Hardwood Classic: Sunday Standouts (Part I)
2020 AJ Coons, 6’6 G/F (Iowa Barnstormers 15U)
He’s definitely a stock-riser after his showing this weekend with the 15U champion Iowa Barnstormers. Coons was flashing an improved ability to put the ball on the deck, and looked a bit quicker than when we saw him last, even showing some blow-by ability. He was hitting from deep, and has the size and length to certainly be disruptive defensively. He’s a D1 prospect.
2018 Jalen Lewis (MO), 5’11 PG (Team Rush 17U)
He was maybe the best shooter I saw this weekend, which is easy to say when you see a kid can eight triples in one game. That’s what Lewis did in the Elite 8 during a win over the Iowa Barnstormers. He’s a point guard, who does a nice job of probing the defense and setting his teammates up. But when you’re hot, you’re hot.
2018 Yor Anei (KS), 6’9 PF (Team Rush 17U)
He just looks like a high-level hoops player, and that great size and length make him extraordinarily dangerous on the defensive end. He racked up what must have been at least six blocks in the Elite 8 game we saw, and he moves very well laterally for a big-man. Though he wasn’t needed much offensively, his presence on the defensive end alone made him one of the more impactful players I saw this weekend.
2018 Ronnie Bell (MO), 6’1 G (Team Rush 17U)
A quick and athletic lead guard from Park Hill in Missouri, Bell was both a supremely talented ball-handler and a highly effective shooter off the bounce. He was especially sensational in a Team Rush win over Iowa Barnstormers in the Elite 8, and looks to be a sure-fire D1 guard.
2018 Joey Hauser (WI), 6’8 SF (Iowa Barnstormers 17U)
The best player I saw this weekend, and heck, maybe the best player I’ve seen this entire offseason. Hauser committed to Marquette shortly after the tournament ended. The Golden Eagles are getting a big and skilled forward, who shoots it just as well as he exploits smaller defenders in the paint. There’s really nothing this versatile Wisconsin product can’t do. It won’t be long before he’s a star in the college hoops arena.
2018 Joe Wieskamp, 6’6 G/F (Iowa Barnstormers 17U)
Like Hauser, there’s really not a lot that this big wing can’t do. Wieskamp has been known in the past for his shooting ability, but when his shot’s not dropping, he’s just as effective as putting the ball on the deck and attacking the rim. He’s able to take defenders off the bounce, and finish through defenders at the hoop. Also, like Hauser, it won’t be long before Wieskamp is a star in the world of college hoops.
2020 Even Brauns, 6’8 PF (Iowa Barnstormers 15U)
There’s a very high ceiling with this big and springy rising sophomore. And when we saw him sky above the rim for a monster slam and do it while getting fouled in the 15U Final 4, it was just another bit of reassurance that this Iowa City Regina product is one of Iowa’s best young talents.