Prep athletes of the week: Freshman Suggs already among state's top basketball stars

After leading the Class 2A Redhawks to three consecutive victories over Class 4A teams in the Augsburg Tournament last week, it's time to stop couching Suggs' accomplishments in his age — the 6-foot-2 freshman guard is in his third year as a starter — and refer to him simply as one of the best players in the state.

He scored 36 points in an 87-73 victory over Minneapolis Southwest and 26 in a 76-50 victory over Centennial. He posted a triple-double – a career-high 40 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists – in an 86-74 victory over defending 4A champion Hopkins.

"I don't mind," Suggs said of the frequent references to his age. "I take it as a compliment. All my life my father has had me playing up against older competition. If people look at me like I'm a little kid, I just try to show them what I can do."

While Suggs is the object of a growing recruiting war among college coaches, right now his focus is on helping the Redhawks reach their potential.

"It was a fun week," he said. "We played good basketball as a team. We had a really tough December schedule, so this is really great for us moving forward."

The Huskies won the Schwan Cup Silver Division, defeating Holy Family/Waconia, Moose Lake and Rogers, with the junior forward leading the way. Butorac, who has committed to Minnesota State Mankato, scored five goals and added four assists.

The senior goalie, who made headlines last season with a 111-save game in the section playoffs, stopped all 53 shots she faced in leading the Eagles to three consecutive shutout victories en route to the championship of the Burnsville Tournament.

The talented 6-foot-10 senior has led the Panthers to a 7-0 start. Committed to Wisconsin, Reuvers had 51 points, 27 rebounds and eight blocked shots as Lakeville North defeated Armstrong and Benilde-St. Margaret's in the Lakeville North Tournament last week.

REANA SUGGS

The 5-foot-7 junior guard was named MVP of the St. Olaf Holiday Classic, her consistency guiding the Class 4A, No. 1-ranked Royals to three victories. She totaled 50 points as Hopkins defeated Hastings 73-52, No. 2-ranked Eastview 65-60 in overtime and Prior Lake 68-50.

The 6-foot-5 junior forward led the Class 1A, No. 1 Polars to three consecutive victories over ranked opponents. He averaged 17.6 points and 12 rebounds per game, and scored his 1000th career point in a 69-56 victory over Sioux Falls (S.D.) O'Gorman.

JIM PAULSEN