- Carter Brown, Duluth Denfeld
Senior | Forward | 6-7
Brown gets the top spot because his production was unmatched among returning area players. He averaged 28.1 points and 13.8 rebounds, shot 57% from the field and scored 51 points against Cloquet in the Section 7AAA tournament. He can score inside, step away from the basket and affect games defensively. Brown was also the Duluth News Tribune’s 2026 All-Area Player of the Year.
- Ray Brau, Hibbing
Senior | Forward | 6-8
Brau enters his senior season with more than 2,000 career points and 1,000 rebounds. He averaged 26 points and 12 rebounds last winter while leading Hibbing to a 20-win season and the Section 7AAA championship game. His size, strength and established post-game have already produced NCAA Division II offers.
- Braxdyn Male, Esko
Junior | Guard | 6-1
Male may be the area’s most interesting younger player. He became Esko’s primary scorer as a sophomore, earned first-team All-Polar League recognition and was named the Pine Journal’s All-Area Player of the Year. Male scored 33 points twice against strong competition, including a six-3-pointer performance in a 70-41 victory over Cherry. He combines strength, perimeter shooting and the ability to finish through contact.
- Sawyer Senst, Hermantown
Senior | Forward/center | 6-6
Senst averaged 15.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and more than one blocked shot per game last season. He gives Hermantown a physical interior presence and is one of the area’s most imposing multisport athletes. Senst’s senior season will be particularly interesting because Hermantown returns nearly its entire rotation after enduring a demanding schedule with a young team.
- Noah Schulz, Hermantown
Sophomore | Guard/forward | 6-4
Schulz is my provisional fifth choice because of his extraordinary production as a freshman. He averaged 13.7 points and 4.8 rebounds while making 57 3-pointers. He also contributed 2.5 assists, one steal and one blocked shot per game. A normal sophomore progression could make him one of northeastern Minnesota’s most complete young players.
The strongest challengers for the fifth position appear to be Hermantown guard Ben Sundland, Duluth East forward Simon Winkels, Grand Rapids guard Gavin Wegwerth and Hibbing guard Jack Bottoms.
Brown deserves No. 1 based on last season’s complete body of work. Brau might be the more conventional college prospect because of his size, but Brown had slightly better production and the defining 51-point playoff performance. Male belongs ahead of Senst because he was already Esko’s go-to scorer and an all-area player as a sophomore.
