Three area athletes were among 53 boys basketball players named to the Minnesota Mr. Basketball watch list.
The list includes Perham 6-foot-5 forward Finn Diggins, as well as Fergus Falls teammates Dominic Aguilar, a 6-2 guard, and 7-foot post Chance Fazio.
All three are committed to compete in college. Fazio is committed to play basketball at Minnesota State Moorhead, while Aguilar is committed to play basketball at the University of Mary in Bismarck. Diggins is committed to play football at North Dakota State.
Aguilar has averaged 18.6 points per game through the Otters’ first eight games this season. He scored a season-high 30 points against St. Cloud Tech and had 22 points, seven assists and seven rebounds against Brainerd.
As a junior, Aguilar averaged 13.6 points, 5.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds. He shot 39.1% on 3-point tries and 81.8% on free throws.
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Fazio has averaged 18.1 points per game so far this season. He missed Fergus Falls’ game against Brainerd and left their most recent game against Detroit Lakes with a leg injury after scoring five points. He opened his season with 20 points and 12 rebounds against St. Cloud Apollo, and had a season-high 30 points and 16 rebounds against Sauk Rapids-Rice.
Diggins averages 19.4 points through seven games this season. He had a season-high 27 points against Pelican Rapids, put up 26 points, nine rebounds and four assists against Frazee, and had 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists against Hawley.
After going 28-0 last season, the Yellowjackets had a 31-game win streak broken by Barnesville on Jan. 22. They are 5-2 so far this season.
The Yellowjackets and Otters were set to play in the Class 2A, Section 8 championship game last year, but the tournament was canceled in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.
The 53-player watch list also includes 247 sports No. 1 ranked prospect in this year’s recruiting class, 7-foot-1 Chet Holmgren of Minnehaha Academy.
The Mr. Basketball Top 10 will be announced and the end of the regular season and the Final Five finalist will be announced after the state tournament, which concludes April 10.
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Last year’s winner, Jalen Suggs of Minnehaha Academy, is playing at Gonzaga this season and is considered a likely lottery pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Matthew Hurt of Rochester John Marshall, the 2019 winner, is in his second season at Duke. And 2018 winner Tre Jones of Apple Valley was drafted 42nd overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2020 NBA Draft after playing two seasons at Duke.
