There’s an intriguing debate going on in Minnesota boys basketball circles this season: Is Christian Wiggins or Nolen Anderson the No. 1 player in the 2026 class?

They’re 1-2 based on different recruiting rankings, which is believed to be the first time teammates were the top two seniors in the state since Jarvis Johnson and Sacar Anim led DeLaSalle to a state title in 2015.

Anderson is the better shooter and Wiggins the better athlete. They could care less about the top ranking.

“We have our days,” said Anderson, who led Minnesota’s No. 1-ranked team, according to Strib Varsity’s Top 25 statewide rankings, with 27 points in an opening win over Prior Lake.

This Trojans tandem is more like a Trojans trio hungry to hunt for back-to-back state titles — and the program’s fourth in six years. Anderson and Wiggins don’t mind sharing the spotlight with senior point guard Isaac Olmstead, a Minnesota Duluth recruit.

“They’ve given up a little statistical glory for team success,” Wayzata coach Bryan Schnettler said. “In the long run, nobody’s going to look back and remember you scored an extra five points per game because you were at a different school. They’re going to remember how good you were as a team and those friendships and relationships.”

In youth basketball, Wiggins and Anderson built a tight, almost brother-like bond while hoisting championship trophies as AAU teammates. That was several years before leading Wayzata to a Class 4A title in March.

Team Tyus, an AAU program sponsored by Apple Valley legend and NBA guard Tyus Jones, featured Wiggins, Anderson and East Ridge’s Cedric Tomes on dominant 13U and 14U club teams. The trio played with D1 Minnesota’s program together the last few years.

Anderson and Tomes both signed with the Gophers in November. And Wiggins signed with Iowa State.

“Being able to see us grow on our basketball journeys and continue to get better,” Anderson said, “It’s just been something special.”

They thought the dream of winning a state championship together would never happen.

Wiggins started his varsity career at Benilde-St. Margaret’s. Anderson started at Eden Prairie. After his freshman year at BSM, Wiggins transferred to Wayzata. He scored 18 points as a sophomore in Wayzata’s state championship game loss to Minnetonka. Anderson was battling injuries but started to make a name for himself at Eden Prairie.

“Having that foundation and chemistry starting from very young … that’s something that propelled us,” Wiggins said. “Playing together as high school teammates is something that’s been crazy with the chemistry and just the talent that we have together.”

Both Anderson and Wiggins are do-it-all perimeter players who can drill shots from long distance, do damage from mid-range and finish strong at the rim.

At 6-feet-8 and still growing, Anderson became a must-get for first-year Gophers coach Niko Medved. His body and frame caught up with his high skill level and on-court intensity.

“Nolen’s competitive spirit is very special,” Schnettler said. “No matter what he is doing, he wants to win. I’m very similar, so I look at that as an awesome thing.”

Anderson led Wayzata with 24 points and 10 rebounds in an 80-55 win over Cretin-Derham Hall in the state final last season at Williams Arena. Wiggins, meanwhile, scored at least 21 points in eight of his final 12 games last season, including 31 vs. Hopkins in a huge section championship win.

“What Christian does best is he plays his best when we need it,” Schnettler said. “The bigger the game, the bigger the moment, the bigger the stage, he has played his best basketball at that time. Whether it’s offensively or defensively, he’s been able to make plays that win you games.”

Wiggins led the Trojans in scoring last season. Anderson assumed that role this year. They both share the leadership role with Olmstead, who was a freshman when Wayzata won the 2023 title.

“Every year, you want to get back to that point,” Olmstead said. “Once you do it a couple times, it becomes the expectation. We know what it takes to get there.”

Anderson and Wiggins, who face their first big challenge Saturday night at Cretin-Derham Hall, will let others decide by season’s end who the best player is between the two Minnesota Mr. Basketball candidates.

They’re only focused on taking the Trojans to a sixth straight championship game. They’re part of state’s No. 1 team until someone knocks them off.

“A lot of teams have us circled on their calendar, and we’re a target,” Anderson said. “We have to kind of have a chip on our shoulder and come together as a team and do it the right way.”

. . .

Basketball Across Minnesota

Fuller’s five

Five Minnesota ballers who stood out:

Isa El-Amin, Minnesota State Moorhead

The 5-foot-11 freshman from Minnetonka scored a game-high 28 points, including the game-winning three-pointer with four seconds left, in a 92-91 win against Minnesota Duluth on Saturday.

Grace Grocholski, Gophers

The 5-10 junior scored 31 points on 11-for-17 shooting from the field, including 9-for-12 shooting from three-point range, in a 100-99 double-overtime loss to No. 7 Maryland.

Max Iversen, Maple Grove

The North Dakota State recruit helped the Crimson blitz DeLaSalle 86-64 in the Big Stage Classic, scoring 26 points and sinking seven of the team’s school-record 21 three-pointers Saturday night.

Mya Moore, Orono

The 5-11 senior combined for 70 points and hit 21 free throws in back-to-back wins last week, including 37 points in an 81-80 win over Wayzata.

Olivia Olson, Michigan

The 6-1 sophomore from Benilde-St. Margaret’s scored a season-high 26 points to go with seven rebounds, five assists and two steals in the Wolverines’ Big Ten-opening 104-56 win vs. Purdue.

Minnesotans in the NBA: Holmgren part of historic start

The Oklahoma City Thunder are only the third team in NBA history to start the season 23-1, which includes the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors.

That was near the beginning of the Warriors’ dynasty.

The defending champion Thunder and Minnesota native Chet Holmgren are building another team capable of multiple titles.

Holmgren, a former Minnehaha Academy and Gonzaga star, is the healthiest he has been in the NBA so far.

And that has turned into a career year for the versatile 7-footer who’s averaging 18.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while shooting 57.5% from the field.

Following wins against Golden State, Dallas and Utah this month, OKC was on a 15-game winning streak and improved to 20-0 this season when Holmgren played.

College team of the week

The Gophers men’s basketball team figured out the best way to end a three-game losing streak.

How about winning in front of a sold-out student section that stormed the Williams Arena raised court Wednesday night after the Gophers upset No. 22 Indiana 73-64?

It was the first Big Ten victory for Medved, who grew up watching the Gophers with his family at the Barn.

Minnesota Top 25 update

Folks can’t stop talking about the atmosphere at Saturday’s Breakdown Big Stage Classic. Standing room-only crowd. Two student sections with a back-and-forth cheer battle. Gophers coaches in attendance. Oh yeah, and the game. No. 2 Hopkins vs. No. 7 Tartan was intense. Too much happened off the court, though. Police called the game off after a fight in the second half. No place for fans who are just looking for trouble. But let’s focus on the game … remember the name K.J. Wilson, a sophomore who helped the Titans lead by 10 points before play was suspended.

Final thoughts ...

I’ve covered all levels of basketball from preps to pros for 20-plus years, but I’ve never seen an ending like the Gophers women falling in double OT. The Terps scored eight points in nine seconds. Failure to handle the full-court press was one thing, but not calling a timeout during that chaos was another. On a positive note, coach Dawn Plitzuweit and company still have 17 conference games left to pick up signature wins.

. . .

Basketball Across Minnesota will be published weekly on stribvarsity.com. Don’t be a stranger on X after reading, as chatting about these stories makes them even more fun to share. Thanks, Marcus (@Marcus_R_Fuller on X).