17U Postseason Series: Top Defenders
Over the next several days NHR is going to tackle several different items from the 17u season in relation to players, teams, and events. Today we hit on some of the guys who impacted the game on the defensive side of the ball.
It’s not glamorous and outside of a chase down block or a steal leading to a dunk, it seldom ends up on a highlight reel; but defense will always be at a premium. Defensive schemes may not necessarily be advanced and when it comes to recruiting, all coaches will take a different approach to how they evaluate a prospect’s current defense with their long-term upside — just like all things — but traits are definitely evaluated.
Here are some guys who stood out on the defensive end of the floor this summer:
Charles Johnson – Comets DLR
Johnson made the most of his one summer playing with Comets, assimilating nicely with a team chock full of talented offensive players. Johnson made his presence felt the most on the defensive end of the floor where his ball pressure and energy set the tone and triggered transition opportunities aplenty.
DeVonne Harris – Comets Kirchner
Harris plays a low-maintenance game but provides a huge impact on the defensive end of the floor. At 6-foot-5, Harris has length, strength and athleticism to defend inside and out. He’s mobile enough to hedge or possibly switch on smaller ball handlers but also has the range to recover and defend the paint. He’s a quick jumper with great timing and improved as the summer went on at contesting while not chasing blocks.
Tyler Kemp – WOTN
Kemp does a little bit of everything and that includes playing high quality defense all over the court. A heady off-ball defender, Kemp does a good job playing both the ball and his man. And at 6-foot-5, he’s a pain to try to score over on the wing.
Austin Jentzen – Comets Elite
It’s easy to see why Jentzen is a heralded football recruit as his size and strength make him a man among boys on the court. Jentzen’s offense is behind his defense at this point, but he doesn’t need to pile up points to make an impact because he’s an anchor inside. He has the mobility to defend on the perimeter and ruggedness to control the paint.
Drew Leistikow – SE MN Lightning
Leistikow got a lot of exposure defending on the wing this summer with SE MN Lightning and he more than held his own. The 6-foot-3 forward showed he’s capable of guarding three positions throughout the summer as he’s got the athleticism and quickness to stick with guards and the toughness to take on interior assignments.
Dane Zimmer – Fury Wilde
Zimmer consistently stands out as a jack-of-all-trades type and his contributions on the defensive end are vast. A very good athlete for his height, Zimmer uses his quickness and length to stifle perimeter counterparts. He isn’t real thick but he seems to have a good understanding of body positioning to hold his own inside too. He’s a smart player who provides value on and off the ball defensively and he rebounds at a solid rate.
Carter Hansen – SW Minnesota Stars
Hansen was a key cog in Russell-Tyler-Ruthton’s state tournament title last spring thanks in large part to his defensive prowess. The 6-foot-1 wing plays much larger than his measurements and has the strength and athleticism to defend guys bigger or smaller than him. He’s active on the glass and does a great job playing on and off the ball.