Ai’Jhon Douglas
St. Paul Harding • basketball
Douglas got over his “hatred” of the hardwood and added hoops to his football career as a freshman.
Halfway through that season, he earned a varsity promotion.
“He loved to compete that much,” Knights coach Stephen Solaja said. “His junior season, he really became a leader for us.”
As a senior, Douglas led the Knights to a historic first state tournament appearance by playing tough defense and hitting big shots. He averaged 17.1 points per game, 19 on the road against St. Thomas Academy for the Class 3A, Section 3 championship.
“He came into our huddle when we were down by eight,” Solaja said. “He always had that ‘it’ factor and the leadership in that game will possibly allow him to go down as the No. 1 player in Harding’s history.”
Erma Walker
Hopkins • basketball
This 6-1 sophomore forward proved to be more than Maple Grove could handle inside and Hopkins won its ninth state title — a Minnesota girls basketball record — as a result. Walker had her way in the paint throughout the Class 4A girls basketball championship game, scoring a game-high 28 points on 13-for-15 shooting and grabbing eight rebounds. “I just basically told my kids they didn’t have an answer for her,” Royals coach Tara Starks said. “Erma is strong, so you’ve to put a strong physical body on her.”
