Wells Fargo Advisors Shootout Session II Top Performers (Part II)
The second session of the Wells Fargo Advisors Shootout took place this past Saturday, with 14 teams descending upon the US Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids for a day filled with quality basketball. We’re taking a look at 14 of the standouts from the event in two parts. Below are the final seven standouts.
Cole Martin (Linn-Mar) – 12 points (5-5 FG, 2-2 3P), one rebound, one steal
Some Iowa Conference school is going to be very happy to add Linn-Mar’s backup point guard to their program. He’s as steady as they come, values possessions, sets up his teammates, defends, gets on the floor for loose balls and can score when the opportunity presents itself. He’s a great leader on the floor and will be a welcome addition to whichever school is able to add him.
Trey Hutcheson (Linn-Mar) – 19 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three blocks, one steal
The 6-6 junior wing stuffed the stat sheet about as well as we’ve seen him at the high school level. He’s always going to score, but it was the assists and blocks that stood out in Linn-Mar’s win over Western Dubuque. He showed great court vision, setting up teammates for easy looks after his dribble penetration was cut off. And he showed himself to be a solid rim protector against smaller lineups as a good help defender.
Van Rees (Sioux City East) – 19 points (6-9 FG, 6-7 FT), seven rebounds, two assists
Rees posted a very Van Rees-like performance, efficiently leading his team in scoring and rebounding. He’s adding range to his jumper, knocking down a 3 in the game (just his second attempt of the season, but it looked confident), and any range he can add to that shot is going to be an added bonus because he’s so efficient and competitive around the rim. He’s the perfect Division II big man – a little undersized, but will make up for it by outplaying you and excelling at what he does well.
Derrick Diggins (Cedar Rapids Kennedy) – 12 points (6-10 FG), seven rebounds, three assists, five steals, one block
Diggins was good, but his performance was also a bit frustrating to watch. He was great in the first half, scoring 10 points in the first 16 minutes, and he had a stretch where he completely took over the game, scoring and dishing out helpers during a 14-3 run that gave Kennedy a lead going into halftime. But he only scored two points in the second half, taking only three shots (none in the third quarter). He needed to touch the ball more, and while East was defending him well, we would’ve liked to see more effort to get him the ball. He’s the Cougars best player, and he was the one who would carry them to a win against a great East team.
Kris Murray (Cedar Rapids Prairie) – 15 points (6-10 FG, 3-6 3P), seven rebounds, two steals, two blocks, one assist
Both of the Murray twins were solid in Prairie’s loss to top ranked West, but it was Kris who was more efficient and stuffed the stat sheet a little more. Kris was 6-10 from the floor, including 3-6 from the arc, pulled down seven rebounds and contributed on the defensive end with a pair of blocks and steals. The lefty has a pure stroke from the arc (as does righty twin Keegan), moves really well without the ball and has limitless range. He has great length and moves well on the defensive end.
Patrick McCaffery (Iowa City West) – 24 points (10-13 FG, 4-5 FT), nine rebounds, three blocks
The junior Iowa commit was his usual great self, scoring a game-high 24 points and doing so in a highly efficient manner. He was scoreless in the first quarter, but was dominant in the second half, scoring 18 of his 24 points in the final 16 minutes. He’s a great athlete with incredible length and skill, he covers an unbelievable amount of ground on the defensive end and has plenty of versatility on both ends of the floor. He’ll be the best player on the court nightly, and although he sometimes gets off to slow starts, he’ll always rebound and put up numbers efficiently.
Dante Eldridge (Iowa City West) – 19 points (5-9 FG, 4-5 3P, 5-6 FT), two rebounds, three assists
Eldridge has been the X-factor for the Trojans this season. We knew the big duo of Seybian Sims and McCaffery would be great, but it’s been the play of Eldridge that has taken this group to the next level. He’s a lights out shooter from the arc, at one point knocking down four straight 3s to help the Trojans grab a lead in the second quarter, and his incredible quickness is starting to show. He’s becoming more comfortable getting to the rim, using a great burst to get past defenders. He’s solid on the defensive end as well, playing either on or off the ball and creating chaos.