Can the Gophers find a dominant inside player in the Land of 10,000 Big Men?

Thank you for checking out Basketball Across Minnesota, my weekly look at some of the state's top hoops stories, from preps to pros. — Marcus Fuller

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The Big Ten is stacked with something first-year Gophers men's basketball coach Ben Johnson is missing in his program right now: a dominant inside presence.

Johnson need not look far to find one. They've been popping up right in his backyard — in the Land of 10,000 Big Men.

Two of Minnesota's most intriguing center prospects squared off Wednesday night, when Park of Cottage Grove played Holy Family. Fans were treated to a Big Ten-like frontcourt battle with 6-9 senior Pharrel Payne vs. rising 6-11 junior Boden Kapke.

It was a glimpse into the future, especially since both players can picture themselves matching up with the bruisers in the Big Ten. Payne is already signed with the Gophers, and they have Kapke in their recruiting sights, too.

"I wish I could speed up the time," said Payne, who had 24 points and 17 rebounds in Park's 68-50 victory over Holy Family. "I look forward to getting out there and making a name for myself against those big players. Showing the Big Ten what I've got to offer."

Payne is another in a long line of talented big men to come from Minnesota high schools, going back to the days when the Gophers were Big Man U, keeping in-state stars such as Hibbing's Kevin McHale and Lake City's Randy Breuer at home.

This year's projected No. 1 pick in the NBA draft could be another tall talent from Minnesota: 7-1 Gonzaga freshman Chet Holmgren, last year's national high school player of the year at Minnehaha Academy.

Holmgren is likely to make it three consecutive years for a big man from Minnesota to hear his name called in the NBA draft, following Hopkins' Zeke Nnaji (No. 22 overall) and ex-Cretin-Derham Hall and Gophers star Daniel Oturu (No. 33) in 2020 and Cristo Rey Jesuit's Jericho Sims (No. 58) last summer.

"We're one of the best states for making bigs," Payne said. "It's a thing to be proud of."

After recovering from a hip injury and making his season debut last month, Payne averaged 20 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks. But other frontcourt prospects in the area have thrived as well.

Kapke, who has highs of 43 points and 22 rebounds this season, is making a strong case to be the top big man in the state's 2023 class. His father, Dan, is a former Iowa and Wisconsin football player; the Gophers' new staff gave Boden his first Division I scholarship offer in October.

"That was really cool," Kapke said. "I remember I was excited that day being around my friends and family. But then I just had to calm myself down. I have to keep working because this is just the beginning."

Iowa, Xavier and Wake Forest have offered in the last month, and Kapke could see his recruitment skyrocket this summer. He trains weekly with Al Harris from D1 Minnesota, which has pumped out high-profile big men recently: Nnaji at Arizona, Sims at Texas, Matthew Hurt at Duke, Dawson Garcia at North Carolina (previously Marquette), Treyton Thompson with the Gophers, and Nate Reuvers, Steven Crowl, Tyler Wahl and Ben Carlson at Wisconsin.

"I can bring versatility being able to do multiple things, like be strong in the post and stretch the floor from three," said Kapke, who had 16 points, including two threes vs. Park. "But my size is obviously what would help playing for Minnesota or in the Big Ten. That's what [the Gophers] see in me."

A combination of size and skill turned Holmgren into a household name. You could argue that he and fellow Minnesotan Ayoka Lee at Kansas State are the best frontcourt prospects in men's and women's college basketball this year.

Lee, a 6-6 junior from Byron, is one of the leading scorers in Division I women's hoops. She broke the NCAA single-game scoring record with 61 points last month.

Lee wasn't a well-known talent coming out of high school, but her younger brother is part of the next crop of talented post players from Minnesota far from under the radar.

Totino-Grace 6-10 senior Ahjany Lee had a Kansas and Gophers offer at one time, but he's staying home to play for St. Thomas. The Gophers have invited several 2023 class targets to games this season, including Kapke and Lakeville North 6-10 forward Nolan Winter, the son of former Gophers center Trevor Winter.

Kapke, Winter and others will be battling each other at the high school level again next season. But Payne doesn't have to wait much longer before he's testing himself against formidable centers in the Big Ten.

Fuller's Five

Five Minnesotans who stood out this week:

Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga

The 7-foot freshman sensation is proving why he's one of the best NBA prospects in the world, recently putting up 20 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and five blocks in beating BYU 90-57.

David Roddy, Colorado State

The 6-5 Minneapolis native hit the game-winning shot to cap a 22-point performance in a 58-57 win over San Diego State last Friday, and followed up with 29 points in beating Nevada 82-72.

Tre Holloman, Cretin-Derham Hall

The future Michigan State point guard led the Raiders to eight wins in 10 games, including a triple-double of 13 points, 14 rebounds, and 15 assists Saturday in a 67-50 victory over East Ridge.

Tessa Johnson, St. Michael-Albertville

In one of the biggest recent girls' basketball matchups, Johnson's 27 points helped the Class 4A, No. 5 Knights hold off No. 7 Wayzata and Gophers recruit Mara Braun in a 80-76 victory Tuesday night.

Maya Nnaji, Hopkins

The 6-4 McDonald's All-American and Arizona recruit scored 30 and 29 points in victories against Edina (75-42) and Eden Prairie (76-58), maintaining the Royals' undefeated record vs. in-state opponents.

Statistically speaking

4 – Lehigh women's basketball team has six Minnesotans, including its top four scorers.

6 – Number of Minnesotans on North Dakota State's roster, including leading scorer and rebounder Rocky Kreuser (Totino-Grace), who had 28 points Monday in defeating South Dakota 76-74.

19 – First national ranking since 2016 for the Florida women's basketball team led by interim head coach Kelly Rae Finley, who is from Edina.

500 – Career victories reached for Cambridge-Isanti boys coach Mike McDonald and Ashby boys coach John Holsten.

1,000 – Gophers recruit Mallory Heyer reached the rebounding milestone last week and also became Chaska's career leading scorer in a 73-47 win vs. Cooper.

Games to watch

Chaska at Benilde-St. Margaret's girls, Friday, 7 p.m.

Sophomore standout Olivia Olson, who averages 21 points for B-SM, tries to give Class 4A, No. 3 Chaska and senior star Mallory Heyer their first loss in the Metro West Conference.

North Dakota State at St. Thomas men, Saturday, 7 p.m.

The Tommies have lost eight consecutive Summit League games, but they've been more competitive at home. The Bison bring six Minnesotans home, including White Bear Lake's Rocky Kreuser.

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