Midwest Live!: Friday Standouts
2018 Blake Brinkmeyer, 6’7 C (Kingdom Hoops Elite)
He’s still not as refined in the post as he will be, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a dynamic D1 prospect. You don’t necessarily need a polished skill-set to leap in from nowhere and slam home a put-back jam: that’s what Brinkmeyer first did to grab our attention early in his first game. From there he would swat several shots defensively, and snared quite a few offensive rebounds with his long wing-span. We see why Northern Iowa offered the long and bouncy Valley junior.
2018 Austin Alexander, 6’6 G (Kingdom Hoops Elite)
Any guard who is 6’6 is automatically going to be intriguing to college coaches, and there were tons of them watching as this Atlantic junior put on a shooting clinic in a blowout win over Missouri Combat. Alexander hit his first three deep balls and finished the game with four of them. He’s a smart player who can see over defenders, and yes, he shoots is very well.
2018 Griff Clark, 5’10 PG (Iowa Mavs Purple)
We realize we’re probably starting to sound like a broken record, but Clark, again, was sensational. This is the third weekend in a row we’re seen him play, and he never disappoints. The quick and skilled lead guard was the sole reason his Mavs were close in a game they eventually won against SSA Elite; he was scoring at the rim with blow by ability and from deep. He’s looking a lot like former Valley standout Turner Scott did heading into his senior season — that’s very high praise.
2018 Kyler Bell, 6′ G (Iowa Mavs Purple)
Defensively he was outstanding; with quick feet and great instincts he came alive in the second half of that win against SSA Elite, helping his team to the OT win. His defense led to offense, and his steal and bucket-plus-foul put the Mavs up for the first time in the game late in the first half.
2019 Tyreke Locure, 5’10 PG (MOKAN Elite EYBL)
We were interested to see what his role would be with one of the nation’s best teams, and we quickly found out that it is a big one. He’s in the starting lineup, and he scored 13 points in a blowout win over WOTN; getting it done from deep and at the rim. His handle was tight as usual, we didn’t see any turnovers, and he’s used more as a jump-shooter than we’d have imagined; he put in three triples in the win.
2018 Hunter Strait, 6’2 PG (Team Iowa)
Strait is one of those guys that will always get his, and though he was looking to distribute in his team’s win over Indy Heat, he still notched a game-high 17 points. His jumper wasn’t falling like it was last weekend in Dubuque, but he was getting to the rim at will, and provided a bit of razzle-dazzle with his ball-handling that was getting his peers excited. Division I coaches should be taking notice.
2018 Derrick Diggins, 6’2 G (Team Iowa)
We continue to be impressed with this supremely quick and athletic off-guard. He’s a slasher, and when he’s got a full head of steam, is extremely difficult to stop. His leaping ability is high-level, and he skies for boards on both ends of the floor. When his motor is high, he’s as dynamic of a two-way playmaker as there is in Iowa.
2018 Grant Arnold, 6’4 F (Team Iowa)
He took a charge from an opponent running a fast-break at full speed in his team’s win over Indy Heat, bloodying his lip and earning some toughness points in the process. Prior to that he had already notched three 3s. Arnold was instrumental in his team earning the win over a tough Indiana squad.