Battle: Scott’s Friday Standouts
The PrepHoops Battle at the Lakes kicked off action on Friday! We were at Colin Powell Center for the first night of games. Check out Scott’s Standouts from the first night of play in Minneapolis!
PF Kyle King (Tri City Thunder 17U)
King is Mr. Consistency! The skilled four man just knows how to play the game and gets stuff done. King is out of St. Charles North High School where he is coming off a good junior campaign. What you have to like about him is he knows exactly what kind of player he is and relishes playing in the post. He is physical with his back to the basket. Great footwork with his use of spins, fakes, and hesitation keeping the defense off balance. Can also use power to score with grit through opposing bigs. Handles it well from the high-post and in. King can shot fake and go around his man. While not the most explosive athlete he has a knack for getting on the offensive glass. Really rebounds well for his size at 6’5” by playing with a high motor and tenacity. King finished with 17 points. High level D3/NAIA prospect.
PG Lucye Patterson (Minnesota Fab 17U)
This was my first time seeing this 2020 prospect playing up on the 17U level. I came away very impressed with the young combo guard. At 6’1” Patterson is a baby faced scorer! He is crafty getting in the lane and uses his strong body to finish well at the cup. Consistently got in the paint drawing contact and finishing. His jump shot wasn’t falling, but he shoots a good ball mechanically. Liked how he was aggressive on the glass for his size. He should grow a couple more inches in the next few years and become a coveted combo guard at the college level. Patterson had 15 points.
C George Conditt (Team RWA 17U)
Conditt continues to see his stock rise! The 6’10” center out of Corliss High School was a relative unknown just a month ago. Now he is one of the most talked about prospects in recruiting circles from low-majors all the way up to high-major schools. He has a long and lanky frame with broad shoulders. He is extremely thin still, but does have the frame where he can add strength on. Conditt runs the floor with extreme fluidity. He was a beast beating his opponent down the floor for transition dunks on Friday night. Long strides allow him to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. Offensively he is most comfortable facing up and attacking. Can handle it a little getting to the rim in a couple strides. Jump shot was off early, but he got it rolling later in the game with a wing three and a pull up jumper. Quality moves in the post, but lacks the strength to finish sometimes. Rebounded well using his go go gadget arms to snatch boards out of others hands. Defensively he is a monster. His length allows him to contest and even block three point shots. Changes the game as a rim protector down low too. Conditt is a mid-major prospect now that has the arrow pointing up! He finished with 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 blocks.
SF Kani Acree (Team RWA 17U)
Acree didn’t score a ton, but we came away impressed with his all-around game. The Carbondale 6’4” small forward is a well-built wing with quality athleticism. Hit a sweet runner on a spin move in the paint early. He was cold shooting it from the field as he couldn’t get his jumper to fall. Didn’t let that negatively affect his effort in other areas. He rebounded at a high rate winning several boards in contested situations. Passed it maybe the best we have ever seen him making crisp dishes on point for assists. When his team needed him most in the second half Acree stepped up. He got a rebound out of his area for a put back. Hit a tough jumper and made some nice plays on the defensive end late. Acree had 9 points and 8 rebounds. Needs to be on the D1 radar.
SF Preston Maccoux (Wisconsin Shooters 17U)
Maccoux did everything he could to keep the Shooters in the game against Team RWA. The 6’5” small forward was lights out shooting it from the perimeter. He was locked in on threes off the catch. When spotting up he was ready to let it fly every time it touched his hands. Moves well without the ball as he showed getting open for threes and on a couple back cuts. More than just a shooter he had a few nice attacks from the high-post. Maccoux would be worth consideration at the D2 level.
F Raekwon Drake (Team Rose 17U)
Drake has made great strides in his game over the last year. The Orr 2018 forward is an uber athlete just like he has been since the first time we ever evaluated him. What has impressed us the most is the progression in his perimeter game. Before he was looked at as more of an undersized power forward that relied on his freakish athleticism. His skill level has greatly improved in the last 12 months. That was seen during the high school season and continued into the spring. His jump shot is very consistent from 15 feet and can stretch it out to three on occasion. Drake can now handle it with more ease attacking off the bounce from the perimeter. This is in addition to the elite motor that he plays with. Nobody in the state plays harder than Drake. He rebounds outstanding in traffic and is a tough defender. His second jump to the offensive glass is a major weapon. He went for 18 points. Mid-majors and low-majors should look into him ASAP!
F Messiah Jones (Butler Elite 17U)
Jones is a 6’5” forward out of Simeon that is starting to show more combo forward skills. He is an elite level athlete that is great getting on the offensive glass using his quickness around the hoop to finish at the rim. Second jump is outstanding. Early in the game it seemed like he was forcing things on the offensive end going up against many of his friends on Team Rose. He settled into the game and made some plays. Hit a couple jumpers from mid-range. Had a sweet attack from the high-post that he converted with a slam. Passed it well when facing up. Jones had 6 points and 10 boards. Mid-majors and low-majors should look at him with his athleticism, ability to board, and skill development.
SG Kenyon Duling (Butler Elite 17U)
Duling is kind of the unsung player on Morgan Park. He is a physical 6’2” wing that brings a lot of toughness and power to the table. The 2018 prospect certainly made his impact felt against Team Rose. He got after it on the defensive end with his nonstop motor. Wouldn’t let opposing wings feel comfortable. Got out for a couple transition scores. Rebounded well. His three point shot was on. He can hit it, but at times is streaky. It was on point in this game as he hit a trio from deep. Duling went for 21 points in the Butler Elite win.