Ten Best: Hopkins vs Woodbury
Be very afraid Minnesota, Hopkins looks for real once again. They beat Wayzata on Friday and then completely controlled Woodbury the next afternoon. NHR was there and here is what we saw. The MVP. Ken Novak Jr. The last time…
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Continue ReadingBe very afraid Minnesota, Hopkins looks for real once again. They beat Wayzata on Friday and then completely controlled Woodbury the next afternoon. NHR was there and here is what we saw.
The MVP. Ken Novak Jr. The last time I watched this team this was a Hopkins I did not recognize. They barely defeated a Sioux Falls Washington team that had zero business even competing with them. I’ve watched Hopkins not only from the stands for years, but from the opposing bench. They’ve beaten teams I’ve been a part of so many times it’s hard to not have a feeling of wanting a Royal loss. But that feeling never gets too deep because I’ve had so much respect for the way Ken Novak coaches his team.
When I saw the Royals against Washington I saw a team that didn’t defend hard, a team that took a load of dumb shots, and a team that didn’t play together. They did not play with toughness and the guards did not let their frontcourt see the ball.
That all changed recently when Coach Novak went to more of a two big man look with a lot of high-low looks between the trio of Simon Wright (17 points and 9 rebounds), Joseph Hedstrom (three scores and two assists), and Zeke Nnaji (18 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 assists). Woodbury did not have the size or talent to do anything with the touches that these three players were getting one another. From there the guards got into the act with space to work.
And defensively this team played so much tougher and with more discipline. This is a team to fear and the way they played this weekend they could make a run. Could they win it? They have a lot more to prove before that is talked about. But this team had a look of a state semi-final squad.
The Offensive MVP. Ball Movement. Okay I did it again. Went against the way this article is supposed to go. But I can’t pick one guy when the real winner on offense was the way Hopkins moved the basketball. I stopped counting at 24 assists on their first 30 baskets. And everybody was involved. Big and small.
Ishmael El-Amin scored his 22 points but also had six assists. This was one of the most veteran games I’ve seen Ishmael play. Simon Wright and Zeke Nnaji each had four. Anthony Davis was the real champion of ball movement recording nine assists with 16 points. Anthony seems to be improving in every way and the latest I’m seeing is the way he moves the ball with kick-outs, ball rotations, and transition pushes.
The Defensive MVP. Simon Wright. Simon had his 17 points, nine rebounds, and four assists but his greatest contribution was holding Michael Jones to 5 of 16 shooting. Wright made Jones go over the top his well-positioned length every time. Simon fought over every screen, battled to position every time, and raced back to get ahead of Jones every time.
The Best Underclassmen. Zeke Nnaji. This is what I envisioned when I first saw Zeke play last April in Iowa as a 15 year old. Dominating the glass with quick bounce and effort to the board, intelligent ball movement and decision making, and high percentage finishing. Zeke made 9 of 15 shots for his 18 points. He grabbed 15 boards. Passed for four assists. Great game.
Top Under the Radar Performance. Jake West. The Woodbury Royals got beaten quite soundly in the second half but that doesn’t take away from a strong performance from West. Jake knocked out a pair of threes and then attacked the basket for the rest of his 22 points. Also led his team with five assists. West has a solid attacking step but it’s his strength that allows him to stay on balance and use his body control to finish.
Top Prospect. Nnaji. I think it will be Zeke. He will definitely be the highest ranked in his class in relation to the others guys and there classes. Ishmael El-Amin (Ball State) and Simon Wright (Elon) are both top ten level guys, Blaise Beauchamp is a top ten level (or better) frosh, and Anthony Davis is a top 10-12 level junior and Michael Jones is starting to play to that level it seems as well. But Nnaji’s agility and size put him in the top three of his class and I think he will stay there.
Top Stat. Nolan Glunz. Nolan is a role playing worker for Woodbury who I loved watching work hard. He didn’t make a shot and didn’t try many but he defended hard and oh yeah, he collected ten rebounds. A team high. All about effort.
Top Storyline Going Forward. Hopkins Turning the Corner. Again, who really wants to play this team right now? Armstrong has been playing really well. Cooper shocked everybody last year beating Wayzata. Wayzata has been the section’s most consistent team. But the way Hopkins played this weekend beating Wayzata and Woodbury has grabbed the attention of all.
Other. Michael Jones. Michael did not have his best game but the talent was still evident. Jones knocked out four threes scoring his 21 points with seven boards. Michael made seven of ten foul shots and sunk four treys but had trouble scoring consistently. That said the talent is evident.