# Minnesota Mr. Basketball

Minnesota Mr. Basketball is an annual award recognizing excellence in Minnesota boys' high school basketball. The female equivalent is Minnesota Miss Basketball.
The award's legitimacy was challenged in February 2017 when Henry Sibley, Minnesota high school basketball coach John Carrier called out owner and chairman Ken Lien for his politicized anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant tweets from the @mrbasketballmn Twitter account. The Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association was among many who announced their support of Carrier's complaint.
The award was established in 1975 and is given to the person(s) chosen as the best high school boys' basketball senior in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The award is the fourth oldest such award in the nation; only Indiana Mr. Basketball, California Mr. Basketball, and Kentucky Mr. Basketball, which were first awarded in 1939, 1950, and 1956, respectively, predate it. A nine-member selection committee, headed by Ken Lien since 1977, has selected five finalists in March of every year since the award began. Those five finalists are chosen from a larger pool of 15 finalists picked in January, and the winner of the award is named in April. In order to select the most deserving student-athlete, the selection panel watches over 120 high school basketball games and creates detailed reviews on every one of them. The winner is then invited to an honorary dinner, along with the Minnesota Miss Basketball selection. Twice the panel chose two winners, in 1979 and 1998.
The first award winner was Gene Glynn, who attended Waseca High School in Waseca, Minnesota. He played for Mankato State University, now known as Minnesota State University.
Six recipients of the Minnesota Mr. Basketball award were enrolled at Hopkins High School and Minneapolis North High School, the most of any high school. Most recipients go to Division I universities, with a high of 17 attending the University of Minnesota. Glynn, the 1975 winner; Jim Jensen, the 1978 winner; Steve Schlotthauer, the 1986 winner; Tom Conroy, the 1989 winner; Joel McDonald, the 1991 winner; and Bret Yonke, the 1992 winner, all attended Division II schools. Conroy attended Northeastern Illinois University, which upgraded to Division I in 1991, his sophomore year. Yonke began his career at Division I Northwestern and later transferred to Division II St. Cloud State due to lack of playing time. The 1981 winner, Redd Overton, never attended a university and chose the junior college route instead.
Several former Minnesota Mr. Basketballs have been selected in the National Basketball Association Draft. Kevin McHale, the 1976 choice; Randy Breuer, the 1979 co-choice; Sam Jacobson, the 1994 choice; Joel Przybilla, the 1998 co-choice; and Kris Humphries, the 2003 choice, were picked in the first round. Kevin Lynch, the 1987 choice; Khalid El-Amin, the 1997 choice; and 2001 choice Rick Rickert were picked in the second round. Jim Petersen, the 1980 choice, was the only pick in the now obsolete third round. Chet Holmgren was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the second overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, making him the highest-selected draft pick ever taken out of Gonzaga and the highest-drafted pick from the state of Minnesota, topping Kevin McHale, who was taken third overall in 1980.

## Award winners

| Year | Player | High school | University | NBA Draft |
| 1975 | Gene Glynn | Waseca High School, Waseca | Minnesota State | |
| 1976 | Kevin McHale | Hibbing High School, Hibbing | Minnesota | McHale was drafted by the Boston Celtics in the 1st round with the 3rd pick of the 1980 NBA draft. |
| 1977 | Brian Pederson | Prior Lake High School, Prior Lake | Minnesota | |
| 1978 | Jim Jensen | Bemidji High School, Bemidji | South Dakota State | |
| 1979 | Randy Breuer | Lincoln High School, Lake City | Minnesota | Breuer was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1st round with the 18th pick of the 1983 NBA draft. |
| 1979 | Greg Downing | Duluth Central High School, Duluth | Nebraska | |
| 1980 | Jim Petersen | St. Louis Park High School, St. Louis Park | Minnesota | Petersen was drafted by the Houston Rockets in the 3rd round with the 4th pick (51st overall) of the 1984 NBA draft. |
| 1981 | Redd Overton | Minneapolis North High School, Minneapolis | North Hennepin Community College | |
| 1982 | Rob Shelquist | Irondale High School, New Brighton | Montana State | |
| 1983 | Tom Copa | Coon Rapids High School, Coon Rapids | Marquette | |
| 1984 | Tim Hanson | Prior Lake High School, Prior Lake | Minnesota | |
| 1985 | Brett McNeal | Minneapolis North High School, Minneapolis | Western Kentucky | |
| 1986 | Steve Schlotthauer | Mounds View High School, Mounds View | Augustana (SD) | |
| 1987 | Kevin Lynch | Bloomington Jefferson High School, Bloomington | Minnesota | Lynch was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2nd round with the 1st pick (28th overall) of the 1991 NBA draft. |
| 1988 | Derek Reuben | Minneapolis North High School, Minneapolis | Eastern Kentucky | |
| 1989 | Tom Conroy | DeLaSalle High School, Minneapolis | Northeastern Illinois | |
| 1990 | Chad Kolander | Owatonna High School, Owatonna | Minnesota | |
| 1991 | Joel McDonald | Chisholm High School, Chisholm | St. Cloud State | |
| 1992 | Bret Yonke | Eagan High School, Eagan | Northwestern/St. Cloud State | |
| 1993 | Skipp Schaefbauer | Elk River High School, Elk River | East Carolina/Illinois State | |
| 1994 | Sam Jacobson | Park High School, Cottage Grove | Minnesota | Jacobson was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1st round with the 26th pick of the 1998 NBA draft. |
| 1995 | Robert Mestas | Minneapolis Roosevelt High School, Minneapolis | Miami (OH) | |
| 1996 | Mitch Ohnstad | Faribault High School, Faribault | Cal Poly/Minnesota | |
| 1997 | Khalid El-Amin | Minneapolis North High School, Minneapolis | Connecticut | El-Amin was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the 2nd round with the 5th pick (34th overall) of the 2000 NBA draft. |
| 1998 | Darius Lane | Totino-Grace High School, Fridley | Seton Hall | |
| 1998 | Joel Przybilla | Monticello High School, Monticello | Minnesota | Przybilla was drafted by the Houston Rockets in the 1st round with the 9th pick of the 2000 NBA draft. |
| 1999 | Nick Horvath | Mounds View High School, Mounds View | Duke | |
| 2000 | Adam Boone | Minnetonka High School, Minnetonka | North Carolina/Minnesota | |
| 2001 | Rick Rickert | Duluth East High School, Duluth | Minnesota | Rickert was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2nd round with the 26th pick (55th overall) of the 2003 NBA draft. |
| 2002 | Stephen King | Academy of Holy Angels, Richfield | Ohio | |
| 2003 | Kris Humphries | Hopkins High School, Minnetonka | Minnesota | Humphries was drafted by the Utah Jazz in the 1st round with the 14th pick of the 2004 NBA draft. |
| 2004 | Spencer Tollackson | Chaska High School, Chaska | Minnesota | |
| 2005 | Travis Busch | Mounds View High School, Mounds View | Cal Poly/Minnesota/Colorado State | |
| 2006 | Isaiah Dahlman | Braham High School, Braham | Michigan State | |
| 2007 | Blake Hoffarber | Hopkins High School, Minnetonka | Minnesota | |
| 2008 | Jordan Taylor | Benilde-St. Margaret's School, St. Louis Park | Wisconsin | |
| 2009 | Royce White | Hopkins High School, Minnetonka | Minnesota/Iowa State | White was drafted by the Houston Rockets in the 1st round with the 16th pick of the 2012 NBA draft. |
| 2010 | Kevin Noreen | Minnesota Transitions School, Minneapolis | West Virginia | |
| 2011 | Joe Coleman | Hopkins High School, Minnetonka | Minnesota | |
| 2012 | Siyani Chambers | Hopkins High School, Minnetonka | Harvard | |
| 2013 | Quinton Hooker | Park Center Senior High School, Brooklyn Park | North Dakota | |
| 2014 | Tyus Jones | Apple Valley High School, Apple Valley | Duke | Jones was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 24th pick of the 2015 NBA draft and traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves on draft night. |
| 2015 | JT Gibson | Champlin Park High School, Brooklyn Park | Omaha | |
| 2016 | Amir Coffey | Hopkins High School, Minnetonka | Minnesota | Coffey went undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft but later signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. |
| 2017 | McKinley Wright IV | Champlin Park High School, Brooklyn Park | Colorado | |
| 2018 | Tre Jones | Apple Valley High School, Apple Valley | Duke | Jones was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs with the 41st pick (2nd Round) of the 2020 NBA draft. |
| 2019 | Matthew Hurt | John Marshall High School, Rochester | Duke | |
| 2020 | Jalen Suggs | Minnehaha Academy, Minneapolis | Gonzaga | Suggs was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the 5th pick in the 1st Round of the 2021 NBA draft. |
| 2021 | Chet Holmgren | Minnehaha Academy, Minneapolis | Gonzaga | Holmgren was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 2nd pick in the 1st Round of the 2022 NBA draft. |
| 2022 | Braeden Carrington | Park Center Senior High School, Brooklyn Park | Minnesota |
| 2023 | Nasir Whitlock | DeLaSalle High School, Minneapolis | Lehigh |
| 2024 | Jackson McAndrew | Wayzata High School, Plymouth | Creighton |

## Most winners

By university :
| Number | University |
| 20 | Minnesota |
| 4 | Duke |
| 2 | Cal Poly |
| 2 | Gonzaga |
| 2 | St. Cloud State |
| 1 | Augustana (SD) |
| 1 | Colorado State |
| 1 | Connecticut |
| 1 | Creighton |
| 1 | Dayton |
| 1 | East Carolina |
| 1 | Eastern Kentucky |
| 1 | Harvard |
| 1 | Illinois State |
| 1 | Iowa State |
| 1 | Lehigh |
| 1 | Marquette |
| 1 | Miami (OH) |
| 1 | Michigan State |
| 1 | Minnesota State |
| 1 | Montana State |
| 1 | Nebraska |
| 1 | North Carolina |
| 1 | North Dakota |
| 1 | Northeastern Illinois |
| 1 | Northwestern |
| 1 | Ohio |
| 1 | Omaha |
| 1 | Seton Hall |
| 1 | South Dakota State |
| 1 | Western Kentucky |
| 1 | West Virginia |
| 1 | Wisconsin |
By high school :
| Number | High school |
| 6 | Hopkins High School |
| 4 | Minneapolis North High School |
| 3 | Mounds View High School |
| 2 | Minnehaha Academy |
| 2 | Park Center Senior High School |
| 2 | Prior Lake High School |
| 2 | DeLaSalle High School |
| 2 | Champlin Park High School |
| 2 | Apple Valley High School |
| 1 | Academy of Holy Angels |
| 1 | Bemidji High School |
| 1 | Benilde-St. Margaret's School |
| 1 | Bloomington Jefferson High School |
| 1 | Braham High School |
| 1 | Chaska High School |
| 1 | Chisholm High School |
| 1 | Coon Rapids High School |
| 1 | Duluth Central High School |
| 1 | Duluth East High School |
| 1 | Eagan High School |
| 1 | Elk River High School |
| 1 | Faribault High School |
| 1 | Hibbing High School |
| 1 | Irondale High School |
| 1 | Lake City High School |
| 1 | Minneapolis Roosevelt High School |
| 1 | Minnesota Transitions School |
| 1 | Minnetonka High School |
| 1 | Monticello High School |
| 1 | Owatonna High School |
| 1 | Park High School |
| 1 | St. Louis Park High School |
| 1 | Totino-Grace High School |
| 1 | Waseca High School |
| 1 | Wayzata High School |