After watching the first day of the 2025 Twin Ports Summer Jam at Duluth East High School, I've come to the following five conclusions/thoughts:
1) The Superior Spartans looked good, and so did senior Calvin Anderson. Superior ended up winning the Summer Jam tournament, becoming back-to-back champs. Calvin Anderson looked really good, I would say he made a legit case to be considered the best player above Highway 8 in Wisconsin. His footwork and ability to play off two feet with his finishes was extremely impressive. It was clear to see what the scholarship schools who have offered him and liking with his inside-out versatility. Drew Eisel made a ton of winning plays for the Spartans and just did a lot of things you like to see. It seemed like everyone on the team was willing to do whatever it took to win on Monday. Role players knocking down shots and getting layups. It was a good team showing. The Spartans were 9-1 in Lake Superior Conference play last season, but unfortunately were only 3-6 against teams from Wisconsin which hurt their playoff seeding. I imagine that record will be better in 2025-26. If they can get a home playoff game this season, that will give them good home court advantage in a tough Division 1 Sectional.
2) Duluth East has a couple new names that need to be added to our Player Rankings. Ty Nyberg looked really good and solidified himself as a top senior. Nyberg was already listed on our 2026 list, but he made a handful of contested threes look effortless. Simon Winkels definitely played himself into a place where he'll need to be considered in the next 2027 rankings. The 6'6" stretch forward hit a couple of threes. I'd like to see him do a little but more on the court, but it appears that he's still growing. Becoming more physical and aggressive will help his game, and East, during the rest of his career. A name that will be added to the 2028 rankings is Ty Schingen, a 6'1" guard. Schingen played really hard on both sides of the ball and seemed to always be making heady plays. He seemed like one of those guys you just wanted to keep on the court because good things seem to happen.
3) Hibbing has an impressive amount of talent returning for this season. Hibbing made the biggest turnaround in the Northwoods going from an overall record of 4-23 during the 2023-24 season to a 19-10 record in 2024-25. The Bluejackets are headlined by juniors Ray Brau and Jack Bottoms. Add in a lot of length with seniors, Adam Reckmeyer (6'4") and Evan Bolden (6'3"), along with 6'3" junior, Grant Toewe. As a team, I thought they played really well together. Brau got a lot of post touches, and was a more than willing passer when the double-teams started coming. Guys were cutting off ball and getting easy layups. Bottoms was able to get hot and help them win a few games. Last season they made a run and lost to Duluth Denfeld in the Sectional Championship. I would assume with more experience coming back that they will be towards the top of the Lake Superior Conference.
4) Duluth Denfeld replacing Marnaries Ferguson won't be easy, but the Hunters have some nice pieces. Monday was the best performance I've seen from Lee Brooks, and it seemed like he got a stop or a bucket any time Denfeld needed it. Carter Brown averaged a double-double as a sophomore. The 6'5" wing/forward still has a lot of potential, but he seems to be getting better and better every time I watch him. He got to the hoop really well at Summer Jam. Talking about improving, you have to mention 6'6" junior Antonio Brown. His finishing and rebounding has gotten significantly better since last summer. Had 10 games last season where he scored double figures, along with shooting 60.8% from the floor for the entire year. With two more years to develop, I assume he'll start to see some double-teams coming his way. One name to really keep an eye on in the class of 2029 is Joey Dupree Jr. He's small currently, but he's not afraid to go at older and bigger players.
5) There is a good chance that the Cherry Tigers can win their Sectional and make another State Tournament berth. There is a lot of scoring gone from last season but can the Tigers remain relevant in Northern Minnesota? There were a ton of questions when Isaac Asuma graduated and went to the Gophers, now the same questions arise with Noah Sundquist and Carson Brown graduating. With only Isaiah Asuma at Summer Jam, it was tough to get a real grasp of this question. Since they were missing Noah Asuma, that put a ton of focus on Isaiah. He was still able to get to some of his spots and create for others. There were plenty of nice moves to the paint and tough shots that he made look easy. The junior guard owns an offer from Minnesota-Duluth. Bringing in 6'2" senior Noah Asuma should help open a few more things up for everyone. Lack of depth might be more of a concern this season than it has been in the past. If role players can knock down open shots that they will get, that could help the Tigers make another push. They breezed through their Sectional last season with scores of 105-51, 104-40, 87-53, and 77-56. Another State Tournament berth could be possible if they are playing their best basketball at the end of the season.
