Grand Forks Herald area North Dakota Top 10 boys basketball players to watch

Tom Miller, Grand Forks Herald
·2 min read

Dec. 4—The Herald selected 10 players from our coverage area to watch in North Dakota high school boys basketball this season.

Kelby Azure, Hatton-Northwood: The North Dakota State football commitment also gets it done on the hardwood. The 6-foot-4 post was picked as an all-Region 2 choice last year after averaging 13.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

Dane Hagler, North Star: As a 6-foot-4 sophomore last year, Hagler averaged 16.7 points and 4.7 rebounds. He added 78 assists and 72 steals while making 33 shots from long distance.

Zach Kraft, GF Red River: The 6-foot point guard made more 3-pointers than anyone in the Eastern Dakota Conference with 3.62 makes per game. He averaged 15.1 points, 2.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

Mitchell Leas, Rolla: The 5-foot-11 guard has already passed 1,000 career points entering his junior season. A year ago, he averaged 13.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 4.2 steals per game.

Gannon Limke, Hillsboro-Central Valley: The 6-foot-6 forward was an all-Region 2 selection last season after averaging 15.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.9 steals per game. He shot 49.7 percent from the field.

Kyle Odenbach, Thompson: The 6-foot-3 senior was an all-Region 2 choice last year after averaging 14 points and 9 rebounds. Odenbach, who had a 31-point game against Class A Grand Forks Central last year, shot 44 percent from the field.

Paine Parks, GF Red River: The all-state football player and UND football commitment is also one of the state's top basketball players. A year ago, the 6-foot-2 guard was an all-Eastern Dakota Conference pick after averaging 17.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.

Ayden Stainbrook, North Border: The 6-foot-3 small forward led North Border to an 18-3 mark last year. The all-Region 2 choice averaged 15.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

Cade Stein, Dakota Prairie: The all-Region 4 pick last season averaged 21.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.7 steals per game. He made 65 3-pointers and scored at least 34 points in three games, including two games with 8 threes.

Jayden Yankton, Four Winds-Minnewaukan: The all-Region 4 pick averaged 15.7 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the field. He made 54 3-pointers on 36 percent shooting, while adding 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals.