NY2LA Spring Extravaganza: Saturday’s Top Performers
NHR spent all day Saturday at Hopkins High School and Eden Prairie High School watching Minnesota high school talent compete. What ten players raised their stock the most? NHR has the answer here Jameson Bryan (Warriors/Eastview, PF, 2017). Pound for…
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Continue ReadingNHR spent all day Saturday at Hopkins High School and Eden Prairie High School watching Minnesota high school talent compete. What ten players raised their stock the most? NHR has the answer here
- Jameson Bryan (Warriors/Eastview, PF, 2017). Pound for pound one of the smartest players in Minneapolis this weekend. He’s the type of PG that 95 percent of schools want as their leader. Late in the game Jameson had the game winning steal and he also helped with key rebounds, free throws, and quickly moving rotations for attempts plus made a mid-range jumper against Comets DLR. Easy to see why D2 schools want him at lead guard.
- Kellen Erpenbach (Comets DLR/NYA, PG, 2017). After scoring once all game Kellen had the game winner against Pulley 16U with an acrobatic finish. He then had a finish like that to force overtime in the elite eight (as well as free throws) and a finish late that in overtime. A late game shot maker.
- Chase Grinde (Heat Vang/Spring Grove, SG, 2017). Had a big Friday night and then followed that up with bigs shots all day including the game winner against South Dakota Attack last night. Another stock raiser with his play this week Grinde has scored consistently for the Heat who are in the final four.
- Thunder Heyer (Comets K/Zimmerman, PG, 2017). Love his toughness first off. The 6-foot-1 guard competes. Thunder (who plays for the Zimmerman Thunder) doesn’t waste a motion on the court. No over dribbling, every pass is sharp. Heyer attacks lanes hard and has a good finishing touch. There are schools at the D3 level of hoops who need to see him.
- Trevor Koenig (Comets DLR/St. Cloud Tech, C, 2017). The left handed big has a quick shoulder turn and a lefty finish that the shorter defenders aren’t ready for so he has that advantage plus Trevor is 6-foot-10. Koenig scored five times inside against Pulley plus grabbed a game high nine rebounds. He is quite thin and weight needs to be added (if he plays college basketball, word is Trevor is a good pitcher too) but that size, touch, and ability to get up and down is very rare in this world.
- Ryan Larson (Pulley 16U/Braham, PG, 2018). Ryan has had defenders on their heels all weekend because he is equally as fast going both directions and he’s a better athlete than people realize. Was a key playmaker late in the game again for Pulley and the top creator for his team.
- Alec Loehr (Warriors/Bloom Jefferson, SF, 2017). D1 schools are asking about Loehr and NSIC schools are all hoping they can get this 6-foot-7 who has hit more than 50 percent of his treys this weekend while also scoring on a one dribble attack after a reversal and competing hard guarding players around the basket. Smart player that knows how to position defend and scores his points efficiently. Had a late game block that put his team in the final today.
- Luke Loehr (Warriors/Bloom Jefferson, SF, 2017). Luke has some of the perimeter ability Alec has but is more of the battler/worker around the basket producing results mixing it up. Also a smart and efficient player who has D2 scholarship size at the four spot.
- Robert McClain (Comets K/Red Lake, Wing, 2017). Very long, very athletic, high character, and ultra explosive. Plays PG for his high school team but at this level he’s an attacking wing with hops that rival anybody at the event. ANYBODY. Rob had 17 in his first game including two nasty dunks and in the second game Northern State, Winona State, and U of Mary made there way to see him score nine straight including a leaner in traffic that was the best dunk of the day. That was followed by a top of the square block, an incredible reverse lay-up never breaking stride, and several athletic plays. This is a scholarship kid no doubt and if he was playing high school ball in the metro he would be on a top five Grassroots team and people would be talking “is he D1 maybe with some skill work?” McClain is that athletic.
- Zac Olson (Comets DLR/WEM, SF, 2017). Olson is now a small forward. The transition is complete. Zac has totally transformed him shooting touch as it comes out of his hand beautifully plus he is making the shot with range and consistency. Had 38 games combined in last night’s close games including his game high 17 against Pulley. Olson is now a definite D2 potential prospect after we went through the winter thinking he was a mid-level D3 guy. Great work has been put in plus he is still tough around the basket.
- David Roddy (Pulley 16U/Breck, SF, 2019). The way he moves at his size combined with skill reminds me of Moses Alipate from Bloomington Jefferson years back. Stronger than most but yet so light on his feet and skilled, it seems to make little sense that he has the soft touch and fluid agility he does.
- Sean Sutherlin (Heat Vang/Irdonale, SF, 2017). I feel like every time I had a look at the Heat game Sean was slashing for positive results. He would get past a guy with his first step, hold the guy on his hip/shoulder, finish strong around help defenders.
- John Towner (Comets K/LPBE, C, 2017). Every bit of 6-foot-11 John’s footwork is better than I expected. Somebody has definitely been working with his post moves as they are fairly good and we saw him score five back to the basket post up scores in two games plus finish dump-offs and make six of eight free throws. Better than we expected but still a work in progress.