NHR State Tournament: Saturday Standout 16U Forwards
The Northstar Hoops State Tournament took over the metro area this past weekend with practically all the top players from all corners of the state on hand to compete. Here were some of the standout forwards at the 16U level…
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Continue ReadingThe Northstar Hoops State Tournament took over the metro area this past weekend with practically all the top players from all corners of the state on hand to compete.
Here were some of the standout forwards at the 16U level from Saturday’s action:
16U Forwards
Will Tschetter, Heat Tauer
Tschetter is really talented. He’s 6-foot-8, strong, athletic, skilled handling the ball and he can shoot. He’s also relentless. Ridiculously relentless. Any team going against Tschetter is going to be in for a grind of a game because the guy just doesn’t take possessions off. He runs the floor hard, he posts hard, he screens hard, he crashes the glass. He played through more contact than any big in the tournament and while he doesn’t get a lot of favorable calls (probably because of his strength), he just keeps working. All that stuff make up a perfect cocktail for an elite big man.
Josh Streit, WOTN Bertsch
Streit looks like the prototype center for basketball nowadays. He’s equal parts massive and athletic and plays a low-maintenance kind of game that will allow him to fit in with any group of teammates and produce. His skills on the offensive end are coming along as he showed a willingness to take jumpers over the weekend and he showed the ability to face up and drive on guys from the mid post area of the floor. Still, he’s at his best when he’s in the short corner cleaning up around the rim or screening and diving because he’s such a threat to finish anything in the paint. His defense is his greatest strength though, as he’s got the strength to anchor and the athleticism to defend smaller perimeter-oriented bigs.
Rod Payne, MN Heat East
Payne is yet another talented looking player coming out of East Ridge. At 6-foot-5, Payne’s got really nice looking post skills and footwork. When he caught the ball with a defender on his back around the paint, he scored efficiently. He’s got good touch around the rim and the strength to establish post space against most guys. He rebounds his area well too.
Zach Spann, Magic Hannah
Spann was really impressive all weekend, showing high-level explosiveness at the rim, touch from the mid-range and the skill and quickness to take opposing forwards off the dribble. He’s one of the bouncier guys I saw over the weekend, but applies it well, using his burst to rebound in his area and finish inside 12 feet. He’ll need to get a little stronger (or expand his perimeter game) as he can get leveraged by more physical bigs, but his length and ability to jump quickly make him a terrific help defender.
Easton Hulke, MN Rise
Hulke makes up for a lack of elite size with a relentless style. He showed over the weekend that he can effectively defend wings and posts. He did a great job working himself into offensive rebounding position and producing without needing high volume usage. He’s a solid finisher around the rim, using his strength and quickness against bigger, slower guys.
Broden Lien, West Central United Select
Lien is one of the breakout bigs of the spring in the 2021 class as the Norman County East product flies a bit under the radar during the high school season. If he continues to stack up solid tournament performances against top-end bigs, he won’t be underrated for long. At 6-foot-7, Lien is really skilled and really productive. He’s very good in the low, mid and high post areas of the floor, where he combines good footwork, good hands and great touch.