Dylan Petersen
The 2017-2018 Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders may go down as one of the best in MSHSL history. They also had one of the most talented starting fives that Minnesota has seen recently. Many people classified this team as the “Showtime Raiders due to their flashy but dominant playstyle. Every time that the Raiders stepped on the court it was showtime, and there was always cameras on them because companies like Fresh Coast Hoops knew they would put on a show. The 2017-2018 class 4A state champions will always be a team to remember.
The Players
#25 Daniel Oturu
The “Showtime Raiders” were led by future NBA player and Minnesota Gopher commit Daniel Oturu. He was a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. The 6’10 center was a true paint beast. Oturu was like the unstoppable center that you create in 2k. He dominated on both ends of the court as he averaged 18.8 points per game and an outstanding 6.1 blocks per game. Oturu was a top 60 recruit in the county and he was ranked #2 in Minnesota according to 247 Sports.com. Daniel Oturu could not have dominated like he did without the help of his star teammates. The next star teammate I will talk about is Sy Chatman.
#1 Sy Chatman
Sy Chatman made the Raiders even more of a matchup nightmare standing at 6’8. Chatman and Oturu towered over most high school teams. There length and size allowed the Raiders to destroy teams in the paint during most games. Chatman was a freaky athlete who could jump out of the gym. He was a monster in transition, and he pretty much dunked everything while in the paint. He was also outstanding on defense as he averaged 8.1 rebounds per game and he was a master at the chase-down block. Chatman would have been the best player on most other high school teams but he played under the shadow of Daniel Oturu. Playing under the shadow of Oturu did not stop Chatman though and he still ended up averaging 17.7 points per game. Chatman played a huge role for the Raiders as he was named to the all-state third team and the all-tournament team for the class 4A state tournament. Oturu and Chatman would not have had all their easy dunks with out the great facilitating from point guard Ryan Larson.
#5 Ryan Larson
Some people classified Ryan Larson as the quickest basketball player in the state of Minnesota. His elite speed allowed him to fly around everywhere on the court. Larson could get downhill easily due to quickness. His quickness allowed him to drive to the rim or drive and kick out to open shooters. While driving to the rim, he would also draw defenders to help up on him and this would set up alley-oop dunks for Sy Chatman and Daniel Oturu. Larson’s quickness and passing vison helped him lead the state of Minnesota in assists per game for three straight years. Ryan Larson was also a pest on defense, as it was rare to see defenders go by him. His pesty defense helped him average 3 steals per game which was also #1 in Minnesota. Larson was also a great scorer as he averaged 15 points per game during his senior season as well. Larson did it all for CDH and he was their floor general. Next I will talk about the team’s three point marksman: Jaeden King.
#2 Jaeden King
King was a sniper from three point range while playing for the “Showtime Raiders”. Some experts even classified King as the top three point shooter in Minnesota. He was automatic at catch and shoot threes and he was also great at shooting threes off the dribble as well. King also had sneaky bounce, as was seen throwing down one handed jams and alley-oops while in transition. He had a very memorable dunk for the Raiders in the class 4A state championship game to help to turn the momentum around. Jaeden King led led the Raiders with 19 points in the state championship game and this helped him earn spot on the all-tournament team. He went on to average 14 points per game that season and he was only a junior. Next I will talk about the teams glue guy: Jacob Prince.
#21 Jacob Prince
Jacob Prince was the guy that helped hold this team of stars together. Prince was a division one football commit, so he was a very physical player on the basketball court. He was kind of like the Draymond Green of the Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders. Prince did the dirty work for the Raiders, and he made plays that were not shown in the highlights. He would take charges, grab tough rebounds, and set tough screens for the the Raiders. Prince could also hit open shots if you needed him to. He played great in the state tournament and he earned all-tournament honors team over his star teammate Daniel Oturu. Prince finished up the perfect starting five and he was the one making all the gritty plays.
Season Recap
The “Showtime Raiders” went 30-2 on the season and they went on to win the class 4A Minnesota state championship. They won the state championship over Apple Valley and the score was 79-78. This game may be the best high school game in Minnesota from the past decade. Apple Valley was led by five star rated senior Tre Jones and they were the reigning champions from the year before. The game was back and fourth the whole entire time. Each team was throwing haymakers at the end of the game and each team kept answering back. With 5 seconds left Cretin-Derham Hall was down 78-77 and they had one last shot to win the state championship. They barely inbounded the ball to Sy Chatman, and he dribbled down the court, passed it to Ryan Larson and he immediately threw an alley-oop pass to Daniel Oturu for the buzzer beater dunk. Star Tribune nicknamed the play “Trophy Dunk” and the play also made it on Sports Center. This was a magical ending for a magical season. The “Showtime Raiders’” 2017-2018 season will go down as one of the most memorable seasons from Minnesota high school hoops from this past decade.
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