Hoop City Classic: Day 2 Preview
Friday is a big day in Sioux Falls as the Holiday Basketball Universe ascends on South Dakota in a big way. Here is your Day 2 Preview.
All of the Friday games will be at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota.
Mitchell Christian (SD) vs Dominican (WI)
The Skinny: Mitchell Christian is 2-2 on the season with losses to undefeated local teams and wins over struggling others. They look to be a decent Class B team in South Dakota. Domincan out of Wisconsin is 6-1 and one of the better Division 3 school teams in the state (size wise it’s the second smallest). Dominican has a big frontline where as the Golden Eagles max out at 6-foot-3 and only have three guys in the rotation bigger than six feet tall.
Top Match-Up: Alec Nelson vs Delone Austin. Alec Nelson is on a torrid pace nearly breaking the school record recently with 39 points in a game. Nelson is a 6-foot-2 senior guard while Austin stands 6-foot-2 on the wing and is a top 30 level player in his class statewide.
Top Prospect to See: Alex Antetokounmpo. Alex is the 6-foot-6 junior wing brother of Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. Alex is the 13th ranked player in a stacked class of Wisconsin talent. Alex has offers from DePaul and UWGB so far.
Prediction: Really tough match-up for the locals. A traditional power from Wisconsin against a smaller South Dakota school. One team is quite big while the other isn’t. Not going to predict a score.
SF Washington (SD) vs Coronado (NV)
The Skinny: Washington is 0-2 against teams in their city but they’ve beaten Huron and Marshall (MN). They face a bigger animal on Friday when Coronoado comes to town. Coronado has played six different teams from six different states, most of which are top teams in the country (and they’ve won half the games). Coronado has three of the top 50 seniors in Nevada, three of the top 20 juniors in the state, the best sophomore talent overall in Nevada, and of the better freshmen.
Top Match-Up: Gabe Person vs Jaden Hardy. If Hardy doesn’t have the ball he will be on the wing and potentially battling Person. Person is 6-foot-2 and a key player for Washington, Hardy is one of the elite sophomores in America . Both will do a lot of the playmaking.
Top Prospect to See: Jaden Hardy. What makes Hardy special? He is one of the most complete backcourt players that you will see in high school basketball. Hardy isn’t just athletic, this guard can create baskets from many angles for himself but rarely forces his game choosing to create for others as well.
Prediction: Washington will battle because that is what they do. That said, they are not as big and experienced as they have been in the past nor as talented as some other recent years. This one could be ugly too.
Mountain Brook (AL) vs DeLaSalle (MN)
The Skinny: This will be the first heavy hitter of the day and it starts at 3:30 (there are two girls games and the previous two listed games above first). Nationally ranked standouts Trendon Watford (one of the top unsigned players in America), Tyrell Terry, Jamison Battle, and Colby Jones. Mountain Brook and DeLaSalle are both prestigious schools in their areas and should make fun an outstanding battle.
Top Match-Up: Trendon Watford vs Jamison Battle. Jamison Battle, here is a chance for you to show the nation what you can do. Watford is a skilled five-star level talent standing 6-foot-9 at the four spot but he’s not a traditional four because of his skill level. Battle is about 6-foot-7/6-foot-8 as a four man and is special because of a shooting touch that led him to be signed by George Washington.
Top Prospect to See: Trendon Watford is one of the elite scorers in the nation and he recently narrowed his list to Alabama, Indiana, LSU and Memphis. Watford is ranked 32nd in the nation by Prep Hoops and is likely moving up.
Prediction: Both teams have a top 100 star, a nationally ranked supporter, and several seniors, juniors, and sophomores sprinkled in that are top 100 level players in their respected states. Both teams are traditionally good. Mountain Brook is the 16th ranked team in the nation and should have a two score edge.
Bridgewater-Emery (SD) vs Breckenridge (MN)
The Skinny: What you have here is one of the elite Class B teams in South Dakota (small school level) playing a Breckenridge team that’s went to state the last two seasons in Minnesota’s second smallest class. Breckenridge has beat down the three teams they should but has lost both games against tough opponents. The Huskies are 4-0 with wins against all comers. Both have seniors that have had excellent runs in their careers.
Top Match-Up: Sawyer Schultz vs Jacob Marsh/Hunter Feigum. Marsh and Feigum are senior backcourt players with Marsh being 6-foot-1 and better suited to guard Schultz size wise. Marsh has often times stepped up as a nice second option for Breckenridge. The Cowboys will need Marsh, Feigum, and everyone else to try and slow Schultz who is one of the most explosive players in South Dakota and one of the top 2-3 seniors in the state.
Top Prospect to See: Noah Christensen. Noah is the Cowboy do it all talent that will be at least five inches bigger than everybody on the B-E roster. Noah is a great passer, shooter, rebounds in double figures and scores at least 20 a game each night. Headed to North Dakota State.
Prediction: This would be a big momentum builder for Breckenridge but history has showed us they have struggled this year against good teams where as the Huskies haven’t. That said, the Cowboys second best player and 8th best player are just as good. This is a deep team that will have a bit more depth and will be bigger. Close game, B-E wins by four.
SF O’Gorman (SD) vs Aberdeen Central (SD)
The Skinny: Both teams need a win in a big way. Central has been crushed in their last two games putting together a 1-3 season. O’Gorman is 1-2 with a pair of close losses to rival city teams (Roosevelt and Lincoln). This is a needed game for both but O’Gorman has been the better team this year so far.
Top Match-Up: Akoi Akoi vs Andrew Bergan. This is a great chance to watch two of the best junior frontcourt players in the state go head to head. Both are looking for a quality game and it would be a big deal if one of these guys had it versus the other. Jordan Schnaidt vs Luke Ronsiek is another key-match-up to key an eye on at the guard spot.
Top Prospect to See: Bergan and Akoi. Bergan is the second ranked junior in the state, Akoi the third. Like we said, great match-up to see prospect wise.
Prediction: O’Gorman should win it by 13. They are coming off a hammering win where as Central has really struggled in their last two games.
Mitchell (SD) vs Yankton (SD)
The Skinny: Mitchell will face the defending champions with an 0-4 record and their only size being freshman and sophomores. Underclassmen with potential (especially freshman Caden Hinker) but not quite the recipe for slowing down a nationally ranked stud in Matthew Mors of Yankton. Meanwhile Yankton is on a roll winning all five of their December games.
Top Match-Up: Caden Hinker vs Matthew Mors. Hinker stands 6-foot-6 as a frosh. He will be giving up an inch and a year to Mors but we all know it’s really more than that. Mors is ultra skilled with high major schools ready to knock down the door for a letter of intent signature (in two years!). Don’t overlook Hinker though! He’s coming off of a 27 point game where he knocked out seven treys.
Top Prospect to See: Matthew Mors. Mors is the 35th ranked sophomore in the nation according to Prep Hoops with offers from Wisconsin, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, and Creighton among others.
Prediction: Yankton wins again, this time by 19.
Findlay Prep (NV) vs La Lumiere (IN)
The Skinny: The Main Event! The game that will have college coaches from the highest level hanging out in South Dakota. Stars all over the court with a national pedigree. La Lumiere is the number one ranked high school basketball team in the nation. Five star top ten level senior Isaiah Stewart (feature photo in this article) helped his team knock off previous top ranked Montverde (Fla.) Academy 58-51 in Hawaii recently. Stewart scored 24 points with 13 rebounds and was named the MVP of the event.
Top Match-Up: Keion Brooks vs PJ Fuller. Brooks is a 5-star talent ranked in the Prep Hoops top 25 who is a big wing at 6-foot-9. TCU committed PJ Fuller is a 4-star top 75 ranked player in the Prep Hoops national rankings. Findlay has a big frontcourt but will need foot speed to move with Brooks.
Top Prospect to See: Isaiah Stewart. Isaiah is the 8th ranked player in the 2019 class and a five star talent overall. Offer list includes Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State, Indiana, Villanova, Kansas, and so many others.
Prediction: Did you know that Findlay Prep has nine guys on their roster, and La Lumiere has eight? Expect to see talent on the floor at all times, and big time talent at that. La Lumiere will want to make a major statement. They win by 14 this evening.