Dylan Petersen
Rankings are a big factor in today’s high school basketball scene, everyone is out for the #1 ranking. Getting that #1 ranking and keeping it takes a lot of great performances from a player. Each of these players earned that ranking after dominating Minnesota high school basketball during their careers. However that doesn’t mean they were going to be automatic NBA players. Some of these players had some crazy paths to the NBA and some of them are salesmen now.
In this article I will be going over what happened to the last 10 #1 recruits in the state of Minnesota. These rankings are via 24/7 Sports.com.
2013: Riley Dearring, Minnetonka/De La Salle
Riley Dearring was a 6’4 shooting guard who played for Minnetonka and De La Salle. As a senior he averaged 19 points per game and he was a Minnesota Mr. Basketball finalist. Dearring was a wing player who could shoot the ball exceptionally well and he was solid finisher around the rim. Coming out of high school he was the #1 ranked prospect in Minnesota and he was #251 nationally according to 247 Sports.com. He decided that he would continue his basketball career at Wisconsin after high school.
Dearring decided to redshirt during his freshman campaign with the Badgers. After red-shirting his freshman season, Dearring was ready to suit up for the Badgers. However, Dearring was on one of the best Badger basketball teams of all time. Due to this, he struggled to find minutes and he only averaged 0.7 points per game. Dearring got to be a part of Wisconsin’s historic run to the national championship but he needed a new change of scenery after not finding a role with the Badgers.
He decided to transfer to Cal State Fullerton during his junior season. In that season he played in 6 games and he averaged 1.5 points per game. It seemed like Dearring could not find a role on a team yet so he transferred again.
For his last season of college basketball he decided to transfer to Bethel University in Minnesota. Dearring finally found his role with the Royals. During his senior season he averaged 11.8 points and he shot 38 percent from three.
After college Dearring became an assistant coach for Bethel and now he is currently a sales specialist with Sleep Number.
2014: Tyus Jones, Apple Valley Golden Eagles
Tyus Jones was a 6’2 point guard who played for Apple Valley. He was one of the best prospects to come out of Minnesota. Jones was a three time Gatorade player of the year for the state of Minnesota. He was nearly a 3,000 point scorer and a McDonald’s All-American. I could go on and on about his endless achievements in high school. Out of high school, Jones was the #1 player in Minnesota and he was the #8 player in the country. He decided to commit to powerhouse Duke University after high school.
Tyus continued to be a stud at Duke. He went on to help lead Duke to their fifth national championship in the school’s history. This national championship game featured Tyus Jones on Duke and Riley Dearring on Wisconsin. Jones would go onto be named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player and NCAA South Regional All-Tournament Most Outstanding Player recognition. After his freshman season, he declared he would put his name in the NBA draft.
Jones was selected 24th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers and traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tyus Jones had a little bit of a slow start to his career but he steadily got better each year. Now, he has become one of the top true point guards in the league and he might get a stating spot next year on the Washington Wizards.
2015: Alex Illikainen, Grand Rapids/Brewster Academy
Alex Illikainen was a 6’9 forward who played for Grand Rapids and Brewster Academy. He was a monster during his time at Grand Rapids. He earned all-state honors in both 2012-13 and 2013-14, he also was the all-time leading scorer (2,185 points) and rebounder (1,402). He decided to transfer to Brewster Academy (New Hampshire) during his senior season and he lead them to a National Prep School Championship. He finished high school ranked as the #1 player in Minnesota and #124 in the country. After high school, he decided to sign to the Wisconsin Badgers.
Illikainen would go onto play three years for the Wisconsin Badgers, and he appeared 85 games in that stretch. During his tenure with the Badgers, he only averaged 8.5 minutes, 1.5 points, and 1.3 rebounds. After a slow start with the Badgers, Illiakainen decided to transfer back home to play for Minnesota-Duluth.
Alex Illikainen thrived while playing for Minnesota-Duluth in his senior season. He went on to average 14 points and 6.7 rebounds that season including a season high of 29 against Northern State.
After college Illikainen took his talent overseas and he played for a team in Spain. He went on to average a solid 11.4 points and 6.3 rebounds during his one and only season. After playing overseas, Illikainen decided his basketball career was over and he became a management trainee with Cintas.
2016: Amir Coffey, Hopkins
Amir Coffey was a 6’7 shooting guard who played for Hopkins. As a sophomore, Coffey had one of the most memorable moments in Minnesota high school sports history, after he hit a half court shot at the buzzer to beat Shakopee in the class 4A state semi-finals. Later on as a senior he earned Minnesota Mr. Basketball honors as the top player in the state. He also led Hopkins to the Class 4A state championship and averaged 19.9 points per game in 2015-16. Coffey was the #1 ranked player in Minnesota and he was ranked #81 in the country. After high school he decided to stay home and sign to the Minnesota Gophers.
Coffey had an outstanding career for the Minnesota Gophers. Throughout his career he averaged 14.4 points per game and he steadily improved his averages each year as well. He was also named to the All-Big Ten third team and the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. The Gophers also made March Madness in two out of three years with Coffey on the team. Amir Coffey decided to put his name in the NBA draft after his junior season finished up.
Coffey went undrafted, but luckily the Los Angeles Clippers signed him on a two-way deal. He has now worked his way up and has become a solid role player for the team. Coffey has proved that he can be a valuable asset on an NBA team.
2017: Jericho Sims, Christo Rey Jesuit
Jericho Sims is probably the bounciest player to ever come out of the state of Minnesota. He was a 6’8 forward out of Christo Rey Jesuit high school. Sims finished high school career as the all-time leading scorer (2,005 career points) in Cristo Rey Jesuit history. He averaged 25 points and over 10 rebounds per game in his senior season and averaged 21.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.4 blocks as a junior. Coming out of high school he was ranked #1 in Minnesota and #36 in the country. After high school he would go on to sign to Texas.
Sims would go onto play 3 years at Texas. His career was kind of a roller coaster of a ride. He had a decent freshman season but his numbers would end up being worse in his sophomore season. Then he turned it up a notch in his junior season. He showcased his crazy leaping ability, and NBA scouts started to follow him. In his senior season, he averaged 9.7 points and 8.2 rebounds which were signifigantly increased from his first two seasons. He also had plenty of highlight reel dunks that went viral on social media. Sims decided to put his name in the NBA draft after his junior season. He ended up getting selected #58th overall to the New York Knicks.
Jericho Sims has appeared in 93 NBA games so far in his first two seasons of his career. He has a career average of 2.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He has had some big time moments due to his unreal dunks so far, including when he was a apart of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest last year. Sims should be a key piece of the Knicks for years to come.
2018: Tre Jones, Apple Valley Golden Eagles
Tre Jones flat out dominated Minnesota high school basketball throughout his career. Jones helped put Minnesota high school basketball on the map. As a junior, Tre Jones led Apple Valley to a state championship win over an undefeated Champlin Park team led by current NBA player Mckinley Wright IV. In his senior year, Jones would go on to win Gatorade player of the year and he fell just short of a second straight state championship. Tre Jones flat out dominated Minnesota high school basketball throughout his career. He ended his career as the #1 ranked player and the #13 ranked player in the country.
In college, Tre Jones played for Duke University following his brother Tyus’ footsteps. Jones played on one of the most iconic Duke teams of all time. In his Freshman year he played alongside superstar Zion Williamson. Tre Jones played floor general for the Blue Devils in his freshman season and he averaged 9.4 points per game, 5.3 assists, and an impressive 2 steals per game. As a freshman, Jones was named to the ACC-all freshman team and ACC-all defensive team. In his sophomore year Jones took his game to a whole new level after all the NBA talent left from the year before. Jones would go on to average 16.2 points per game and this would help him earn ACC player of the year. After a very successful sophomore season Tre Jones decided to enter his name in the 2020 draft.
In the 2020 draft, Jones fell all the way to the second round of the draft. The San Antonio Spurs selected Jones with the 41st pick in the draft. In his rookie year he struggled mightily and he only averaged 2.5 points per game and only 1 assist. In his second year, his number rose a little bit but they were still below average. Now in the 2022-2023 season, Tre Jones has become one of the most pure point guards in the NBA. In his third season he averaged 12.9 points per game, 6.6 assists (15th in NBA), and 1.3 steals. Jones has become a solid starting point guard for a rebuilding Spurs team. It will be fun to watch him dish it out to Wembanyama as the years go by.
2019: Matthew Hurt, John Marshall
Matthew Hurt was 6’9 forward out of John Marshall high school. Hurt is the top high school bucket getter on this list, he is apart of many scoring record lists in Minnesota. Hurt averaged an unbelievable 37 points and 12.4 rebounds as a senior. He also finished his career with 3,550 points and 1,451 rebounds! Hurt would go onto become a McDonald’s All-American and the Minnesota AP player of the year. 24/7 Sports had hurt ranked as the #1 player in Minnesota and the #17 player in the whole country. After high school he decided to commit to Duke University.
Hurt would go onto have a stellar two years at Duke. He ended up statistically as one of the top shooters in program history. Hurt also went from averaging 9.7 points as a freshman to averaging an outstanding 18.3 points as a sophomore. He also had a career high of 37 versus Louisville during his sophomore season. Hurt was also named to the All-ACC First Team and he was named ACC Most Improved Players as a sophomore. After having an amazing sophomore season, he decided to put his name in the NBA draft.
Matthew Hurt went undrafted but he was later signed to the Houston Rockets on a a two-way deal. Eventually he got waived by the Houston Rockets and luckily the Memphis Grizzlies signed him on a two-way contract. Hurt has been a great G League player so far and I think he deserves a chance on a NBA roster.
2020: Jalen Suggs, Minnehaha Academy
Jalen Suggs is probably one of the best high school athletes to ever come out of the state of Minnesota. He was not just a basketball star but he was a football star too, ending his football career as the Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year. Suggs also finished his basketball career with 2,945 points and 3 state championships. He won the Mr. Basketball award and the Minnesota Gatorade player of the year award as a senior. He also was named a McDonald’s All American and he finished as the #13 ranked recruit in the country according to 24/7 Sports. After high school he deiced to play basketball and he signed to the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Suggs would end up becoming a legend at Gonzaga in his one and only season. He was most notably known for hitting the game winning half-court shot in the Final Four against UCLA which sent Gonzaga to the national championship game. As a freshman, Suggs averaged 14.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. He was also named the WCC Newcomer of the Year and he was a second team All-American. After his freshman season, he decided that it was time for the NBA.
Jalen Suggs was drafted fifth overall to the Orlando Magic. So far he has battled injuries in his young career and we have yet to see his full potential but he has still been a solid player with a career average of 10 points per game.
2021: Chet Holmgren, Minnehaha
Chet Holmgren was a 7’1 center out of Minnehaha Academy. He is the highest rated recruit to ever come out of Minnesota and he was also one of the most unique prospects of the decade. His versatile game at 7’1 allowed him to be unstoppable during his high school career. After being a part of a fourth state championship team, Holmgren was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year, Naismith Prep Player of the Year, Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year, Sports Illustrated All-American Player of the Year, MaxPreps National Player of the Year, and a McDonald’s All-American. He averaged 21 points,12.3 rebounds, 4.7 blocks and 4.5 assists while shooting 80 percent from the field in 2020-21. Holmgren was ranked as the #1 player in the whole country according to 24/7 Sports and he followed Suggs’ footsteps and he committed to Gonzaga.
Holmgren continued his dominance at Gonzaga during his one and only season. As a freshman, he averaged 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks for the Bulldogs. He was named the WCC Newcomer of the Year and the WCC Defensive Player of the Year. Holmgren was also a third team All-American. After a successful freshman season, Holmgren knew he was NBA bound.
In the NBA draft he was selected #2 overall to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Unfortunately, he had to sit out due to injury during his first season so he does not have any NBA experience yet. But it will be fun to finally see him out on NBA court this year.
2022: Tre Holloman, Cretin-Derham Hall/Minneapolis North
Tre Holloman night be the flashiest player on this list. He was a 6’2 point guard who played for Minneapolis North early on in his career before transferring to Cretin-Derham Hall. Hooloman was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for Minnesota during his senior season. He also averaged 18.8 points, 10.4 assists, 8.3 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game as a senior, showing that he could do it all on the court. Holloman finished his career with 2,072 points, 1,103 assists, 669 rebounds and 422 steals. He finished as the #87 recruit in the country and he decided to sign to Michigan State.
Holloman played some key minutes off the bench as freshman for Tom Izzo. He had to play behind some very talented guards but hopefully that will help him improve for years to come
612 Hoops Blog 