Over the years the annual Timberwolves Shootout has included a who's-who of future college stars and NBA players. Some of the players who have come to Minneapolis to compete include Minnesota natives such as Kris Humphries (now with the New Jersey Nets) and Sam Jacobson (first round draft pick for the Los Angeles Lakers from Park Cottage Grove High School) as well as current Timberwolves Kevin Love and Sebastian Telfair. Others who have played at the event, held at the Target Center in Minneapolis, home of the Minnesota Timberwolves, include DeMarcus Cousins, Jrue Holiday, Wes Matthews, Josh Smith, Drew Gooden, Steve Blake and Will Avery, to name a few.
The 15th annual event concluded Saturday and a number of big-time college recruits and top high school players once again competed. This year's tournament had more of a regional feel as teams from Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota and Wisconsin competed. But it still included plenty of star power.
Among them was the duo of
Matt Bohannon, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, and
Marcus Paige, a 5-foot-9 point guard, both from
Linn-Mar (Marion, Iowa). In an 81-35 win over a depleted Apple Valley team (the Eagles were without Tom Schalk and his 28.7 points per game and freshman guard Tyus Jones, both out with injuries), Bohannon, a Northern Iowa recruit, scored 19 points and added six rebounds, while Paige scored 16 points, had five assists and three steals. It would have been interesting to see Paige, a North Carolina recruit who was named the first Shootout MVP, compete against Jones, considered a top-five freshman nationally.
Onalaska, despite losing to Minnesota's Benilde-St. Margaret's 62-57, received strong performances from 6-foot-8 forward
Nick Arenz and
Matt Thomas. Arenz scored 12 points, had 12 rebounds and added five blocks. Still undecided, Arenz is being recruited by South Dakota, South Dakota State, Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Wisconsin-Green Bay, among others. Thomas, meanwhile is mulling offers from Creighton, Northern Iowa and UW-Green Bay, according to various media reports. However,
Benilde-St. Margaret's (St. Louis Park), led by
Isaiah Zierden's 19 points, was too much.
BSM, which has a talented front line led by 6-foot-6
Sanjay Lumpkin and 6-foot-8
Kyle Washington, showed its depth with
Will Dunn scoring 11 points and
Isaiah Gray adding 10 in the Shootout win.
Josh Oglesby of Cedar Rapids Washington (Iowa) put in a prime-time-performance with 20 points and four rebounds. Ogelsby, a 6-foot-6 Iowa Hawkeyes recruit, also made four 3-pointers and pulled down five rebounds in a 59-55 win over Minnesota's Chaska High. Ogelsby's running mate,
Wes Washpun, a 6-foot point guard considering Iowa, Missouri State, Nebraska and Wichita State, was the real star of the game. Washpun scored 23 points, added five steals and controlled the pace of the game.
Jake White of Chaska, who will play at Wichita State, did his best to help the Hawks pull out the win, scoring 26 points and pulling down nine rebounds in the loss.
Zach Kraning of South Dakota's Viborg High, scored 15 points and added 11 rebounds in a 68-66 loss to
Roseville. Kraning, 6-foot-9, is being looked at by South Dakota State and South Dakota, as well as Ivy League schools Yale and Princeton. Roseville was led by the talented
MacKenzie Johnson, who after a slow start, finished with 16 points - making four 3-pointers in the win.
For the first time in the tournament's history there was an All-Shootout Team named. While it's too early to know if this list includes future NBA players, it does include a plethora of top-notch high school basketball players, many who appear ready to take a run at a successful collegiate career. The 10-member tournament team included:
15th Annual Timberwolves Shootout All-Tournament TeamNick Arenz, Onalaska, (12 points, 12 rebounds)
Shane Benton, Linn-Mar (17 points)
Matt Bohannon, Linn-Mar, (19 points, six rebounds)
Mackenzie Johnson, Roseville (16 points, made four 3-pointers)
Zach Kraning, Viborg (15 points, 12 rebounds)
Josh Ogelsby, Cedar Rapids Washington, (20 points, four rebounds, four 3-pointers)
Marcus Paige, Linn-Mar, (shootout MVP, 16 points, five rebounds, three assists in win over Apple Valley)
Clint Rihn, Onalaska, (16 points, seven rebounds)
Wes Washpun, Cedar Rapids Washington, (23 points)
Jake White, Chaska (26 points, nine rebounds)
Isaiah Zierden, Benilde-St. Margaret's, (19 points, 8-for-8 free throws)
Game-by-Game ResultsCedar Rapids (Iowa) 59, Chaska (Minn.) 55
Onalaska (Wis.) 62, Benilde St. Margaret's (Minn.) 57
Roseville (Minn.) 68, Viborg (S.D.) 66
Linn-Mar (Iowa) 81, Apple Valley (Minn.) 35
