Midwest Summer Shootout: Saturday Standouts (Part I)
2019 Casey Fisher, 5’9 PG (Minnesota Heat-Ismail 16U)
He was the best player I saw today in Ames. Granted, this is not a high profile tourney with a litany pf Division I talent, but still, to be the best of this bunch is nothing to scoff at. Fisher is a well-built and athletic lead guard who handles it well and shoots it just as good. He rebounds exceptionally from the guard spot, and has an uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time. Today, he looked like a potential Division II prospect.
2019 Drake Johnson, 5’11 G (Iowa United Select 17U)
We knew a little about him, just based upon quikstats, and he’s currently Iowa’s 83rd-ranked 2019. That could be too low, and we’ll decide more on that tomorrow when we see him again. But his shooting is what separates him from the rest, Johnson shoots with a quick, confident release, and with range. He can score creatively at the rim, and can get up off the ground well.
2018 Dillon Rocha, 6’8 F (Iowa United Select 17U)
A stretch-four who — though his shot was not falling today — was showcasing his ability to shoot from deep throughout my viewing of him. Where he excels more than anything else is defensively, using his height + length + athleticism to deflect balls, and to swat and alter shots. He’s also an adept rebounder. He looked like a D3 or NAIA college prospect.
2019 Jack Peterson, 6′ G (Sioux City Bombers 16U)
We saw this kid play earlier this spring, in April, and came away quite impressed. After a slow start in my viewing of him today, Peterson turned on the jets and showcased just what he could do in the second half. The lead guard with a high basketball IQ was dazzling at times with his scoring and passing en route to a team-high 18 points in a win over Minnesota Nice.
2019 Dillon Harrison, 6’5 G/F (Sioux City Bombers 16U)
He plays high school ball in South Carolina, but resides in Sioux City, presumably with his family, during the summer. So recruiters beware, he’s both a Midwest and Southern prospect. Regardless of where he’s living, Harrison was sensational today, scoring from deep and from inside, using his long and tall frame to get shots off at will. Defensively he came away with a 3-pointer swat in the second half, which really showcased his defensive range nicely.
2019 Bradyn Larson, 5’11 SG (Minnesota Nice 16U)
HE’S ON FIRE! (NBA Jam guy voice): that’s what was going through my head when watching this Owatonna sharpshooter shred the nights Saturday afternoon. He was connecting throughout the game, and, in all, canned six 3s during my viewing, and finishing with a game-high 27 points. It could have been a flash in the pan, but whatever it was, it was the highest scoring output we saw all day.
2020 Jake Hull, 6’3 G/F (Iowa Intensity 16U)
A big and versatile small forward, Hull had a rough-go to start in the game I saw, but when he settled in, it was clear he was the best player on Intensity’s 15U unit. He can hit the deep ball (canned two in my viewing), and is big enough to bang in the paint and get buckets that way. Hull’s ball-handling leaves a bit to be desired, but when he gets that down, watch out.