Top 250 Expo: Top Defenders
The Prep Hoops Top 250 Expo hit Sioux Falls last weekend and some of the best players in North and South Dakota along with Iowa were in house to get in the gym and get some runs in. Here were…
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Continue ReadingThe Prep Hoops Top 250 Expo hit Sioux Falls last weekend and some of the best players in North and South Dakota along with Iowa were in house to get in the gym and get some runs in.
Here were some of the best defenders from the event:
Jabril Muktar, 2021, SF Washington, S.D.
On a day where offense was much more heavily on display, Muktar stood out as a defensive stalwart. Muktar uses his lack of height almost to his advantage, getting up underneath opposing ball handlers and leveraging them on the perimeter. He provides constant pressure on the ball, denies easy perimeter swings and has the instincts to force takeaways as a help man. He was terrific at turning defense into offense too.
Carson Determan, 2022, SF Washington, S.D.
Determan isn’t the tallest guy but he does a great job getting into defenders and using his feet and body angles to disrupt ball handlers without fouling. He has really quick hands and great instincts which make him a terror on or off the ball.
Jay Jurgens, 2021, Brandon Valley, S.D.
Jurgens is 6-foot-7 and has great length inside, which makes him a nightmare to try to score over in the paint. He’s not real thick, but he seems to play with a good understanding of how to use his body and use leverage to mitigate stronger, thicker guys. He’s a quick jumper and has the range to defend from the 3-point line to the rim on any given possession.
Chad Ambroz, 2022, Bishop O’Gorman, S.D.
Ambroz is just a sophomore but already has a solid frame and great length. He uses both to his advantage especially on the defensive end where he’s very good at walling off penetration and altering passes and shots. He’s quick for a 6-foot-5 guy, but also is afforded the ability to stay further back on guys and use his long arms to disrupt things.
Gray Imbery, 2021, Aberdeen Roncalli, S.D.
Imbery has great size for a swingman with the quickness to guard smaller guys and the strength and toughness to play up against bigger forwards. His positioning as a man defender was solid all day and his awareness in a team concept was sound. Imbery did a nice job contesting shots throughout the day and pursued rebounds consistently out of his area.
Carter Reekers, 2023, Sioux City North, Iowa
Reekers is small, but he provided awesome effort on the defensive end of the floor. His pressure defense on the ball was something few other guys engaged in and it set the tone for the rest of his team throughout the day. He’s an aggressive, talkative lead guard on both ends, but it started with his defense.