Minnesota’s Class of 2005 is hard to get a read on at this point and time. There is no stand out player such as Kris Humphries or Spencer Tollackson, and the gap between first and third is not very large. Hopkins, Richfield, and Patrick Henry each have a pair of juniors that rank in our top 10 as we get ready to kick off another season of AAU basketball.

One thing that appears certain is that there will be a lot of movement in our rankings after the spring & summer evaluations are complete. Right now we know that 14 of our top 25 in this age group are receiving genuine interest from one or more Division I level programs.

An Important Note: Remember that these rankings reflect our opinion of who we feel are the best Class of 2005 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 2005 class.

Urule Igbavboa will begin the spring at the head of the class because his ceiling is extremely high. His combination of athleticisim, skills, and length make us believe that he could end up playing both the four and the three in college. He will however need to demonstrate consistent effort and work on getting stronger. Brandon Smith has good size and athleticism, and a lot of tools to work with. We think he’ll end up playing the two or the three at the next level. He’s a terrific scorer who needs to refine his perimeter game and continue to get after it on the defensive end of the floor. Ray Brown has a nice stroke with good range and he can get off the ground in a hurry. While his shot selection must improve, he has as much upside as anyone on this list. All three of these players are receiving national attention. Andrew Henke is an unknown outside of Minnesota right now. Look for that to change this summer. He’s a better athlete than most people think and along with the Browns he ranks among the top jump shooters in this class. Like his brother Mitch, he has an incredible work ethic, plays both ends of the floor, and is great at making adjustments during a game. Travis Brown (no relation to Ray) has a nice stroke with a very quick release. He’s able to create his own shot and also has excellent foot speed.

Other players that appear capable of cracking the top 5 include A.J. Wilson, Arden Skoglund, and Courtney Tyler.

Also keep an eye on guys like Josh Vaughn and David Johnson, who are among those that could wind up moving up a number of spots.

Bob Billitz, Mark Engen, Greg Martin, Robbie Schmidt, and Alex McCoy are among those who could join the top 25 with a productive spring and summer.

Jamal Abu-Shamala, 6-3 F Shakopee (MN) Shakopee

Nate Alm, 6-5 F Plymouth (MN) West Lutheran

Chris Alpers 6-8 C Eden Prairie (MN) Eden Prairie

Jeff Anderson, 6-4 F Lester Prairie (MN) Lester Prairie

Spencer Bartz, 6-1 G Hinckley (MN) Hinckley-Finlayson

Bill Baumann, 6-6 F Prior Lake (MN) Prior Lake

Mike Behrends, 6-5 F Albert Lea (MN) Albert Lea

Bob Billitz, 6-8 PF Plymouth (MN) West Lutheran

Travis Bledsoe, 6-0 1/2G Minneapolis (MN) DeLaSalle

Brandon Bounds, 6-4 F Hill City (MN) Hill City

Will Bratzel, 5-10 PG St. Paul (MN) CHOF

Anthony Burton, 6-1 G St. Paul (MN) Humboldt

Nick Carr, 6-4 F Minneapolis (MN) Washburn

Keegan Connor, 5-11 G Woodbury (MN) Woodbury

Mike Cunningham, 6-4 WF Bloomington (MN) Trinity School

Nick Dale, 6-8 C Cottage Grove (MN) Park

Eric Decker, 6-3 2G Rocori (MN) Rocori

Jon DeRock, 6-3 F Hector (MN) Buffalo Lake- Hector

Cody Dyshaw, 6-3 G/F Montevideo (MN) Montevideo

Cash Eggleston, 5-11 PG Edina (MN) Edina

Jon Ellens, 6-0 PG Sauk Center (MN) Sauk Center

Mark Engen, 6-9 C Lamberton (MN) Red Rock Central

Isaiah Goodman, 5-10 PG Richfield (MN) Holy Angels

Mitch Gosson, 6-4 F Mankato (MN) East

Nick Grewe, 6-2 F Bertha (MN) Bertha-Hewitt

Kevin Gullikson, 6-6 PF Stillwater (MN) Stillwater

Grant Gunhus, 6-2 1/2G Moorhead (MN) Park Christian

Brad Hammann, 6-1 G Lewiston (MN) Lewiston-Altura

Mitch Haugen, 6-7 C Rockford (MN) Rockford

Steve Haverkamp, 6-6 F Waubun (MN) Waubun

Nate Heussner, 6-1 2G West St. Paul (MN) St. Croix Lutheran

DeAndre Hill, 5-7 PG St. Paul (MN) Highland Park

Deonte Hill, 6-1 1/2G Minneapolis (MN) South

Mike Hintz, 5-11 G Truman (MN) Truman

Adam Huntley, 6-5 F Rogers (MN) Rogers

Steve Jamnick, 6-9 C Tower (MN) Tower-Soudan

Dave Jensen, 6-3 WF Woodbury (MN) Woodbury

Jordan Jensen, 6-2 G Saint Charles (MN) Saint Charles

Darren Kent, 6-7 PF Apple Valley (MN) Eastview

Shamir King, 6-0 PG Richfield (MN) Holy Angels

Tyler Kodet, 5-11 PG Rochester (MN) Lourdes

Abe Kpaka, 6-2 G/F Oakdale (MN) Tartan

Yousuf Lakanwal, 5-10 PG Bloomington (MN) Jefferson

Cory Laugen, 5-10 PG Monticello (MN) Monticello

Ryan Lawrence, 6-4 F Saginaw (MN) Albrook

Lamont Mack, 6-4 F St. Paul (MN) Highland Park

Stashie Mack, 6-7 F Fridley (MN) Fridley

Jim Markwardt, 6-2 2G Roseville (MN) Roseville

Greg Martin, 6-2 G Maple Grove (MN) Maple Grove

Alex McCoy, 6-4 F St. Paul (MN) Cretin-Derham Hall

Joe McHale, 6-3 F Arden Hills (MN) Mounds View

Brady McMahon, 6-6 F Cottage Grove (MN) Park

Jay Melson, 6-2 F Cottage Grove (MN) Park

Nick Mertens, 6-1 G East Grand Forks (MN) East Grand Forks

Zach Milz, 6-5 Menahga (MN) Menahga

Brandon Mitchell, 6-3 F Minneapolis (MN) Patrick Henry

Jared Moore, 6-3 G/F Minneapolis (MN) North

Byron Ninham, 6-4 F Cass Lake (MN) Cass Lake- Bena

Mike Nitz, 6-0 PG Truman (MN) Truman

Scott Nesler, 6-0 PG Mankato (MN) West

Tyler Oakes, 6-3 F Jordan (MN) Jordan

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

Tim Olmstead, 6-4 F Glencoe (MN) Glencoe-Silver Lake

A.J. Palmer, 6-3 F Barnum (MN) Barnum

Matt Pelzer, 6-3 2G Sauk Rapids (MN) Sauk Rapids-Rice

Geoff Probst, 6-4 F Moose Lake (MN) Moose Lake

Lewis Radcliffe, 6-2 G/F Mankato (MN) West

Paul Reineck, 6-4 F Roseville (MN) Concordia Academy

Jesse Rubbelke, 6-0 G Pine City (MN) Pine City

Arsenio Richardson, 6-1 1/2G St. Louis Park (MN) St. Louis Park

Brian Sames, 6-1 G Shakopee (MN) Shakopee

Pete Samuelson, 6-8 C Burnsville (MN) Burnsville

Kyle Seiler, 6-3 F Rockford (MN) Rockford

Robbie Schmidt, 6-1 2G Watertown (MN) Watertown-Mayer

Jason Speer, 5-11 G Battle Lake (MN) Battle Lake

Zach Stoe, 6-2 G/F Elk River (MN) High

Darron Suggs, 6-1 2G St. Paul (MN) Highland Park

Jamy Szalba, 6-0 1/2G Champlin (MN) Champlin Park

Robert Thomas, 6-8 C Mankato (MN) West

Marquice Thompson, 5-2 PG St. Paul (MN) Central

Kenley Wahlin, 6-2 2G Crookston (MN) Crookston

RJ Wilkins, 5-11, 175 lbs. PG Roseville (MN) Roseville

Ross Winnekins, 6-7 C Wayzata (MN) Wayzata

Anthony Yerhot, 6-7 C Chaska (MN) Chaska