Three promising big men and a pair of athletic wing prospects highlight Minnesota’s Class of 2004. Right now it appears that between 10 and 15 players could wind up receiving a Division I scholarship next year. Among the players that showed significant improvement over the course of this season were Ryan Amoroso of Burnsville and Jesse Becker of Osseo.

An Important Note: Remember that these rankings reflect our opinion of who we feel are the best Class of 2004 college prospects in the state of Minnesota. While a player’s performance during the high school season is considered, it is not the principal factor. We ranked these players based primarily on the following elements:

- Level of collegiate basketball that we foresee them playing at in the future

- Success among national competition

- Academics (Ability to meet NCAA academic requirements)

- Team Orientation (Intelligence and the ability to work within a team structure)

- Character and attitude

Also, we are fairly diligent in traveling throughout the state and trying to see as many prospects as possible. Of course, this is not a comprehensive list; there are always players that we will miss, but these are the best players that we've seen to date in the 2004 class.

Steve Neal overcame some off the court issues and capped off a solid junior season for Patrick Henry. Neal’s jump shot, particularly from long-range, has become more consistent, and his ball handling has also marginally improved. His decision making at times still causes him to turn the ball over or leads to silly fouls, however Steve's developing skills combined with his toughness and athleticism keep him atop the list as we enter the AAU season.

Future Golden Gopher Spencer Tollackson isn’t too far behind Neal. Tollackson continued to be a leader on the floor and demonstrated improved athleticism this winter. He plays hard all of the time and is excellent at sealing his defender and scoring while taking the contact. Spencer also showed an improved stroke from out to 15-feet.

Despite suffering an injury to his kneecap that saw him miss nine games, Park Center’s Miles Webb still managed to average over 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists per contest. Webb’s trademark may be his NBA range jump shot, however his decision making improved, as did his ability to involve his teammates, and he continues to progress at the defensive end.

Everette Pedescleaux once again punished opposing post players and was dominant in and around the hoop, scoring and rebounding at will. He’s a superb athlete with an improved shooting touch.

Patrick O’Bryant only played well in spurts this season, however his large upside cannot be denied at this early juncture. He’s an excellent shot blocker and rebounder whose biggest question marks appear to be the development of his offensive game and his work ethic.

Brandon Armstrong, 5-10 PG Minneapolis (MN) South

Matt Bloomquist, 6-5 PF Eden Prairie (MN) Eden Prairie

Matt Boelter, 6-7 C Delano (MN) Delano

Ben Bradley, 6-1 PG Cambridge (MN) Cambridge-Isanti

Bret Brielmaier, 6-8 F/C Mankato (MN) Loyola

Nick Burns, 6-3 2G Chaska (MN) Chaska

Freddie Chambers, 6-1 2G Osseo (MN) Osseo

Drew Dalton, 6-2 G/F St. Paul (MN) Highland Park

Charles Dawson, 6-3 WF Minneapolis (MN) Minnehaha Academy

Dan Dewitt, 6-2 2G Circle Pines (MN) Centennial

Mark DeYounge, 6-4 G/F Mountain Lake (MN) Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin

William Dinga, 6-7 PF Minneapolis (MN) Washburn

Tommy Drake, 6-4 WF Eden Prairie (MN) Eden Prairie

Craig Dyar, 6-0 1/2G Minneapolis (MN) South

Matt Draxten, 6-3 WF Fergus Falls (MN) Fergus Falls

DeAnte Ferguson, 6-5 PF Robbinsdale (MN) Armstrong

Grant Fossum, 6-1 1/2G Plymouth (MN) Wayzata

Tyler Ganz, 6-6 PF Anoka (MN) Meadow Creek Christian

Roman Haberkorn, 6-4 F Aitkin (MN) Aitkin

Grant Hargett, 6-1 2G Minneapolis (MN) DeLaSalle

Pat Herzog, 5-9 PG Red Wing (MN) Red Wing

Trent Hiller, 6-6 W/PF Elk River (MN) Elk River

Truc Ho, 5-6 PG Mankato (MN) Loyola

Lee Isaacson, 6-6 PF Chaska (MN) Chaska

Kirby Jacobson, 5-10 PG Ulen (MN) Ulen-Hitterdal

Frank Johnson, 6-3 WF Minneapolis (MN) North

Bret Larson, 6-8 C St. Paul (MN) Mounds View

Matt Lien, 6-2 2G Duluth (MN) Denfeld

Luke Linz, 6-5 WF Eden Valley (MN) Eden Valley-Watkins

Corey Lott, 6-2 2G Rochester (MN) John Marshall

Tom Lunde, 6-7 PF Ulen (MN) Ulen-Hitterdal

Justin Martinez, 6-4 WF Shakopee (MN) Shakopee

Lam Mayhem, 5-9 PG Richfield (MN) Holy Angels

Steve Moore, 6-4 G/F Blaine (MN) Blaine

Chad Norberg, 6-2 WF Redwood Falls (MN) Redwood Valley

Ibrahim Oduniyi, 6-1 2G Minneapolis (MN) South

Jesse Olberding, 6-1 2G Roseville (MN) Roseville

Roderick Powell, 6-3 WF Brooklyn Center (MN) Brooklyn Center

Kyle Reynolds, 5-10 PG Minnetonka (MN) Hopkins

Benny Roberts, 5-7 PG St. Paul (MN) Central

Lonnie Robinson, 6-3 WF Osseo (MN) Osseo

Ryan Saunders, 6-0 PG Plymouth (MN) Wayzata

Eric Schaumburg, 5-11 PG Mahnomen (MN) Mahnomen

Curt Schilling, 6-4 G/F Ellsworth (MN) Ellsworth

Kent Shimek, 6-0 PG Apple Valley (MN) Eastview

Frankie Smith, 6-4 WF Bloomington (MN) Kennedy

Jacob Smokrovich, 6-2 G/F Hibbing (MN) Hibbing

Pat Sommerstad, 6-5 WF Apple Valley (MN) Eastview

Andy Stark, 6-3 2G Chaska (MN) Chaska

Matt Storlie, 6-5 P/WF Byron (MN) Byron

Blake Strouth, 6-1 2G Alexandria (MN) Alexandria

Chris Torh, 6-4 WF St. Paul (MN) St. Bernard’s

Joshua Towle, 5-9 PG St. Paul (MN) St. Bernard’s

John Vaudreuil, 6-6 PF Bloomington (MN) Jefferson

Tucker Weisman, 6-2 2G Minneapolis (MN) Breck School

Travis Whipple, 5-11 PG Maplewood (MN) Hill Murray

Matt Wilberg 6-7 PF St. Paul (MN) Central

Brett Winkelman, 6-5 WF Morris (MN) Morris Area

Ben Woodside, 5-11 PG Albert Lea (MN) Albert Lea

Pat Wotta, 5-11 1/2G Fridley (MN) Totino-Grace

Raydel Young, 6-3 WF Minneapolis (MN) Roosevelt

Take at look back at: