Matthew McCollister has seen what a little bit of success on the basketball court can do for a school and community. He was in his fourth year as head coach at Brooklyn Center in 2018 when the Centaurs reached the state tournament for the first time in 35 years.
"We had people coming to the games I had never seen before," McCollister said. "One guy who hadn't been back to the school in 35 years came to a pep fest and he told me, 'You guys are the reason I came back.'"
Now in his second year as coach of his hometown South St. Paul team, McCollister is seeing some of the same things. He's feeling the excitement building around his young Packers squad, and his players feel it, too.
It's been 50 years since South St. Paul last appeared in a boys' basketball state tournament. The team looks to end that drought this season.
"That's our goal," McCollister said. "Now we have to make the smaller, more attainable goals that help us reach that."
So far, so good. The Packers (7-0) are unblemished and ranked No. 8 in Class 3A by Minnesota Basketball News from Feb. 3. The team has the chance to take command of the conference race with a good week, as Mahtomedi (6-0) is the only other Metro East team starting the week with an unbeaten record.
It's a strong but not completely familiar junior class that has led the Packers' resurgence. The team's core group of players — Alonzo Dodd, Devin Newsome and Shawn West-Zimpel — haven't been together long.
Dodd, a 6-2 guard who averaged 25 points as a sophomore, grew up in West St. Paul and played for St. Paul Humboldt as an eighth-grader. He chose South St. Paul for high school in part because of family ties to the school. He's averaging 21.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and 7.9 assists per game this season.
A 6-2 guard, Newsome arrived in Minnesota as a transfer from Fresno, California. He's averaging 18.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists a game.
Another 6-2 guard, West-Zimpel transferred from North St. Paul and is producing at a clip of 17 points a game.
Add twins Ramontay and Ramontre Harmon, and the Packers have a formidable group of juniors. Senior Marquise Gleb is also a key contributor, generating 11 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists per contest.
Mahtomedi is led by rising sophomore Will Underwood, who is averaging 24 points a game after averaging 7.1 points as a freshman. McCollister is impressed with what he's seen of Underwood and chalks up the guard's improved output to "physical maturity and opportunity."
Sophomore Owen Carlson averages 16 points for the Zephyrs, while seniors Ryan Maule (12.5 points per game) and John Schaefer (10.3 ppg) also contribute.