BREIANNA CARTER, a 5-9 forward who helped Minneapolis Washburn reach the Class 2A Section 4 championship, will attend Wilberforce University this fall and will be a member of the women’s basketball team at the Historically Black institution.
Carter, who excelled defensively and offensively for the Millers last season, is expected to make an immediate impact at the NAIA Division II school.
SHAHEED CROCKETT was living in a homeless shelter a year and a half ago. Today he is on his way to Montana State University on an academic scholarship.
Crockett, who played wide receiver for Maple Grove’s football team last season, will also play football at Montana State while majoring in civil engineering. He has also written a book.
RILEY DEARRING, a 6-5 guard who averaged 14.5 points per game for Minnetonka High School last season, verbally committed to the University of Wisconsin last month.
Dearring, who played at Hopkins and DeLaSalle before settling at Minnetonka, comes from an outstanding basketball family. His father, Darren Dearring, starred at DeLaSalle, graduating in 1992. His uncle, Micheal Dearring, starred in football and basketball at St. Paul Central, graduating in 1987. Both were Mr. Basketball finalists as seniors.
TAYLOR SMALLER, a 5-9 guard who had an outstanding boys’ basketball career at St. Paul Central before graduating in 2010, is currently deciding his future after completing an outstanding two-year stint at Vermillion Community College.
Smaller, an all-conference performer his senior year, was an NJCAA Third Team All-American after averaging 25 points per game. He was selected to play in the NJCAA All-Star Game in Las Vegas last May.
ESTAN TYLER, the 6-1 guard who led St. Paul Johnson to the 2010 Class 3A state title, will return for his sophomore season at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Tyler played in all but three games last season, starting in 20. He was all-metro and all-state his junior and senior seasons and was named St. Paul Pioneer Press Player of the Year in 2011.
Mitchell Palmer McDonald welcomes reader responses to mmcdon ald@spokesman-recorder.com.
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