Edina Boys’ Basketball Junior Captain Vincent Cronin is a Minnesota top-ranked dunker, Edina’s leading scorer, and a driven, dynamic player on and off the court. 

He averages over 20 points per game and is a dedicated versatile athlete able to play both inside and out. Cronin leads the team through his skills but also through communication and example. 

“He wants to be great, and that’s kind of half the battle,” Edina Boys’ Varsity Basketball Head Coach Jon Bryant said. “It takes a lot of work to be great. You’ve got to put in a lot of time outside of basketball. I know he goes to the gym and shoots outside of our practices, he trains outside of practice, and works on his [physicality]. He wants to play college basketball at the highest level that he can. That’s a big part of his motivation, along with helping us win the game.”

Cronin grew up playing hockey throughout elementary school. When COVID hit and hockey tournaments were cut back, he turned to the Edina Basketball Association.

While other family members, including Cronin’s older brother and dad, played basketball in the past, he was still the one to make the final call to stop playing hockey and fully commit to basketball. 

“There wasn’t really anybody telling me what I should do,” Cronin said. “It’s a decision I came to on my own.”

A year later in seventh grade, Cronin realized he was “bigger and more athletic than a lot of kids,” which pushed him to recognize basketball was something he could excel at.

Working hard on his athletic abilities, both during practices and on his own, set Cronin up for the success he has today. At six feet seven inches, Cronin excels at playing above the rim, possessing an effortless ability to dunk the basketball.

“[The ability to dunk in high school] is not common,” Bryant said. “A lot of times if you’re six-seven in high school, you play around the basket. Vincent is versatile enough to play pretty much anywhere, and his height and athleticism gives him an advantage, especially around the basket, because he can dunk the ball, plays over the top of people, and that’s very helpful for our team. And it also gives him an advantage to block shots and move on the ball.”

Looking to the future, Vincent Cronin’s goal is to continue basketball through college. Courtesy of Brennan Schachtner / @brennansphoto

Even after joining basketball much later than other kids his age, Cronin was able to work hard and make the Edina Boys’ Varsity Basketball team his freshman year. 

“It can be intimidating when you have people on the team that are four or five years older than you,” Cronin said. “But [my teammates] really just embraced me and helped me feel confident in myself, and I’m really grateful for them.”

Cronin described his freshman season as “a lot of ups and downs,” but he was able to stay motivated and improve as he played against older players everyday.

Since beginning high school basketball, Cronin won Lake Conference’s All Conference Award his sophomore year along with now EHS graduate Billy DeMars. This year, Cronin was named as Edina’s only junior captain, alongside senior captain Gus Carpenter.

“He’s always been a leader. I think he leads very well by example. He shows up to practice everyday working hard,” Carpenter said. “On the court he’s very vocal, trying to make sure that we’re in our offensive sets and defensive sets. He’s just a very encouraging teammate who wants to win a lot.”

Throughout his junior year, every morning before school aside from game days, Cronin meets with a trainer to do skills work, including dribbling and shooting.

“I realized it’s something that can separate me from a lot of people that aren’t doing that,” he said. “So this year, I really just started being consistent with morning routines.”

After playing with Edina Basketball Association up until eighth grade, Cronin switched to the Adidas-sponsored Amateur Athletic Union’s 3Stripes Select Basketball (3ssb) circuit, D1 Minnesota. Some of the nation’s best athletes play for AAU, which allows them to travel to various regional and national events during the off-season and compete in front of college scouts. 

To play for D1 Minnesota, athletes need motivation, work-ethic, and dedication.

“Vince is a hard nosed, relentless kind of player… His athletic ability is unmatched. It’s something that is really unseen for a guy like him,” Cronin’s U16 team Head Coach Jonathan Williams said. “He plays well above the rim; it’s just how he attacks the game. He goes and plays every game like it’s his last that he does. You don’t ever have to motivate him to play hard.”

Mindset is another thing that sets a player apart. Even after tough losses, Cronin’s drive to maintain consistency in the gym is noticed by his teammates and coaches.

“One attribute that Vince has that I think a lot of kids can learn from, is he takes a lot of things tough, but he takes it tough in the mindset of how can he improve,” Williams said. “He always wants to know after tough losses, what could he have done better to help his team or get the win. He’s just one of those guys that lives and breathes basketball.”

All the hard work Cronin has put into basketball has been focused on a set of goals he has made for himself.

His two main high school goals include going to state with the rest of his team and individually hitting 1000 points. For the future, his goal is “definitely to play college basketball.” 

“I hope he achieves whatever goals it is and he finds the right fit in the university that fits him on and off the court,” Williams said. “But ultimately, I have no doubt in my mind that Vince will play high-level Division 1 basketball.”

This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on Feb. 19, 2026