NHR State: Saturday Afternoon Standouts
The Minnesota Matrix earned their way to the NHR State Final Four with solid wins over FAB and Select Cave highlighting Saturday morning play. Matrix to the Final Four Will Cordes The Matrix beat FAB at the buzzer Saturday morning…
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Continue ReadingThe Minnesota Matrix earned their way to the NHR State Final Four with solid wins over FAB and Select Cave highlighting Saturday morning play.
Matrix to the Final Four
Will CordesThe Matrix beat FAB at the buzzer Saturday morning and then picked up a revenge win over Select Cave in the afternoon pushing their way to Sunday’s Final Four. There were several Matrix standouts so we go… Basketball in Bullet Points!
- Jacob Jennissen is playing like a division center prospect right now in just about every way a young up and comer can. At 6-foot-11 the Sauk Centre big man has become much more assertive using that size. For starters, Jacob is grabbing 100 percent of his boards in his area and doing a much better job getting out of his area to collect (18 boards in the first two games combined). Jennissen is aggressively getting to help position to block and making everything go over the top of his length (blocks, hard contests coming there too). On the offensive end Jennissen is looking for his own shot commonly even stepping out to hit a three and a couple mid-range jumpers today. Add in the off ball movement for money dunks and the deep post touch scores and we have a big man that’s about to have a lot of college options. (Jennissen shot 9 of 14 from the field today overall). The numerous D1 coaches at the MBCA Showcase are going to get a great look at Jacob.
- If you see cameras following Will Cordes some time soon it’s likely a documentary about how to pace an offense at the guard spot, combining the right mix of individual offense versus creating the right shot for the team. He would fit the role for that today as Cordes did a masterful job for a team that shot 24 of 38 against Select. Will led the way in that win mixing in his own high percentage three point touch (6 of 6 shooting, 15 points) with seven assists. Cordes also had a team high four assists battling through the FAB pressure.
- It’s great to see wing Carter Anderson back on the floor and making an impact. Carter had the game winning basket against FAB and then followed that by scoring a dozen points in the win over Select Cave. Anderson made 6 of 9 attempts in the Select win with every field goal produced in a physical way at the up.
- We’ve seen Tate Machacek step out and hit a couple jumpers today and we watched the Eastview 6-foot-6 four man take advantage of a height edge versus Select scoring five times in the paint.
- An important factor in the Matrix defeating FAB was the perimeter shooting of Gabe Myren. His early pair of threes forced the high pressure, active passing lane FAB defenders to play up on Myren’s hip after the early makes and that helped opened the floor for Jennissen, Machacek, and Cordes to get work done. Myren was the Matrix overall leading scorer today with 21 in the two games.
Patterson’s Production
Lu’Cye Patterson has only played a few games with Minneapolis FAB this year so Lu’Cye steadily worked his way into the game against the Matrix by supporting his teammates with the right pass. Patterson mixed in quick ball rotations wing to wing with an attack to draw in the defense followed by an attempt on the hands of a teammate for a jumper. The highlight reel creations came on the break and when Patterson wasn’t making life easy for teammates he made a pair of smooth stroking jumpers at the arc.
In half two Lu’Cye began asserting himself more than he had in the first 16 minutes. Lu’Cye scored twice going to the rim and also drew contact for three sets of foul shots. The bigger contribution was the possession by possession creation for teammates making sure that every FAB possession ended with a shot deep in the lane or open in space from the perimeter. Patterson scored 15 points on 4 of 9 shooting (5 of 6 at the foul line) and dished out eight assists.
Had FAB not taken so long to get shots to fall Patterson likely would of been in the area of 11 or 12 assists and they would of moved on with a victory. Lu’Cye’s understanding of how to get the most out of each possession is rare.
The Perfect Pair of Double-Doubles
Minnesota Heat Tauer rolled over a short-handed Southwest Minnesota Stars team 72-38 mainly because their frontcourt has a southern Minnesota pair of high potential bigs: 6-foot-8 Andrew Morgan of Waseca and 6-foot-8 Will Tschetter of Stewartville.
If there were available stats for the most rebounds collected at the 16u level nation wide I would put Andrew Morgan against anybody when it comes to game by game totals. There are players with size that can move with Andrew’s first move but he is so quick to the second job, the second move, and the second step, and other bigs just can’r respond.
For example, when Morgan makes contact when a shot goes up, he’s already done 90 percent of the work because once stunned other players can’t react while Morgan is already grabbing the ball. Or on the block Andrew will make his shoulder turn into contact followed by a quick release from the opposition into the field goal attempt.
Morgan scored 14 points on 7 of 11 shooting collecting 15 boards while Tschetter had 19 points and ten boards on 9 of 15 shooting with ten boards. Will is able to hold his deep post position because he doesn’t let anybody get too physical with him without a response. Every push to Will is met with a physical shoulder and/or hop and/or elbow to the body. His spins are quick and physical but the touch is soft off the glass. And Tschetter loves to dunk on anything he can locate in his path.
Amahn DeckerDecker’s Progress
Amahn Decker – a 6-foot-6 2020 big from Minnesota Prep Academy – was out-working everybody on the floor in the FAB vs Matrix game. Decker put together a 21 point, 12 rebound game making 9 of 13 field goals and three of four foul shots. His work rate possession to possession as well as his touch facing the basket have come a long way.
Amahn made an off balance jumper after a dribble separation move, he hit a three, and Decker scored running the floor and completing plays. The best part to watch was Decker’s effort after the miss as Amahn’s focus was to instantly chance the ball down and get a second chance to complete. Decker’s length and physique help but when you add a motor to that you have a player that is very interesting going forward.
The Southern Guards
Today Ryan Dufault (of Waseca and Heat Tauer) and Bryce Lance (of Marshall and SW Minnesota Stars) both showed that two of the elite lead guards in Minnesota, are in the south.
Ryan Dufault went head to head with Lance in his first game and used his physical size advantage to help him turn the corner and complete possession. Ryan looked Lance straight in the eye and put up a 14 point, eight assist game going straight though for numbers. Dufault was able to take contact and complete often but the biggest part of his day was the amount of times he put the ball on the hands of teammates for scores.
Lance is one of the shiftiest guards in the state with handles that keep him in full control of the possession. The feet of defenders simply don’t have quick enough feet to react to the next move of Lance plus his shooting touch is soft and pretty. Lance played in the 17u games as well so the Stars could have enough players and in the loss to the Lightning, Bryce was the best player. His run of an assist, three, and attack in three straight possessions gave the Stars a late lead and Bryce at one point looked to have made the game winner.
NHR State Notes
- Jake Wohlers of Lake City/Lightning hit some crucial threes for his team Saturday morning to get the win.
- The game winning strip and score for the Lightning 17s to move on Saturday was from Zach Todd of La Crescent.
- Lightning banger Grant Manke of Bangor (WI) scored 16 points at the rim to allow his team to beat the Stars.
- Yusuf Abdullah showed off a perimeter touch and the defensive pressure ability for FAB once again.
- Select Cave lost badly to the Matrix but Parker Nielsen gave them some life with three second half treys and 17 points on 6 of 9 shooting overall.