The 13th annual Gatorade-Timberwolves Shootout will offer six games involving teams from Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota on Saturday, January 3 at Target Center. In the past, 18 future NBA players have participated in the Shootout, including Timberwolves’ point guard Sebastian Telfair and forward Kevin Love, in addition to more than 180 Division I college athletes. This year’s Shootout offers more than 15 players expected to play in Division I basketball programs.
Among the players to watch is Cloquet’s Chad Calcaterra, who was being recruited by the Gophers last season as a sophomore. After the opening Cloquet-Pelican Rapids game (start time 10 a.m.), Osseo, featuring Sam Dower, a Gonzaga signee, plays Sioux Falls Roosevelt and Cody Larson, committed to Iowa.
Henry Sibley, with Wisconsin signee Mike Bruesewitz, plays Madison Memorial who has last season’s Wisconsin Associated Press Player of the Year, Jeronne Maymon. Another Wisconsin team, Lake Geneva Badger, plays Hopkins, ranked No. 22 nationally in the USA Today preseason rankings. The Royals have four future Division I players, Royce White (Minnesota), Trent Lockett (Arizona State), Mike Broghammer (Notre Dame) and Raymond Cowles (Santa Clara).
White is a big name in the 2009 Gopher recruiting class and so, too, is Rodney Williams whose Robbinsdale Cooper team plays Eden Prairie, led by 6-6 senior forward Ethan Wragge, who has signed with Creighton.
The last game (8 p.m. start) has St. Cloud Tech, third place in Class 4A last season with four starters returning, playing Wisconsin powerhouse Manitowoc Roncall, 23-2 last season and 96-6 the last four years.
More on the Shootout at www.timberwolves.com