Each year there are plenty of uncommitted local boys’ high school basketball players looking for their next place to continue their studies and playing. This is one of the primary reasons why the Twin Cities Senior Expo was put together shortly after the high school season ends.
Minneapolis North was the site last week of this year’s Expo—17 players from six Minneapolis City Conference schools, five St. Paul City Conference schools, and several private schools in the area along with some from the inner ring suburbs — 43 in total scrimmaged and networked in front of invited college coaches March 25.
“There’s still plenty of schools recruiting in the spring,” said Expo Co-Founder Alex Conover, a Minneapolis Public Schools teacher and Prep Hoops photographer. He and Jamil Jackson, founder of the Change Equals Opportunity nonprofit and Camden (Henry) boys basketball coach, first tried to hold the event back in the spring of 2020. “But it was the exact week that everything shut down due to Covid in March 2020,” recalled Conover.
Even these days where seemingly prep players are being bypassed by many big schools for older players, getting seen is more important than ever, he continued.
“Yeah, it’s definitely harder than ever for a high school kid to find a spot on a college team,” said Conover. Division I schools are “looking to add a 21-year-old [through the transfer portal] and not so much an 18-year-old.
“So junior college is a great option. It always has been a great option from the affordability standpoint,” he pointed out.
Jackson added that some prep players who are invited to the Expo don’t fully understand the opportunity to give a coach or two a lasting good impression. “I think there’s a lack of us as a whole in the basketball community of getting them to understand what they’re actually doing it for,” he told the MSR. “You should actually absolutely welcome every situation with your best foot forward.
“We have a lot of coaches here who are actually looking for some spots to fill, and not just bench spots,” stressed Jackson. “We invited 80 coaches to be here, and we have 27 that have shown up. We have a good mix from DI JUCO, the DIII JUCO [and] the NAIA.”
Conover said that although it might be ideal to hold the Senior Expo on a local college campus, “I like it here in North Minneapolis just because of the culture.”
Asked if there are any future plans to hold a similar event for local prep girls basketball players who are similarly in need of exposure to college coaches, “I would be open to doing it,” said Conover. “I want it to be done well. I don’t want it to be chaotic or disorganized.
“So, if somebody has all the connections on the girls’ side, I’ll definitely be open to it.”
Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.