Faribault junior Ryan Kreager, at 6-10, ducked through the doorway of the visitor’s locker room inside Hill-Murray’s gymnasium in Maplewood and headed to the basketball court.
He’s the fourth-best prospect in the state for the Class of 2026 according to Prep Hoops and is receiving interest from Big Ten, Big East and Big 12 programs, though midmajor Division I colleges are currently pursuing him the strongest.
After tipoff, he wasted little time showing off his arsenal by scoring the Falcons’ first eight points. He finished a left-handed layup on one play and dunked on the next. On one play, he quickly passed the ball after grabbing a defensive rebound, starting another fast break. He sprinted down the court and followed a teammate’s missed layup with a put-back slam.
“He runs and jumps really well, and the overall impact he has on the game is hard to fully quantify,” Faribault coach Eric Hildebrandt said.
Kreager finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds, eight blocks and three steals, his best game of the season, and the Falcons won 64-44. A performance such as this wasn’t always expected of Kreager, who was relatively unknown as a freshman.
“Ryan has gotten so much better every year,” Hildebrandt said. “As he has grown to 6-10, his skill set has grown with him because of a lot of hard work and time in the gym.”
Ryan Kreager says he’s working on improving his ballhanding and shooting range. (Carlos Gonzalez/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Kreager was once slow and not very athletic.
“I never really fit into my body,” he said. “I hadn’t figured that part out. Now I fit into my body better.”
