The sudden altercation surprised the Bally Sports broadcast and everyone watching. Austin Rivers and Mo Bamba started jawing near the Orlando bench. Whatever Rivers said was enough to make Bamba jump up (with his warmups on) and throw fists. Nobody took any real shots but it was still one of the best melees in Target Center history.

It all started when Markelle Fultz and Mo Bamba made fun of Rivers after he badly missed a 3PT shot the possession before. After the game, Rivers would tell media that Fultz and Bamba were “saying wild things” for multiple possessions before the fight broke out.

Austin Rivers and Mo Bamba trading punches, Rivers walked over the Magic bench pic.twitter.com/mqsndd3szz

— CJ Fogler AKA Perc70 #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) February 4, 2023

The Target Center Tussle ????#RaisedByWolves | #NBA pic.twitter.com/7DPJwnELgS

— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) February 4, 2023

Mo Bamba and Markelle Fultz teasing Austin Rivers after he missed a 3 before the fight pic.twitter.com/6Y3LYhqR8d

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) February 4, 2023

Fight spills over after the game

Rivers tried to hold back, when asked about the altercation postgame, and what led to the kerfuffle. It didn’t take much probing from reporters for him to open up a vein, though. The 10-year NBA veteran chalked it all up to two men in the heat of the moment who lost their cools.

Rivers did, however, take issue with the way former Minnehaha Academy phenom, Jalen Suggs, blindsided him into a flying headlock while he was toe-to-toe with Bamba. Admittedly, that was a cheap shot and not something you should do when two grown men are squaring off.

When Bamba and Rivers physically separated, the scuffle took to social media. Mo Bamba posted the recently popular “fuck around and find out” meme. Austin Rivers replied with a post of his own reminding Bamba that he was willing to go 1v5 when first confronting the Magic bench.

"I went in there 1-on-5. I ain't have no help."

Austin Rivers talks about his fight with Mo Bamba & Suggs grabbing his neckpic.twitter.com/39CtUOgd2v

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) February 4, 2023

Both Mo Bamba and Austin Rivers posted to their Instagram Stories following their altercation on Friday. pic.twitter.com/z6hDQPHTL1

— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) February 4, 2023

Chris Finch backs Austin Rivers

Timberwolves head coach, Chris Finch, backed Austin Rivers fully, saying that it’s completely unacceptable for a player who is not in the game to jump off the bench and start throwing punches like Mo Bamba did.

We’ll see what the NBA thinks when suspensions and fines are being handed out this week. Here are both Austin Rivers and Chris Finch’s postgame press conferences, in their totality.

Timberwolves guard Austin Rivers breaks down what led to the fight between him and Mo Bamba. #RaisedByWolves | #NBA pic.twitter.com/o0aQsBp3rR

— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) February 4, 2023

“They had a guy come off the bench and throw a punch, which is one of the most egregious things you can do.”

Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch reacts to the fight and ejections in the loss to the Magic. ????#RaisedByWolves | #Timberwolves | #NBA pic.twitter.com/LzNwahHe3w

— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) February 4, 2023

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The Minnesota Timberwolves lost again tonight, the 10th loss in their last 11 games. This one, however, was extra special. The Wolves held the Orlando Magic to just 10 points in the 2nd quarter and held a 20 point lead in the 2nd half.

That lead didn’t hold, of course, and the game ended in heartbreaking fashion. Jarred Vanderbilt went to the free throw line with just under 2 seconds remaining on the game clock. One make would have stretched the lead to 3 and both would have given the Wolves a victory. He got neither and then this happened.

???? COLE ANTHONY grabs the board, goes the length of the court and RISES from DEEP for the WIN! ????#TissotBuzzerBeater #ThisIsYourTime #MagicTogether pic.twitter.com/xKO79IBXyf

— NBA (@NBA) January 21, 2021

It’s over.

Any hope that the Minnesota Timberwolves had for 2021 are dead. This gut-wrenching loss sent the forever spiraling franchise to 3-10 on the season, good for the second-worst winning percentage in the league (.231).

This team just sucks without Karl-Anthony Towns and he will still sit for a couple more games, due to COVID protocols. With KAT on the court for a full season, the Wolves might be a borderline expanded playoff team. Now that they’ve dug such a big hole without him, there’s no chance they dig themselves out even after he does return.

So what are we doing? Because this isn’t a normal season, when it comes to the Wolves and their draft picks. Thanks to Andrew Wiggins, the Wolves will lose their draft pick to the Golden State Warriors if they do not finish in the bottom-3 of the 2021 NBA standings.

Finishing in the bottom 3-10 teams and then having to give our lottery pick to Golden State because of Andrew Wiggins, would make for the most depressing offseason in Timberwolves history (and there have been a lot of them).

Tank is easy.

Luckily for the Minnesota Timberwolves, hitting the tank button on 2021 is easier than it normally would be. KAT has made it very clear that he’s endangering himself and his future by playing through his wrist injury.

So, let’s send him off to surgery and shelf him for the season so he can heal fully. There, that’s it. Tank-mode engaged.

Tank is rewarding this season

The reward for tanking is well worth it in this year’s draft, too. Securing a top-2 pick in the lottery would guarantee one of two extremely dynamic point guards in (hometown boy) Jalen Suggs and Oklahoma State 6’7″ freshman, Cade Cunningham.

These are two can’t-miss prospects that the Wolves cannot afford to miss out on. With both Karl and DLo on max contracts, they cannot afford the type of free agent upgrades they need to be successful with this roster.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

You would have thought Target Center was holding a Timberwolves playoff game tonight (lol) or maybe a massive concert for some well-paid superstar, who’s selling millions of records on iTunes. Lines traveled the length of every wall as kids and adults alike, waited to get the best seat possible to watch a… high school basketball game.

But, when Lebron James’ kid comes to Target Center next to a star-studded cast of future NBA hopefuls, weird things happen. When Minnehaha Academy took the Target Center floor tonight, to face off against Sierra Canyon of California, the hardwood was packed with names that we’ll see playing at blue-blood colleges around the country over the next handful of years.

Minnesota. The state of basketball. #ClashofChampions pic.twitter.com/r1Md8t8TYc

— Nadine Babu (@NadineBabu) January 5, 2020

The crowd was a sight for sore Timberwolves’ fan eyes. In an arena that’s struggled to fill the lower bowl for 15 seasons, it was impossible to think two high school teams could nearly pack the place from wood floor to the painted concrete 100’s of feet above… but that’s exactly what happened. Target Center was the place to be in the Twin Cities on Saturday night.

Nobody left disappointed, either. Minnehaha played one of their best games of the season when lights were the brightest.

Can't decide if it's more fun to watch Chet's block or Jalen's finish?@ChetHolmgren @JalenSuggs2020 @RedhawksAD @ChipotleTweets #ChipotleClashofChampions #UnitedWeZag pic.twitter.com/Sxtedo8rJ5

— Who's Next (@WhosNextHS) January 5, 2020

Gonzaga doesn't have a football team but Jalen could be a D1 QB…?@JalenSuggs2020 @RedhawksAD #UnitedWeZag #ChipotleClashofChampions @ChipotleTweets pic.twitter.com/rQm9kQQuHk

— Who's Next (@WhosNextHS) January 5, 2020

CHET'S NOT SLOWING DOWN☠️@ChetHolmgren @RedhawksAD @ChipotleTweets #ChipotleClashofChampions pic.twitter.com/vfHIP5vdJA

— Who's Next (@WhosNextHS) January 5, 2020

Minnehaha actually took down a stacked Sierra Canyon team that rosters enough 5-star talent to make Duke jealous.

Chet Holmgren was an absolute force down low defensively. He made Sierra Canyon think twice before going down low for the entire game… or at least he should have made them think twice… They clearly never learned their lesson. Chet finished the game with 12 blocks. Yeah, 12 blocks. He finished with 10 rebounds and 7 points to go with it.

Suggs was even more dominant. He went off for 23 points and 12 rebounds. Defensively, he was a handful too, racking up 5 steals to go with his big game, offensively.

In limited playing time, Bronny James finished with just 5 points and 1 rebound. Remember, he’s a Freshman playing on a stacked prep school team out of California. His time will come for Sierra Canyon. Brandon Boston Jr, a 5-star commit to Kentucky, carried most of the load for the CA prep school, with 27 points and 8 boards to go with.

In a game that I thought might be a 20-point victory for Sierra Canyon, which only had 1 loss coming into this game, Minnehaha Academy flipped the script and pulled off a 20-point victory themselves. Impressive.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

———

NEW WRITER ALERT:

Connor Gilbert (@ConnorJGilbert) hails from the great state of Minnesota and is currently a Senior at Gonzaga University, where he has worked his way up to Sports Editor for the Gonzaga School Newspaper, The Gonzaga Bulletin.

This is his first contribution to MinnesotaSportsFan.com, but hopefully far from the last! 

———

— UPDATE (2:15 PM) — Any updated content has been labeled with an *. Everything else was written before this update.

*Jalen has just announced that he will be committing to his future TOMORROW, Friday, January 3 live on ESPN. This piece was posted about 45 minutes before this decision was made.

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❗️MY DECISION DATE HAS BEEN CHANGED TO TOMORROW❗️for those not at the game, tune into ESPN to see where my next chapter will be at!!? https://t.co/TizY4inGtP

— Jalen Suggs (@JalenSuggs2020) January 2, 2020

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There’s been no official word yet, but on Jan. 4, it’s rumored that Jalen Suggs will break months of waiting and speculation and announce his decision for where he will continue his athletic career. It’s no small decision, both for him and for the dozens of programs that have been pursuing him over the past couple of years.

The Minnehaha Academy senior has been heavily recruited by big-name programs for both football and basketball as the No. 10 dual-threat quarterback and No. 12 basketball player in the country per 247Sports. He’s probably the best point guard in the nation, not to mention arguably the best multi-sport high school athlete to come out of the state of Minnesota since Joe Mauer.

Last year, Suggs averaged 23.3 points, 6.3 assists and 4.7 assists per game as a point guard in the winter after accumulating 2,821 yards and 20 touchdowns as quarterback in the fall. Since winning state championships in both sports, the spotlight at the forefront of the national scene has only gotten brighter.

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But at this point, it would surprise almost everyone paying attention, if he decided to do anything but play basketball at Gonzaga University — a school of 7,000 that has not had a football program since before WWII.

Recruiting analysts are almost unanimously pointing towards Suggs attending GU in the fall, as they have been for quite some time now.  247Sports.com has 7 of their recruiting experts who have committed their “crystal ball predictions” to Gonzaga.

*According to his announcement today Suggs is down to Gonzaga, Florida, Florida State, Iowa State, and Minnesota. However, he has also suggested multiple times that he was considering some less conventional options, namely playing both sports at a BCS school or going the international professional route. Almost every team in the Big 10 has at least done its due diligence for football, so there’s no shortage of options there. 

The variety of options — combined with the fact that committing to basketball during football season would’ve barred him from competing in football all-star games — prolonged the recruitment considerably more than other 2020 prospects, who’ve mostly all committed by now. Admittedly, if the assessment of Suggs-to-GU has been correct all along, it may have led some coaches and fans on for much longer than they anticipated, particularly those at Minnesota and Marquette. 

“The Europe thing is why we haven’t totally committed to making a college decision right away,” Brian Sandifer, the director of Suggs’ Grassroots Sizzle AAU team, told 247sports.

But he hasn’t exactly made his affection for the GU program a secret in the past few months, either. When asked what schools have prioritized him the most, his immediate answer was the Zags. 

“I would say Gonzaga has really prioritized me a lot,” he said. “They’re definitely at the top of the charts, I talk to the coaching staff almost every day.”

“It’s still the same impression from when I first started talking to them and when I took my visit,” he also said when discussing the colleges that he is considering the most. “You don’t like Gonzaga; you love it. From meeting all the alumni and talking to the coaching staff, it’s just nothing but positivity on my side.”

At this point, it’s become clear that there’s a few significant variables putting the Zags ahead of the rest of the field.

The on-court fit makes the most sense, at least on paper. The Zags are losing two one-year rentals in the backcourt in Ryan Woolridge and Admon Gilder, Jr., with no immediate heirs apparent beyond redshirt sophomore Joel Ayayi, who’s more of a combo guard that would likely defer to Suggs and play off the ball. This years’ Bulldogs are also currently the No. 1 most efficient offense in the country per KenPom, and they will be returning much of their scoring next year. The chance to immediately step in and be an orchestrator and playmaker in that offense is difficult to turn down.

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In 2019, coach Mark Few’s staff seems like it’s finally getting recognized for its player development. Four of last year’s top scorers left (with three of them currently enjoying decent success in the NBA), yet they’re back at No. 1 nationally for the second year in a row, with six players averaging double digit scoring. Steve Wojciechowski and Richard Pitino are solid coaches with stable programs, but it’s not for sure whether they can offer a transition that seamless  — especially if Suggs’ plan by the end of the 2020-’21 season, is to bolt early for the draft. 

Suggs is also friends with 2020 GU commits Dominick Harris and Julian Strawther, collectively referring to themselves as the “tricky trio” — he’s stated that he talks to the two of them every day. Harris and Strawther have openly lobbied for him to join them in Spokane, since their commitments, and he visited the Zags’, “Kraziness in the Kennel” preseason event with the two of them, alongside Minnehaha teammate Chet Holmgren (No. 4 in the nation for 2021). 

Football seems to have faded as a priority for Jalen, as well. It’s likely the risks of playing football alongside basketball — injuries, a lack of a true offseason — outweigh the benefits. Suggs hasn’t stated whether he intends to stay in college for one year or four, but it’s become apparent by the flirtation with Europe, that the NBA is the ultimate endgame for him. College football is a risk that just doesn’t seem to make playing in the league any more achievable.

International ball can’t be ruled out, even with the R.J. Hampton/Lamelo Ball experiment currently having mixed results in the NBL. Sandifer stated that multiple clubs were calling with interest, specifically in Melbourne and China, but added that they’re only considering them if they make financial sense. Playing abroad also fits with the timetable of the decision Jan. 4, but the international professional route is largely an unproven commodity in terms of NBA success. It has worked for some players, but not for others. Until more of an international pipeline develops, college still feels safer.

If a Jan. 4 decision happens, it will coincide with a huge game against California’s Sierra Canyon and Lebron James, Jr. at Target Center, on ESPN — the significance of that matchup probably doesn’t need to be explained. MSF will be in attendance as credentialed media, along with an estimated crowd of upward of over 8,500. That’s the amount of tickets that have reportedly already been sold, a number that forced a venue change from Minnehaha’s gym over to Target Center where the Timberwolves play. 

As we know by now, a media caravan follows Bronny everywhere he goes, but he’s just one of nine (!) players with D-I offers that will be playing in this game, assuming Holmgren will be healthy. Could the increased exposure of that game influence Suggs’ to make his announcement on that day? After all, if you’re going to hold out, might as well make it big.

It is true that Suggs could surprise everyone and go with the Gophers, Eagles, or another Big 10 program like Juwan Howard’s Michigan, but Minnesota sports fans will most likely be disappointed (again) by this outcome. At least they’ll have Holmgren’s forthcoming college decision to look forward to….

Connor Gilbert | Minnesota Sports Fan

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The main feature for Sierra Canyon isn’t their best player. He’s a freshman with the most famous basketball dad of all time… Lebron James Jr. Bronny James gets a decent amount of playing time on most nights but just like any freshman 15-year-old around the country, he’s inconsistent. Not only that, but he is surrounded by ballers. 

– Recruiting information via 247Sports.com

• Senior (#3) | BJ Boston | 5-Star (.9948) | Committed to Kentucky
• Senior (#23) | Ziaire Williams | 5-Star (.9984) | Committed to Gonzaga
• Soph (#10) | Amari Bailey | 5-Star (.9956) | Undecided
• Senior (#15) | Terren Frank | 4-Star (.9458) | Committed to TCU

So, Sierra Canyon is stacked with talent and they have only lost one game this season. It was earlier this week, when they went down vs another top high school team in the nation, Rancho Christian. But all of that talent certainly won’t go unmatched. Minnehaha Academy isn’t just the most talented team in Minnesota. They are comparable to any of these top teams around the country.

• Senior (#1) | Jalen Suggs | 5-Star (.9968) |Uncommitted
• Junior (#34) | Chet Holmgren | 5-Star (.9989) | Uncommitted
• Soph (#10) | Prince Aligbe | 4-Star (.9813) | Uncommitted

Minnehaha also employs Kaden Johnson, who’s a fine basketball player but even better football player. He is a 4-star in that sport and already committed to play at Wisconsin next year.

This matchup on Saturday night is part of a larger tournament, “The Redhawk Basketball Showcase“, that starts on Friday night at the Minnehaha Academy High School, where both of the teams from Saturday’s matchup will play the other two teams involved, Park Center and The Patrick School.

With all of the excitement surrounding this game, I am happy to say that Minnesota Sports Fan will be there to cover it as credentialed media. Our new high school writer, Ryan Schmidt (@streethistory on Twitter) and I will be both be attending the game, in that fashion! So, become a member to MinnesotaSportsFan.com right below this article and follow both Ryan and myself on Twitter so you don’t miss a moment!

The game will also be broadcast live on ESPN.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

December 17th, 2019 at the Lindbergh Center in Hopkins, the #1 and #5 overall prospects in Minnesota (via 247Sports) faced off. Jalen Suggs, (#1 in Minnesota — #10 nationally) of Minnehaha Academy played Kerwin Walton of Hopkins (#5 in Minnesota, #94 nationally).

Foul trouble was a problem early for both stars. Hopkins decided to sit Walton in the first half, while time caught up with his foul count. Minnehaha decided to play Jalen most of the half, with two fouls. That means Walton scored just two points while Suggs subbed out for small amounts, but scored 15 in the first half on his way to a game high 41.

While Walton sat, Jaelen Treml went to work for Hopkins. He scored 23 points off the bench, and carried Hopkins, with Walton sitting. The 2021 guard is ranked 19th by PrepHoops.com and is a promising Junior.

Hopkins also got contributions from Senior transfer from Osseo Cornell Richardson (11 pts), an impressive dunk from promising prospect Andre Gray (8th overall Minnesota), and Elvis Nnaji (Zeke’s younger brother) contributed 7 points and 6 rebounds.

Minnehaha, missing #4 National 2021 prospect Chet Holmgren, got a good contribution from Isaiah Davis, 15 points but promising 2022 prospect Prince Aligbe had just 9 points, and shooter Donovan Smith had 7.

Minnehaha Academy got a star game from start to (almost) finish, from Suggs. He fouled out early in OT, but not before that he poured in 41 points and grabbed more than 10 boards. Suggs scored in numerous ways, pull-up 3’s, a ridiculous dunk that sent the crowd into a frenzy, a tip dunk, and the James Harden way of getting lots of points without the clock moving, FREE THROWS. He missed the shot at the end of the 4th though, with the game tied, and a chance to send Hopkins home with a loss in regulation, before fouling out early in OT.

Walton came alive in the 2nd half and showed off his impressive shooting stroke, that has all the big schools all over the country coming for him. He hit multiple 3’s, and drove past Prince Aligbe for a thundering slam. Walton was the catalyst that brought Hopkins, who trailed by as much as 10, back; and pushed his team to an OT victory, despite sitting most of the first half with foul trouble.

Ryan Schmidt | Minnesota Sports Fan

Jalen Suggs is the next big thing to come out of Minnesota. He graduates in 2020 and is a hell of a Quarterback, ranked with 4-stars at 247Sports.com. But his bread and butter is on the basketball court and that’s where he was focusing during a recent chat with the ZagsBlog.com   

COLORADO SPRINGS, Co. — Jalen Suggs, the 6-foot-5 combo guard from Minnehaha (MN) Academy, told ZAGSBLOG Monday at the Team USA U-19 Training Camp that Gonzaga, Minnesota and Marquette are the three frontrunners for his recruitment.

“I would say it’s between Gonzaga, Minnesota and Marquette,” said Suggs. “I think those are the three frontrunners. Those are the three schools that I’m closest with and have some of the best relationships with.”

However, Suggs isn’t quite ready to cut his list down just yet.

“There are some other ones involved,” he said. “Michigan is emerging. I’ve talked to coach Juwan Howard a lot lately. Iowa and Iowa State are still in the mix. They’ve been in my recruitment, pretty much ever since my seventh grade year. So, we’ll see.”

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Now, I don’t want to get too crazy but this interview was with a blog that follows a different team AND it wasn’t a list that he was cutting down, where he kept the Gophers in just as a courtesy (like the Jones’ brothers have done). It seems like staying home is something he is seriously considering and that is awesome.

It’s time for more of these kids to stay home. Leaving the state that raised you doesn’t help the people behind you. The blue bloods are going to see everyone now. You aren’t opening new avenues. But, staying home and wearing the maroon and gold, while all of the kids around Minnesota drool over your every move, dreaming of one day staying home “like Jalen did”…. now that is something you can be proud of for a lifetime.

Look at the girls who are now coming out of Minnesota high schools as heralded recruits… who did they look up to? Lindsey Whalen. Every fucking time. You lead the Gopher men to a Final Four as a homegrown Minnesotan… and you will be 10x Lindsey Whalen. Street names, building names, arena names, whatever you want. It’d be yours.

So, stay home Jalen. Everything you need to be great is right here in front of you.

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Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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You thought the meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un was important? Ha.

If you are a dire Minnesota Gopher fan like me, then there is a meeting happening tonight that is sure to sit on your Mount Rushmore of great meetings (because I know you have one). Jalen could change the life of Richard Pitino while helping to propel the football team to the vision of PJ Fleck.

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Richard Pitino and the #Gophers will have an in-home visit with Minnehaha Academy five-star junior guard @JalenSuggs2020 on Thursday. @StribSports pic.twitter.com/szSOYdLqmj

— Marcus R. Fuller (@Marcus_R_Fuller) April 11, 2019

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Jalen Suggs is a 4-star dual-threat QB (#7 DUAL Nationally – #2 DUAL In-State), according to 247Sports.com but his profile really jumps off the page on the basketball court, where he ranks as a 5-star combo guard who stands at 6-5 – 185 lbs.. He is ranked as the 10th-best prospect in the entire country. Just like Matthew Hurt in the class before him, Suggs would be a program-changer and a job-cementer for Richard Pitino, going forward.

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But just like us, I’m sure Jalen knows exactly where he sits in both the football and basketball recruiting worlds. It’s known that Jalen wants to try playing both sports when he gets to school. That helps Minnesota because that automatically disqualifies some schools. People who follow closely will already tell you that Jalen REALLY likes PJ already.

In Richard Pitino’s case, it’s a blessing from the sky above. He gets to partner with one of the great recruiters in all of college sports, and his friend and neighbor, PJ Fleck. But, can he close the deal?

He hasn’t much lately, with in-state kids. He got Gabe, Dan, and Jarvis but it could be argued that Dan was coming here no matter the coach and his friends, Gabe and Jarvis, followed suit. 2019 could have been a big year for in-state recruiting but rumors are amuck that Richard isn’t in a good place with a lot of those kids….

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SUPPORT MSF – FREE SHIPPING MN/WI

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So, this is his chance to make up for all of that and more. His cupboards are a bit bare for the next two classes but there is plenty of time left for 2020. The entire conversation can change tonight, if Richard can convince Jalen and his family that he is the right coach and Minnesota is the right place for Suggs to stay and play basketball.

It seems that PJ Fleck is already well-along that path…. can Richard keep up?

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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In just over a year’s time, Minnesota will be home to NCAA Basketball’s Final Four. In regards to the 2018 version, the city of San Antonio is preparing to embrace the Mount Rushmore of collegiate hoop teams.

Well, hosting that major sporting event should be a much better time than the recent, Eagle fan infested, Super Bowl. The way I see it, March Madness is the GOAT.

Assuming those do or die games are the proverbial Tom Brady, today’s action from the Target Center play’s the role of Peyton Manning:

With half of Saturday’s Minnesota Boys’ Basketball Tournament Championship games already in the bag, let’s take a look at tonight’s AAA and AAAA Championship Bouts. (We are hoping to have some recaps for all games later tonight/tomorrow morning)

Class AAA: Columbia Heights H.S. vs. Delano H.S. (5 PM)

Columbia Heights (22-6) is fresh off of a two point victory over top-ranked DeLaSalle (25-4). Their nail-biter defeat of the six-time defending Class AAA champions shocked the world tens of thousands of people.

Now, the Hylanders square off against the Calvin Wishart led Delano Tigers (20-11). Wishart’s 29 points and 19 rebounds propelled his school’s semifinal upset over last year’s runner-up, Austin High School.

Calvin Wishart (@CalvinWishart) Delano 2018 Senior, Class 3A semi final Vs Austin

Wishart had 29 pts (7/18 FG 5/11 3s 10/15 FT), 19 boards, 7 assists, 4 stls

Delano beat Austin 80-68 to advance to the 3A State Champ Game Vs Columbia Heights#PrepHoops @NorthstarHoops #mshsl pic.twitter.com/0fqR3bwhCa

— StreetHistory (@streethistory) March 24, 2018

Wait, what? 19 rebounds? The Senior guard is listed at 6’1″. That’s some Russell Westbrook type shit. After entering the tournament unranked, whether or not the scrappy Georgia Southern commit and his teammates can complete their Cinderella Story remains to be seen.

Whoever walks away with this one, it will be that school’s first-ever basketball crown.

Class AAAA: Cretin-Derham Hall H.S. vs. Apple Valley H.S. (8 PM)

Unlike when kids pick teams at recess, today’s games will be saving the best for last. The battle of the big boys will feature Minnesota’s Class of 2018’s two best players.

Daniel Oturu

After tonight, Daniel Oturu’s next official game will come with a Maroon and Gold jersey. The soon-to-be Gopher, who’s coming off a beast-mode performance, will lead Cretin-Derham Hall in their quest to dethrone the defending champions, Apple Valley Eagles (27-4).

Tre Jones

Tre Jones, the Star Tribune Player of the Year, is looking to end his absurdly decorated high school basketball career on top. In the event you aren’t familiar with the future Duke Blue Devil, here’s some literature guy’s blog thingy:

Tre Jones representing Minnesota at the McDonalds All-American game

?: @TheJohnnyMN https://t.co/Q6LWzBQghF

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) January 18, 2018

Currently, most of America’s brackets are more busted than Ricky Rubio’s jump shot. If you’re salty over knowing nothing about college basketball (that’s a joke. it’s been absolute madness), give your blood pressure a break and watch some high school competition.

They will be airing on KSTC Ch. 45.

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com