While Faribault’s Ryan Kreager showed off his skills, Mankato East senior Lucas Gustafson stole the show on opening night of the tour.

Dates at Williams Arena, the home arena of the Gophers basketball teams, were initially blocked off in case of an opportunity to host the NCAA women’s basketball tournament.

At the Breakdown Big Stage at Hopkins, seven of the 14 teams scheduled to compete in the event ranked in the latest Strib Varsity Minnesota Top 25 ranking.

From goal scorers on the ice to shooters in basketball gymnasiums, these seven athletes are big contributors for their high school teams.

The Strictly x Strib Varsity Tour, the centerpiece of a new partnership with Strictly Bball, kicks off Thursday and will feature 20 of Minnesota’s top basketball teams.

The top squads are riddled with talented players, some back from last season and others who transferred from other schools.

Top recruits Christian Wiggins (Iowa State), Nolen Anderson (Gophers) and Cedric Tomes (Gophers) highlight the list of the 15 best players in Minnesota.

Strib Varsity livestreams: Hockey and basketball games galore to go with your feasts and leftovers.

Cedric Tomes and Nolen Anderson signed with the U. Among others making it official were Christian Wiggins (Iowa State), JoJo Mitchell (St. Thomas) and Jayden Moore (North Dakota).

Committed to the Gophers for basketball, Cedric Tomes fought back from a broken finger to quarterback East Ridge into the second round of the Class 6A playoffs.