Dylan Petersen
Minnesota high school basketball was filled with tons of action this summer; it had player commitments, big time matchups, highlight plays, and much more. This summer was another great summer for the exposure of Minnesota basketball. Players like Isaiah Johnson-Arigu, Casmir Chavis, and Jackson McAndrew all helped put Minnesota on the map. Sadly, we are in the dog days of summer so in this article I will go over some of the top headlines that happened during it.
Player Commitments
Over the summer their was some big time player commitments from some of the top hoopers in Minnesota. All of these players were from the 2024 recruiting class. Three of the commitments came from the Howard Pulley AAU program and three also came from the D1 Minnesota program. Here is a list of all the players that committed over the summer in chronological order:
- May 13th: 6’8 forward Grayson Grove decides to stay home and commit to the Minnesota Gophers.
- June 2nd: 6’2 floor general Daniel Freitag goes over the border and commits to play for the Wisconsin Badgers.
- June 11th: Holy Family sharpshooter Kole Hanson commits to Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs.
- June 15th: Andy Stefonowicz follows his parents footsteps and commits to the North Dakota State Bison.
- July 1st: High flying guard Donavhan Cain commits to Southern Utah
- July 17th: 6’9 versatile forward Kyle Jorgensen commits to the Colorado State Rams.
- July 24th: Explosive forward Jonathan Mekonnen also commits to the Colorado State Rams.
- August 1st: Minnesota’s top prospect Jackson McAndrew commits to the Creighton Blue Jays.
Biggest Stock Risers
Minnesota had multiple players that boosted their stock heavily over the summer. These players went up in the rankings and gained multiple division one offers while playing on different AAU circuits. Most of them started the summer with little to no offers and they ended their summers with plenty of offers.
My top stock risers were Jackson McAndrew, Isaiah Johnson-Arigu, Tyler Wagner, Chiang Ring, and Dothan Ijadimbola.
First off the obvious one is Wayzata forward Jackson McAndrew. The 6’9 sharpshooter solidified himself as one of the top shooters in the country while playing for Howard Pulley on the EYCL circuit. He also jumped all the way up to #23 in the On3.com 2024 player rankings. McAndrew is now a household name for the class of 2024.
My next biggest stock riser is Totino-Grace forward Isaiah Johnson-Arigu. He started the spring with 6 division one offers and he ended it with 21. Johnson-Arigu showcased his amazing athletic and physical tools on the 3SSB circuit. He gained offers from big time programs like Stanford, Miami, Arizona State, and much more. He also rose all the way up to #91 in the On3.com 2024 player rankings.
Next we have to give a shoutout to Park Center forward Chiang Ring. The 6’9 wing went from having zero division one offers to having 8 by the end of the summer. He finished the summer strong for Jsizzles at the 3SSB championships and The Las Vegas Big Time Tournament. At 6’9 he showcased his excellent shot blocking and shooting skills over the summer.
Lastly, I have to recognize two more Totino-Grace players: Tyler Wagner and Dothan Ijadimbola. Coming into the summer I did not even know who these guys were and now I know how special these two really are. Tyler Wagner is a straight up bucket getter, he showcased that he could get buckets this summer at breakdown tournaments and while playing for Howard Pulley. Than you have Dothan Ijadimbola, who might have one of the highest upsides in Minnesota. Ijadimbola stands at 6’6 as well and he is only in the class of 2026. He is already a very explosive finisher and he is a good frame for his age. The future is bright at Totino-Grace for years to come, we might have a dynasty on our hands.
Top Matchups of the Summer
The summer was highlighted with some premiere matchups between some of the top high school teams and players in Minnesota. Here is a list of some of my top matchups from the summer:
- Alexandria beats Hopkins 77-70 behind a dominant performance from 2025 forward Chase Thompson.
- Delano upsets powerhouse Park Center 86-76 at the Pacesetter Sweet 16 Tournament.
- Mankato East beats Totino-Grace 82-69 in a potential state tournament matchup in class 3A.
- Hopkins stuns Park Center 79-77 in a two overtime thriller.
- Wayzata takes down Hopkins 61-57 without Jackson McAndrew.
- Totino-Grace defeats Minnetonka 97-85 in one of the highest scoring games of the summer.
- Orono battled BSM in another top 3A matchup, I could not find what the score was but it looked like Brady Wooley had an impressive game.
- East Ridge defeated Hopkins behind a nice performance from Cedric Tomes.
Top Plays of the Summer
I am going to end this article with some fun by showing the top five plays that I saw from this summer. I am sure there is better plays that were not on camera but these are the top plays I could find.
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