ECI Spring Preview: Top Minnesotans
The ECI Spring Preview was the previous weekend and while a majority of the teams in the tournament were built on North Dakota players, there were a number of talented Minnesota players in house as well. Here were some standouts:…
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Continue ReadingThe ECI Spring Preview was the previous weekend and while a majority of the teams in the tournament were built on North Dakota players, there were a number of talented Minnesota players in house as well.
Here were some standouts:
Drew Hagen, ECI Prospects 17U
Hagen is an under-the-radar wing in Minnesota, sporting impressive size and skill for a wing player. He’s 6-foot-5, has the ability to post smaller defenders, the speed and athleticism to blow by bigger or slower defenders and a solid shooting stroke from mid range and the 3-point line. His length and quickness make him a valuable defender too, as he can guard up and down a lineup. Hagen was instrumental in ECI’s run to the championship, providing plenty of offense in the halfcourt while rebounding and defending at a high level.
Lee Karfear, ECI Selects 17U
Karfear was one of the most impressive players over the weekend playing with ECI Selects and helping them get to the championship game. The Moorhead guard was explosive and cut through defenses like a hot knife through butter. His ability to get to the paint and either finish over length or before help could even arrive was on full display throughout the weekend and his passing ability was eye-opening. His athleticism definitely stood out, as his individual and team defense was superb as well.
Brady Walthall, ECI Prospects 16U
Walthall was a driving force for ECI Prospects all weekend. His defense was fantastic, as he constantly applied hard ball pressure full court. He’s a really good team defender too. He’s smart, constantly in god position to help and recover and he’s in good position to be disruptive without being an excessive gambler. His outside shot is a huge weapon and he plays a high IQ game, balancing finding his shot with getting his teammates better.
Pouch Doboul, Inspired Athletics 17U
Length on length. Doboul is extremely long and really smooth for a 6-foot-7 guy. His mobility is a huge plus as he scores efficiently simply by running the floor, pursuing rebounds and rolling hard to the rim. The St. Cloud Apollo big man provides great energy on the glass and on the defensive end of the floor too.
Belind Alemadi, ECI Prospects 16U
Alemadi was one of the best distributors over the weekend. His shooting ability forces defenders to play him tighter than they’d like and he’s excellent at leveraging that into scoring opportunities for his teammates because when he gets where he wants on the floor, he makes the right play.
Julian Benson, ECI Selects 17U
Benson was a driving force for East Grand Forks last winter, putting up video-game numbers on the wing. He’s showing that kind of production isn’t just a product of small-school competition as Benson is really smart and really skilled. He’s a terrific passer and while he has the ability to score, his energy and hustle were really things that stood out the most. He defends with a lot of tenacity and showed he’s capable of defending three or four positions at times.