Posted: December 23, 2010, 4:30 p.m. CT
By CHRIS MONTER
FOXSportsNorth.com
Minnesota is said to be the "State of Hockey." However, 65 basketball players would disagree with that statement. They are Minnesota natives who are playing Division I basketball this season.
Several teams around the country feature key players from Minnesota. Obviously, Minnesota has plenty of local talent on its roster, including leading scorer Blake Hoffarber from Hopkins, who is averaging 14.8 points and a team-best 4.9 assists per game. Trevor Mbakwe, who played at Henry Sibley and St. Bernard's, is leading the Big Ten with 10.5 rebounds per game
The Golden Gophers have two other starters from the state in point guard Al Nolen from Minneapolis Henry (9.2 ppg) and athletic forward Rodney Williams of Robbinsdale Cooper (5.8 ppg). Walk-ons Dominique Dawson from Minneapolis Southwest and Henry Sibley's Chris Halvorson (who is sitting out the season after transferring from Valparaiso) complete the local flavor in Dinkytown.
The local products combine for 43.5 points, 23.2 rebounds and 11.1 assists per game. Ironically, that puts the group just fourth among Minnesota contributors in Division I.
North Dakota State has eight Minnesota players on its roster, including four of its top five scorers. The Minnesotans on the Bison roster have combined for 46.8 points and 27.2 rebounds per game. The numbers would be even more impressive if Jordan Aaberg, a part-time starter last year who has yet to play a game this season and Dylan Hale, a transfer from Texas State who is sitting out due to NCAA transfer rules, were playing.
Wofford made the NCAA Tournament last season and gave Wisconsin all it could handle in the first round. The Terriers, whose top three scorers are from Minnesota, played well against the Gophers in their season opener and the trio is playing even better this season. Noah Dahlman, the 2010 Southern Conference Player of the Year, is from Braham and averages a team-best 19.1 points per game. Former DeLaSalle guards Cameron Rundles and Jamar Diggs each are contributing 13.1 points per contest. The three are combining for 45.3 points per game this season.
The Gophers' hated rivals to the east have a definite Minnesota flair. Wisconsin is led by senior forward Jon Leuer of Orono, who leads all Minnesota natives with 19.9 points per game, and he is adding 7.5 rebounds. Jordan Taylor, who led Benidle St. Margaret's to a state title as a high school senior, is scoring at a 15.1-ppg clip and is leading the Badgers with 4.6 assists per contests. Mike Bruesewitz from Henry Sibley and Jared Berggren of Princeton provide Wisconsin with interior size. The four Minnesota Badgers are averaging 45 points, 16.4 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game.
The Gophers will see another in-state player Thursday when they face Nate Wolters of South Dakota State. Wolters, who helped lead St. Cloud Tech to the Class 4A Tournament semifinals as a senior, is averaging 18.9 points (third best among Minnesota natives), 4.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game (tops among Minnesotans).
Four other former Minnesota high school players are leading their college teams in scoring. Trent Lockett of Hopkins is pacing Arizona State with 15.6 points per game. Roseville's Mike Muscala is leading Bucknell with 14.5 points per game and figures to lead the Patriot League in blocked shots for the second straight season.
Zach Filzen from Northfield is fifth in the Mid-American Conference in scoring with 16.3 points per game for Buffalo. Filzen, who started his college career at Northern Arizona, is one of the country's most improved players after averaging just 2.9 points per game for the Bulls last season.
David Hanson, who played for Marantha HS, is leading Cal Poly in scoring with 14.5 points per game.
The PDF below is a look at the 65 Minnesota natives, their high school and college teams and their scoring, rebounding and assists average. If these Minnesota natives continue to shine on the hardwood, someday soon, the Gopher State could be called the "State of Hoops."
