Boys state basketball tournament previews

By Minnesota State High School League

The coaches have selected the top seeds of the two largest school classes — St. Paul Johnson in Class AAA and Hopkins in Class AAAA.

Hopkins is the only school returning to defend its 2009 Class AAAA title. If the Royals win it would be their second consecutive and sixth overall title.

Three teams are making first appearances: Mesabi East of Aurora in Class A; Jordan in Class AA; and Orono in Class AAA.

This is the 14th year of the four-class format, and the seventh with all games being played in Minneapolis. It's also the third year that the top four teams in Class AAA and Class AAAA were seeded and their opponents determined by blind draw. The head coaches of the 16 schools logged onto a special page of the League Web site and each coach ranked the other teams 1 through 7. The highest and lowest rankings for each team were discarded, leaving five rankings for each team. From those rankings, the top four seeds were selected. In conference calls with all eight head coaches of each class, League Associate Director Kevin Merkle announced the top four seeds. A coaches association representative then conducted a blind draw of the four remaining teams to establish the opponents for the seeded teams.

The 2010 State Boys' Basketball Tournament starts Wednesday, March 24. Quarterfinal games will be played at Target Center on Wednesday, March 24, and at Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis on both Wednesday and Thursday, March 24 and 25. Semifinals will be played at Target Center on Thursday March 25 and Friday March 26. The championship games of all four classes will be played at Target Center on Saturday March 27. Third-place games will be played on Saturday at Concordia University in St. Paul.

Detailed statistics provided by qualified teams are available on the League's Web site — www.MSHSL.org — as a Media Guide link under Tournaments, then Winter, then Boys' Basketball.

Class AAAA Preview

(Section 7) Forest Lake (24-4) vs. (Section 6 & No. 1 Seed) Hopkins (27-2): The Rangers of Forest Lake return for their fourth appearance, but first since 1999. They were ranked No. 8 in this year's final MBN poll. Forest Lake outscored its opponents by 10 points this year and also shot 45 percent from the field. Senior Zach Riedeman, who has more than 1,000 career points, leads the Rangers with 23.7 points per game. Senior Doug Sewall set a school record for most rebounds in a single season (284) and he averages 9.8 per game. The Royals of Hopkins return to defend their 2009 title. This is their second consecutive and 17th overall appearance. If they win it would be their sixth championship; in addition to last year, they also won in 1952, 1953, 2002, 2005 and 2006. The Royals were No. 1 in the final MBN poll. They average 87 points per game this season and shoot 60.2 percent from the field. Junior Joe Coleman scores an average of 25.2 points per game for Hopkins and junior Marvin Singleton adds another 18.5. Singleton also leads the Royals with 9.9 rebounds per game.

(Section 3) Eastview, Apple Valley (18-10) vs. (Section 4 & No. 4 Seed) Henry Sibley, Mendota Heights (21-4): Eastview is making its first appearance since 2005 and its second overall. The Lightning were not ranked in the final MBN poll. Henry Sibley, which lost in the quarterfinals of the 2009 tournament, is making its third consecutive and overall appearance. The Warriors were ranked No. 4 in this year's final MBN poll. Neither team provided team or individual statistics.

(Section 1) Owatonna (21-7) vs. (Section 2 & No. 2 Seed) Eden Prairie (25-3): Unranked Owatonna returns for its fifth tournament appearance and first since 1991. The Huskies won previous titles in 1989 and 1990. This year's team shoots 35.4 percent from three-point range and defeated its opponents by an average of 10.5 points. Junior Vaughn Thada averages 16.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game and junior Tyler Supalla adds 10.4 points per game for the Huskies. The Eagles of Eden Prairie, who were No. 6 in the final MBN poll, are making their second appearance; their first was in 2003. Eden Prairie did not provide team or individual statistics.

(Section 8) St. Cloud Tech (25-4) vs. (Section 5 & No. 3 Seed) Champlin Park (24-5): The unranked St. Cloud Tech Tigers, who placed third last year, are making their third consecutive and 11th overall appearance. The Tigers averaged 73.9 points this year and shot 48 percent from the field. Seniors Alex Hanks and Scott Nystrom average 19.2 and 18.8 points per game, respectively. They also both average 6.1 rebounds per game. The Champlin Park Rebels, ranked No. 2 in the final MBN poll, return for their second appearance. Their last was in 2005. The Rebels, who shoot 46 percent from the field, outscored their opponents by an average of 10.9 points per game this season. Senior Kyle Zimmerman paces the Rebels with 13.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Seniors Brandon Davis and Josh Pella each add 12.8 points per game.

The Class AAAA Quarterfinals Schedule — Wednesday, March 24
10:00 a.m. — Forest Lake vs. Hopkins at Target Center
12:00 p.m. — Eastview vs. Henry Sibley at Target Center
2:00 p.m. — Owatonna vs. Eden Prairie at Target Center
4:00 p.m. — St. Cloud Tech vs. Champlin Park at Target Center

Ticket Information
Tickets will be available at Target Center and Williams Arena. Quarterfinal tickets cost $12.00 for adults and $8.00 for students. Quarterfinal wristbands, which are good at both venues on Wednesday only, are $17.00 for adults and $11.00 for students. Semifinal and championship tickets will be available at Target Center and are $12.00 for adults and $8.00 for students per session. Third-place tickets will be available at Concordia University and are $10.00 for adults and $7.00 for students.

A visit to any participating Wells Fargo metro location can yield you a $2 discount coupon for students 13 and younger.

All semifinal and championship games will be televised live by KSTC TV, Channel 45, and streamed live and free on the Web at www.45.GrandStadium.tv. Live statistics will also be displayed on the League Web site.

Click here to read the other class reviews.