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Minnehaha coach on Jalen Suggs to NBA, Chet Holmgren to Gonzaga
He's coached two of the best high school basketball players to come out of Minnesota ever at Minnehaha Academy. Now, Coach Lance Johnson reacts as Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren take the next steps in their basketball careers.
MINNEAPOLIS - Chet Holmgren became a nation-wide spectacle years ago when video surfaced of him crossing over NBA star Steph Curry, then dunking on him at a camp.
Holmgren, a former star 7-1 center at Minnehaha Academy and the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2021, was named Friday the Gatorade Minnesota Boys Basketball Player of the Year. He’s also a top-three finalist for National Player of the Year. He’s the second player from Minnehaha Academy to win the award, joining former teammate Jalen Suggs.
Just like Suggs, Holmgren will take his basketball talents to play at Gonzaga next season. He’s already projected to be a top-five pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
"Thankful to be the Minnesota Gatorade POY," Holmgren tweeted Friday morning.
Holmgren is one of three finalists for the national award, joining Jabari Smith out of Georgia, who will play at Auburn next season, and Donovan Clingan out of Connecticut.
Holmgren, a 175-pound center, led Minnehaha Academy to a 20-1 record last season that ended with a run to the Class AAA state championship. He averaged 20.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 4.7 blocks and 4.4 assists per game. He also shot better than 68 percent from the field, and was selected a McDonald’s All-American.
He won the 2021 Naismith High School Trophy Player of the Year as the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit. He ended his high school basketball career with the Redhawks with 1,567 points, 964 rebounds and 456 blocked shots.
"Chet Holmgren is the greatest mismatch in the high school game because of his outside shooting, inside game and physical measurables," said Paul Biancardi, ESPN National Recruiting Director. "He displays uncommon versatility with his scoring prowess, ball handling and mobility and fluid movements."
The Gatorade National Player of the Year nomination also comes with work away from sports. Holmgren is a member of the Leadership Institute at Minnehaha Academy, where students donate time to tutoring and being classroom assistants at local elementary schools. He’s a youth basketball instructor at the Frog Town Boys and Girls Club.
Holmgren joins Suggs, Matthew Hurt and Tre Jones as Minnesota Gatorade Players of the Year. Just last year, Paige Bueckers of Hopkins won the national award, and it was presented to her by Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns.