Breakdown Summer Showcase Mankato
Today in Mankato the Breakdown opened their Summer Series of events and it was Orono that won the highlight event of the day beating New Prague, Mankato East, and Austin.
Orono. Outside of Max Bjorklund nursing a sprained ankle the Spartans had a full squad of talent as they beat all of their opponents by double digit numbers. The Spartans were deeper on their roster than all of their opponents which was a very important piece to their Sunday success.
Point guard Colton Codute did a fabulous job game by game doing exactly what the Spartans needed in each game. In the final Colton was the rebounder his team needed collecting ten. In the semi-final his ball movement led to eight assists plus defensively the six foot strong Orono guard locked up the East lead guards allowing very few quality early entry passes and even fewer good shot attempts. Colton scored a needed nine in the first round and had a team high dozen including a pair of threes in the semi. Colton did whatever his team needed game by game and did all of it being a vocal leader.
High major power forward Jarvis Thomas is one of the most explosive leapers in the nation and against New Prague four of his first five baskets were massive lob dunks. He also had a gorgeous assist and a face-up baseline attack finish. Against Mankato East, Thomas scored 11 in the first half including corner three and a pair of face-up attack finishes for his double-double. Then in the final Thomas had ten points with seven boards.
Griffin Sage stepped into the Max Bjorklund role as wing scorer and did a solid job especially in the last two games. Griffin hit three treys in the semi-final and then had a team high dozen in the final. Eli Sustacek proved to be an excellent worked for the Spartans entering his junior year. Nick Prentice had six assists in the first game, scored nine in the semi-final, and had four boards in the final providing something every game off the bench. Thomas Lecy hit three treys in the semi-final and scored the dagger in the final.
Austin. The Packer 1-2-2 was a menace for opponents especially Delano who couldn’t deal with the Packer length coming at them from every angle. Austin did not have any of their football players (which is half of their roster) because they were at football camp meaning no point guard Tate Hebrink. They did have the explosive dunk show of Moses Issa, Duoth Gach, and Both Gach who all had their big highlights against Eagan and Delano. Duoth had five threes and 17 points in the final while Both did the handling and scored eight plus had a load of deflections. The Packers got to the final but didn’t have the offensive flow to score against Orono who used their zone quite well.
Mankato East. The Cougars had an excellent day beating Marshall and Delano by double figures. That’s a pair of top ten teams next year (at least in the preseason) and the Cougars handled themselves well. Damani Hayes had a huge day as a scorer exploding against Delano for consistent buckets at the rim and he had 18 against Orono. Hayes has developed in a big way as a scorer. His three-point stroke is more consistent and Damani is using his agile and explosive frame to get to the rim and finish plays despite contact. Teams have to guard him with forwards because of the size of Hayes but Damani is too skilled for them using a quick bursting pair of dribbles to get deep. His shot is more consistent, he can finish over the top, and overall Hayes is becoming a more versatile scorer. Scholarship player? Oh absolutely.
Uhana Ochan is the long armed Cougar size who played with a lot of aggression today. When he was mixing it up with opponents it seemed to energize him. For instance, after his little dust up with Jarvis Thomas, Uhana’s defense was better, he had a physical slam in the halfcourt set, and he made three jumpers. Ochan has been described as a raw talent and he’s still got skill work to do but it’s clear those skills are starting to come around. Also, fellow 2018 Edmon Oyet looks to be giving the East Cougars a legit second scoring option on the wing. Oyet had a nice spring on the AAU circuit with Rise and today scored 15 against Orono and had double digits against Delano (not sure on game one). Hit three treys against the Spartans.
Marshall. The Tigers will have a lot of new faces in their line-up this winter and some that are familiar. Trey Lance, the NDSU committed quarterback prospect, is their leader and after a loss to Mankato East they rebounded to beat New Prague (who basically was missing all of their main guys) and then defeated Mankato West. Marshall is not as big as they were but the amount of high court IQ workers will not change. Pulling two wins out of the weekend was a solid accomplishment.
Anoka. The Tornados took a nice step forward this weekend beating a good Fairmont club in the title game plus defeating Glencoe-Silver Lake and Albert Lea in pool play. Anoka was too big for other teams. Monster junior Joseph Lombard completely dominated Glencoe-Silver Lake with his excellent fight and massive frame. Lombard and Jake Phipps had their way inside most of Sunday. Also, guys like Micah Madyun, Addison Ostendorf, and others have solid potential around those bigs. Anoka won seven games last year and I can see them hitting double figures this season.
Fairmont. The Cardinal may have lost to Anoka but this club was 17-10 last year and should be just as tough this winter. Senior guard Sam Schwieger is skilled and tough, and should be their leading guy over the winter. He’s a player that I can see division three schools watching consistently next year. Junior Dustin Schultz can play both forward spots when you consider his size and the way he competes. Mobile kid that can shoot some, can handle some, and is definitely going to get a lot of rebounding numbers and off ball baskets. Derek Missling is 6-foot-6 inside and moves very well plus Nathan Kallenbach plays in the backcourt off of Sam and should score double figure numbers.
St. Peter. The Saints were at one point last year one of the most surprising teams in the state and while there may have been some pitfalls this team brings back two of their top three guys including one of the best 2020 producers in the state in Wyatt Olson (a 6-foot-5 low post player that led his team in scoring) and vocal guard Owen Little who scored ten a contest. Olson has a thick frame, a good touch, and a bag of post moves around the basket. He’s young and will mature to become even better, but he’s tough to deal with now. Little plays with an attitude that can give him an edge at times using his 6-foot-3 frame to play on the perimeter.