Metro West Conference Preview 2018
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Since the Metro West was formed in 2015, Chaska has led the way with 30 conference wins and a conference title, Chanhassen has 29 wins and a title, Cooper has 28 and a title, Kennedy 26 and a title. Jefferson…
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Continue ReadingSince the Metro West was formed in 2015, Chaska has led the way with 30 conference wins and a conference title, Chanhassen has 29 wins and a title, Cooper has 28 and a title, Kennedy 26 and a title. Jefferson has 21 wins and no title, and Benilde-St. Margaret’s just 18 wins and no title. St. Louis Park and Richfield joined in 2016 and have 8 wins in 2 years (Park) and zero wins in 2 years (Richfield).
You would have to say that during the Metro West era, Benilde and Richfield have slipped. I thought Benilde would be a consistent championship contender in this conference. Instead they’ve slipped from 3rd to 6th to 7th. For Richfield, it’s been a disaster, going from state tournament appearances in 2012 (a state runner-up), 2013 and 2015.
Meanwhile, Cooper and St. Louis Park are filling the gap. Cooper has already arrived with a 13-1 record last year. Coach Kiara Buford, no slouch herself with a state championship at St. Paul Central and a solid career at the University of Minnesota, has kick-started the Hawks program just in time for a move from Class AAAA to Class AAA, starting this year. Suddenly, a state championship is within reach.
St. Louis Park is just beginning to bounce back from a decade or more of hard times, going from 2-12 in its 1st year in the conference to 6-8 last year, and just about everybody is back.
Finally, Chaska, Chanhassen and Kennedy continue to compete just as before, each having a conference title, as I said before, and Jefferson is trying to bounce back from some hard times, but it’s not clear that they’re there yet. The nice thing is that hope springs eternal in the Metro West. It’s still a pretty new conference presenting some new opportunities to some programs that needed them.
1. Cooper 13-1 (13-1, 1st last year)
The ascendancy of Cooper to powerhouse status should be recognized and celebrated here for a moment, and then the Hawks can get back to work defending the new status that they have earned. They won the conference last year at 13-1, then lost to Wayzata 67-44 in a section 6AAAA semi-final. Now, it turns out they were one of the smallest (enrollment) class AAAA teams in the state, and they’ve now moved down to section 6AAA for the next 2 years, just as their talent pool seems to be absolutely bursting at the seams. A state title is suddenly within reach.
The talent pool begins in the backcourt with guards Aja Wheeler and Ja’Hyia Gaston. Just 5-7 and 5-6, respectively, they are both quicker than quick, both get to the rim with ease, and both can finish or dish. And, there’s incredible depth on the perimeter with 5-6 senior Ty Longs, also in the Wheeler-Gaston mold: small, quick, aggressive, and maybe the best defender of the three. Plus freshman Jayla Reliford, 5-4 junior Sierra Lynch and now freshman Andrea Tribble shows every indication of being rotation-ready, too.
They’re not a great outside shooting group, however, and that is where Jada Buford comes in. Jada is a phenomenal 3-point shooter but couldn’t break into the rotation at Park Center, where they’ve been loaded with guards these last so many years. Now, she brings her long-distance stroke to Cooper. But, more than that, her play for Tayler Hill Elite this past summer suggests she not just a gunner anymore. Her ball-handling and her decision-making both seem to have improved a lot over the past year or so. So, now, add a bomber to an offense that already had everything else, and look out.
Up front you’ve got another Wheeler, 5-10 freshman Kierra, who is an absolute beast on the boards. As an 8th grader, she scored 8 ppg, and her impact was such that all of Cooper’s other bigs saw their scoring average drop from the previous year. But 5-11 Lexi Nance and 5-9 Kiara Coops also return and both are solid contributors in the lane and around the rim.
In class AAA, they were not a threat to Hopkins in section 6AAAA. In class AAA, they are a threat to everybody with their depth, their firepower and their ability to pressure the ball on defense.
2. Chaska 10-4 (10-4, 2nd last year)
Chaska loses a big senior class led by point guard Sara Althaus. But they’ve never finished below 2nd place in the Metro West, and I don’t think they’re going to start now. A skilled and well-rounded starting 5 is ready to step right in. They’re led by freshman forward Kaylee Van Eps, who you will be hearing more about over the next 4 years. She will be a superstar. Marissa Grothe is ready to step in at the post, Kylie Willems at the other forward, and Veronica Quinn and Destinee Bursch at the guards. Grothe, Quinn and Willems are juniors, Bursch a freshman like Van Eps. So 2018 looks pretty promising, and 2019 and 2020—even better.
3. Benilde-St. Margaret’s 9-5 (4-10, 7th)
Benilde has disappointed in the Metro West after winning the North Suburban at 12-2 in 2014. They’ve gone 18-24 in their new conference since then though, frankly, their talent has always looked to be a cut above the result. What gives? Well, let’s see what happens in 2018 before passing judgment.
Junior point guard Aiana Whitfield leads the way with her 14 ppg and her solid point guard skills. She’s supported by a bevy of guards—Cheyanne Carter, Meglan Staples, Oliva Pohlen and Isabel Fleming—but quickness might be an issue, as in, they’re not as quick as their small size might suggest. Still, there is no way that this roster should be anywhere near again .500 this year.
4. St. Louis Park 8-6 (6-8, 5th tied)
The renaissance at Park began with junior Lindsay Olson and sophomore Shayla Miller. Both are 5-11 but don’t let that fool you. Both have excellent perimeter skills along with the ability to duck inside from time to time. They scored 19 ppg between then a year ago. Last year, 6-footer Kendall Coley joined the party and scored 9 ppg as an 8th grader. The sky’s the limit for Coley, sister of former Mpls. Washburn star and now Iowa Hawkeye Chase Coley. She’s a streaky shooter who can bury teams in a hurry when she’s hot, mostly on pull-up jumpers around the baseline.
Freshman Joelle Sheffield joins the guard rotation which already has Dylisi Sheffield, Jordyn Turek and Tejah Hadyn. That is a lot of firepower. In another year, they’ll challenge Cooper at the top of the conference. For now, they’ll be better than .500 for the 1st time in many years.
5. Kennedy 6-8 (9-5, 3rd)
First it was Kenisha Bell and Tonoia Wade, now its Honour Finley and Alyssa Bryant-Jeffries. Kennedy just keeps losing talent, but of course you can’t lose what you don’t have. Still, talent remains, mainly in the persons of wing Zaraya March, an incredibly athletic player, kind of like Finley, whose basketball game is still coming together. Still, the upside even in 2018 is considerable. Then there’s fellow junior, point guard Sam Husting. She’s nowhere near as athletic as March or Finley, but her basketball skills might be more advanced. She’ll run the show. The real wild card is the next Finley, Ivory, who is a younger version of her big sister. A diamond in the rough with, again, a ton of upside. It just seems to be too much to think it will all come together for Kennedy so soon.
6. Chanhassen 5-9 (8-6, 4th)
As we saw above, Chaska leads Chan in Metro West wins 30-29. The gap figures to get a little bigger this year. Ironically, we’ve already seen that Chaska loses just about everybody from last year, while Chan gets a 4 senior back from a year ago, led by Sid Brastad and also including Carly Damann, Emma Silbernagel and Rachel Tritch. They scored 27 ppg among them a year ago. The real wild card, though, is sophomore Tori Tollefson, who scored 9 ppg as a freshman a year ago. Chan will go as far as she and Brastad can take them.
7. Jefferson 4-10 (6-8, 5th tied)
Jefferson continues its annual effort to rebuild. They return several experienced guards including Caroline Anderson, Claire Bannigan, Megan Roach and Sam Sunnarborg. But there does not appear to be anybody to replace Abby Davern inside.
8. Richfield 1-13 (0-14, 8th)
The Spartans have fallen on hard times, but guard Breanna Wendland has earned a lot of respect for her all-around ability and her stick-to-it-iveness under difficult circumstances. There’s more talent around her this year but it’s still going to be tough to get out of 8th place.
All-Metro West Conference
Center—Lexi Nance, Cooper, 5-11, junior, 5 ppg
Power Forward—Kierra Wheeler, Cooper, 5-11, freshman, 8 ppg
Small Forward—Kaylee Van Eps, Chaska, freshman, 9 ppg
Point Guard—Aja Wheeler, Cooper, 5-7, junior, 13 ppg
Shooting Guard—Ja’Hyia Gaston, Cooper, 5-6, senior, 12 ppg
Second Team
Center—Amaya Graf, Kennedy, 5-11, junior, 5 ppg
Power Forward—Kendall Coley, St. Louis Park, 6-0, freshman, 9 ppg
Small Forward—Shayla Miller, St. Louis Park, 5-11, sophomore, 10 ppg-5 reb-2 asts
Point Guard—Aiana Whitfield, Benilde, junior, 14 ppg
Shooting Guard—Lindsay Olson, St. Louis Park, 5-10, junior, 9 ppg
Stock Raisers
Center—Marissa Grothe, Chaska, junior, 4 ppg
Forward—Zaraya March, Kennedy, 5-9, junior, 10 ppg
Point Guard—Tori Tollefson, Chanhassen, 5-4, sophomore, 9 ppg
Shooting Guard—Destinee Bursch, Chaska, freshman, 4 ppg
Shooting Guard—Andrea Tribble, Cooper, freshman