Summer Slam: Sunday Standout Forwards
Solid teams from all over the midwest converged on the Pentagon in Sioux Falls last weekend for the Sanford Summer Slam. With teams from North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa and even Canada, there was a ton of great…
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Continue ReadingSolid teams from all over the midwest converged on the Pentagon in Sioux Falls last weekend for the Sanford Summer Slam. With teams from North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa and even Canada, there was a ton of great competition over a three-day stretch.
Here were some of the standout forwards from Sunday
Dylan DeChampeau, MN Matrix
DeChampeau was really good for Matrix in the championship game against Pentagon Schoolers Kraning – a team with a lot of size and strength up front. His help defense was a big key in Matrix overcoming a slow start to eventually win the game comfortably. He showed the ability to play complementary offense, spotting up, setting screens, attacking the offensive glass and finishing. DeChampeau has always been a talented scorer for his high school team but he’s done a great job adapting to a much different role with Matrix and he was a real spark for them on both ends of the floor.
Reid Johnson, MN Lightning Swiggum
Johnson is an athletic swingman from Chatfield who looked really good in a complementary role for Lightning Swiggum Sunday. His activity level on both ends of the court was really good, he rebounded out of his area and showed the ability to push the ball up the floor and score in transition. He’s a solid slasher on offense and does a lot of his best work in broken-play situations where his athleticism can play.
Luke Strazzanti, Fury Poppen
Strazzanti was a bright spot for Fury Poppen Sunday, playing well on both ends despite a loss to Pentagon Schoolers Begeman. At 6-foot-3ish, he’s got the ability to defend a lot of different guys and cross match between positions if necessary. His on-ball defense is a strength because he’s so long and smart, and his instincts allow him to make a lot of plays as an off-ball defender. He’s a solid shooter and cutter on the offensive end and does a good job keeping the ball moving.
Colt Landers, MN Lightning Studer
Landers is an intriguing player because of his size and skillset. He’s about 6-foot-4 and has the athleticism to guard wings and faceup bigs and his offense is starting to expand out to the 3-point line. He’s at his best when he can one-dribble attack and either finish at the rim or pull up for a short jumper, or just play a scrum in the paint. But he showed nice touch on corner 3-pointers in particular and a real activity level on the glass.
Cole Woodford, Fury Kallman
Woodford didn’t put up big numbers when I saw him but I really liked his activity level. At 6-foot-3, he’s a little undersized as a four man but he’s strong and physical. He rebounds well, gets in good position as a help defender and provides good energy on both backboards. He seems like the type of guy who won’t garner a lot of attention but could quietly put up like 8-12 points and 6-8 rebounds per game next winter.
Jacob Jennison, MN Matrix
There aren’t too many players who have raised their stocks this summer quite like Jennison, who was really solid again this weekend. His offense is a work in progress, though he did show the ability to knock down a short-corner jumper on several occasions over the weekend. With his mobility and athleticism, I’d love to see him set more screens and dive to the rim because he could be a screen assist machine. At 6-foot-11, few guys can contend with him if he’s able to catch and finish on the move and with the attention he’d draw, the floor would open up a ton for other guys. Defensively, he’s terrific. He’s so long and limble that guys can’t stretch him out and he’s got a pretty good base which allows him to handle low-post position.