Brady Wooley and Nolan Groves are standout basketball players at Orono High School, which is located twenty miles west of Minneapolis.
Both Wooley and Groves were born in Orono, a city with a population of just over 8,000 people that is known less for producing basketball prodigies, and more for its sparse suburban character, abundant wildlife, and the tranquility that its residents are afforded.
“I live on Lake Minnetonka in a very safe neighborhood. Everyone is genuinely happy there,” says Wooley, a highly touted 6-9 forward whose game has drawn comparisons to NBA players like Chet Holmgren and Jon Leuer, who ironically also happen to be from Minnesota.
Wooley’s running mate, Nolan Groves, also likes living in Orono, and he too has cemented himself as one of the premier basketball players in the state.
A 6-4 guard, Groves routinely leverages his brute strength to force his way into the paint and make plays, but he also is a dynamite shooter capable of stretching defenses beyond the suburbs of Orono and into rural Minnesota, figuratively.
“I like to shoot the three-ball if I’m open,” mentions Groves, a three-sport athlete who also participates in football and baseball.
“Out of those three sports, basketball was my least favorite, but then in the third grade a switch flipped, and I’ve loved basketball ever since,” Groves adds.
In the last few years, both Wooley and Groves have matured, their respective arsenals becoming more refined as they grow into their bodies and develop an identity as basketball players.
Wooley says he noticed a major evolution the summer before his freshman season.
At the time, the vertically-gifted Wooley was very thin, but he started dunking with force and regularity, flummoxing opponents who could do little to prevent Wooley from imposing his will and altering the complexion of a game.
“That’s when I realized basketball could really be something for me,” he recalls.
College coaches agreed with the junior’s self-assessment, which is why these days his mailbox is flooded with letters from Division-I programs around the country.
Groves’ ascension didn’t happen until his sophomore year of high school when a teammate suffered an injury, forcing him into a starting role that he never relinquished.
“Getting put into the starting lineup really helped me get better. I ended up starting the rest of the season, and things took off from there,” Groves says.
Now, as juniors, the pair are giddy about the chance to spearhead Orono through the 2023-24 campaign, and hopefully remove the sting from last season’s semifinal loss to DeLaSalle in the state tournament.
“I want to get a state championship,” Wooley emphasizes, the conviction in his voice apparent.
“That’s what I’m focused on at the moment.”
Groves is equally motivated to get back to the Target Center and compete for a title, but he also acknowledges that one of his long-terms goals is to play high-major Division-I basketball and be premed.
“Basketball-wise, I want to go somewhere where there is a winning culture and the opportunity to earn playing time,” Groves says.
“So when I go visit various schools, if it doesn’t seem like they have a winning culture, then I’m not as interested in going there, but if I feel like there’s a buzz around the campus and everyone in the basketball program is locked into the same goal, then that’s a program I want to play for.”
For both Wooley and Groves, the future is undeniably bright.
At the same time, the two don’t take for granted their success, or any future success they will achieve.
“During the summer I was in the gym 3-4 times a day, lifting weights, getting shots up, and eating right. It was all-encompassing,” Groves says.
Explains Wooley:
“When I started to break out as a basketball player, it was because my mentality was centered around getting better every day. I didn’t compare myself to other players. I just focused on myself and put in the work.”
It’s too soon to predict how Orono’s upcoming season, or Wooley and Groves’ careers, will unfold, but one thing is for certain:
We will get an idea when Wooley and Groves commence their junior seasons on November 30th against Hopkins, one of Minnesota’s most renowned basketball powerhouses. QS
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