Comets Shootout: The Sweet 16 (to Watch)
The Sweet 16. That’s what teams are shooting for at the Comets Shootout. Pool games are Saturday, the Sweet 16 is Sunday. And here are 16 players to watch for from each pool.
Pool A. Joseph Hedstrom of Comets Lewis. Hedstrom had a nice finish to the season as Hopkins went to of more of a big line-up utilizing high-lows. How Hedstrom plays on the block with the Comets will be fun to see. Especially with Matt Todd at PG.
Pool B. Both and Duoth Gach of D1 Minnesota. Everybody is asking about the Gach brothers after their exciting state tournament performances. They have definitely moved up the prospect lists but what level are they? Their performances this weekend will be closely watched.
Pool C. Michael Jones of Fury Wilde. Jones moved into position as a D1 prospect and a top ten level player in the junior class this winter. Much attention will be on Jones every game as he will surprise nobody. How will he handle it?
Pool D. Luke Martens of Apple Valley. A year ago Luke was a hard working fifth starter for the Eagles who was good but looked young. Now he’s a top defender in this state and a player that was AV’s second leading scorer. Will he keep being that top defender and a role offensive guy, or will he be a top Select scorer?
Pool E. Bryce Phillips of WOTN. Here is the ball young man, let’s see what you can do. Bryce is a top ten PG in the class, a top 50 prospect. The Nets will give Phillips a chance to excel, let’s see how he manages this solid team!
Pool F. Ely Hendrickson of MN Eagles. Remember that light haired guy that AV used to change momentum of games with his touch? Ely is one of several AV Eagles playing on the Minnesota Eagles. Team will know to find him.
Pool G. Lu’Cye Patterson of Mpls FAB. Patterson is a 15U aged guy but he’s playing up at the 17U level with a team that has freshman, sophomores, a junior, and two or three seniors. They played very well in Arkansas, now they will try and make a run in St. Cloud.
Pool H. Anthony Davis of Powerhouse MN. This is going to be one very motivated player. He has to mix with some really good teammates including Powerhouse returning guys like Markel Aune, Michael Schaefer, and Jarius Cook, but Davis will be heavily motivated to be the defender he is and the improved scorer he is.
Pool I. Trae Steckler of ND Phenom. Bartholomew Ogbu, Josh Kihle, these are the names that people want to watch as Ogbu is a physical/agile beast and Josh is massive and skilled, but Steckler is the guy that won games at times putting his high school team on his back. Steckler can straight go.
Pool J. Steele Senske of Comets Servaty. Steele has serious scholarship potential out of the Fargo area. He also scored 28 a game this winter at Park Christian (MN). What level of prospect is he? Very much looking forward to seeing him this weekend.
Pool K. Josh Sipes of ECI Prospects. Josh is an all around player, and all around worker. Had a solid year for the state runner-up at Century. Can he defend the best at this event? Can he playmake vs the best at this event? He can vs the best in North Dakota, lets see how he does vs Minnesota’s best.
Pool L. Max Bjorklund of Fury Antl. Most underrated, underrecruited, underappreciated player I can think of in this class right now. At least from the pot of players that I know of. Max led a strong Orono team in scoring and I think he will get strong numbers for Fury Antl.
Pool M. Keegan O’Neill of Crossfire Schmidt. The 6-foot-7 skilled Delano player has a unique ability to shoot the ball with range and consistency at his size plus he has a good frame to battle underneath. He and JJ Strumbel will be a good pair.
Pool N. Aaron Smith of Heat Pratt. The St. Anthony product has put up nice numbers and has been a part of a lot of wins in high school. Can he put up those numbers and win at this level? Time to find out.
Pool O. Khari Broadway of MN Phenom. The Park Center sophomore is of course one of the state’s better sophomores and he will be one of the top Phenom weapons this weekend.
Pool P. Isaac Fink of D1 MN Rise. Is Isaac elite? He is likely to be an all time great player in Class A as long as he stays healthy but is this a guy that we are going to be talking about as a top ten sophomore prospect wise in his class? This weekend we start following that close.