’s team so many expected the Hawks to slip. Without experience they were expected to have some struggles but with as much talent as Cooper has in the program they were still expected to be good. But then they got word that division one post Calvin Godfrey was coming to school the tone changed drastically. Coach Johnson now has enough legit size, athletic ability, and backcourt scoring to take another shot at the state tournament.
While Cooper was expected to slip Tech was supposed to fall. However, the return of Alex Hanks and the addition of talented scoring guard Scott Nystrom will keep them right in the thick of things. Nystrom will be on the attack throughout the Central Lakes towns scoring himself and opening lanes and alleys up for others.
In terms of juniors the biggest name to transfer was Simon Krych moving from his farm in Holdingford to St. Cloud where he will play for Apollo. Krych has already drawn a dozen D1 low to mid major coaches to Apollo to check him out and he may be the missing piece that Apollo has needed to make a deep state run. He’s an agile big who swats, boards, runs well, and can finish.
Columbia Heights bolstered its depth, scoring, and size when Drew Hansen moved north from Apple Valley and when Zach Lofton went from St. Paul (St. Bernards) to north of Minneapolis. Hansen immediately gives coach Will Braziel a scoring touch and boards up front while Lofton is simply one of the state’s best 2011 scorers.
Another junior who will provide a new team with an impact is Alex Erickson. Calling this a transfer may be a stretch as Erickson and his returning Chokio-Alberta teammates saw their school close last year meaning they are now going to Morris Area High School. Regardless Erickson will join up with Lincoln Arnold and Jackson Henrich giving Morris Area three very good scorers, more depth, and a lot more for section 6AA to worry about.
Joey King left Eagan last year (after playing sparingly in seven games) and is now at Eastview where he should be a central figure within their schemes. King has a lot of gifts in a 6-foot-7 body starting with post presence. In addition, King is also quite skilled as he can pass, shoot with range, and run the floor. Most importantly though Joey should be dominant in the low block for Eastview.
King may have more impact this year but Marcus Marshall’s transfer from Hopkins to Johnson will be big down the road. This kid can straight fill it up.
And how about this Jal Rai situation? This is a young man who grew up playing in the Apollo youth programs most of his life. Not to long ago his parents moved to Alaska to follow jobs on the pipeline and Rai naturally moved with. But now Jal is back home where he has spent most of his life but the state won’t let him play this year. Apollo is appealing again.
This may be the most absurd thing I have heard with Minnesota transfers. We have guys transferring this year who are going to their third schools (many not on this list) as they just keep moving around. But this kid moves to Alaska and comes back home and he can’t play? What is this about?
Finally we have a young man new to the state that goes by the name of Darrion Strong. Strong has come to Tartan from Chicago and is a freshman there. This is a young man that has that Chicago competitive edge on the floor and a level of physical quickness that most Minnesota kids just don’t have. And as a freshman he’s a tough kid.
After some years of some up and down things with transfers coach Mark Klingsporn got a good one although technically this really isn’t even a transfer since he did come in as a freshman. Tartan has had some guys come in like Eric Coleman, Lamont Mack, and Anthony Brandt in the past who were heavy contributors. But remember Deonte Roberts also lived right in that Tartan district himself and went through the youth programs before going to St. Bernards.
And let’s not forget what Tartan has seen go through in the youth programs recently. Anybody heard of Isaiah Austin? I know every major college coach in the nation has because Austin has a five star ranking (top 25 in his class) right now in the 2012 class playing in Arlington, Texas. Isaiah was wearing the Tartan colors in the middle school years before moving to Illinois and then Texas. Playing along with him at Tartan was Carnell Shepard who has since moved to south Minneapolis where he will be a sophomore and a part of the South Tigers’ rotation. If that wasn’t enough Concordia Academy sophomore Cutler Finneman lives right down the street from Tartan. But he’s taken his vast potential and size to a private school instead. With all these guys moving on young Darrion Strong’s talent swung things back the way of Tartan.
- Jordan Jackson, senior, Henry Sibley from Como Park
- Joey King, sophomore, Eastview from Eagan
- Devon Knopke, senior, Lakeville North from Burnsville
- Simon Krych, junior, St. Cloud Apollo from Holdingford
- Scott Nystrom, senior, St. Cloud Tech from Kimball Area
- Drew Hansen, junior, Columbia Heights from Apple Valley
- Zach Lofton, junior, Columbia Heights from St. Bernards
- Calvin Godfrey, senior, Robbinsdale Cooper from Notre Dame Prep
- Marcus Marshall, sophomore, St. Paul Johnson from Hopkins
- John Hicks, senior, Minneapolis Edison from Minneapolis Patrick Henry
- Darrion Strong, freshman, Tartan from Chicago
- Alex Erickson, junior, Morris Area from Chokio-Alberta
- Jal Rai, sophomore, St. Cloud Apollo from Anchorage, Alaska
- Scott Rucks, sophomore, St. Cloud Cathedral from Foley
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Katrina Newman,
GIRLS BASKETBALL
