Prospects from the Mountain Christian League Tournament, Part Two
If you haven’t already, check out Part One of our MCL coverage. With that, let’s get into Part 2! Jakob Peterson, 6’0 G, North Idaho Christian 2020 Peterson is one of the better guards and better shooters in North…
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Continue ReadingIf you haven’t already, check out Part One of our MCL coverage. With that, let’s get into Part 2!
Jakob Peterson, 6’0 G, North Idaho Christian 2020
Peterson is one of the better guards and better shooters in North Idaho. In a league championship game, in a game where you need your senior leaders to step-up and perform, Peterson showed the ability to rise to the occasion and when it was “winning time,” Peterson took over. Peterson made five 3’s en route to 16 total points in the game, Peterson made the plays when it counted. He was able to stretch the court so that big man, Malachi Bullington, could have less pressure in the paint. Peterson was able to use his excellent passing skills to get those entry passes and was able to avoid the pesky defense of Pullman’s Erik Brown. Peterson is a great on-the-court leader and the type of point guard people should want to have on their squad.
Carey Sovereign, 6’2 G, Christian Center 2020
Coming off of a quadruple double performance (points, rebounds, assists, and steals), Sovereign had a near triple double to finish off his high school career for CCS. He is able to make shots from deep to keep a defense honest, but as a team, you want Sovereign attacking the lane to create plays for himself and, more importantly, for his teammates. He is an impressive passer with a good feel for collapsing defenses to create easy opportunities for the other players on his team. Speaking of defense, on that side of the ball, Sovereign can defend any guard with his combo of length and foot speed. Anytime that a player has over ten steals in a game, you know that player is able to completely takeover a game on that side of the court. Sovereign has the opportunity to make an impact at the collegiate level if given the opportunity.
Isaiah Guillen, 5’10 G, Oaks 2021
Guillen is a quick traditional point guard. His main attributes are his ability to defend the position and initiate an offense while being able to stretch the court by making the occasional 3-pointer. Guillen is a good ball handler and a good decision maker when he is on the court.
Jack Hill, 5’9 G, North Idaho Christian 2020
Hill is an underrated player for this NICS squad. He is able to shoot with confidence, attack the basket, make plays in the paint, can drive-and-kick, and he can defend while wreaking havoc on opposing guards. His most translatable skill to a college program would be his ability to shoot and shoot with range while playing point guard.
Noah Palpant, 6’2 F, Oaks, 2021
Palpant had an incredible individual performance to end the year. Putting up six 3’s while being tasked with defending 6’6 wing player Isaac Kuiper, Palpant did all that he could to help Oaks win in a 3rd place game; however, Oaks came up just short. Palpant is an extremely high IQ basketball player who knows how to move around the court on offense to create the space to get open enough to take his shots. Additionally, Palpant is a hard worker defensively who can defend players much taller than he is. Using a work ethic and that high IQ, Palpant is able to make plays on both sides of the court. Palpant’s approach to the game reminds me of Kyle Singler when he was in college.
Honorable Mention
Morgan O’Brien, 6’4 F, Christian Center 2022
O’Brien is a long player with a great “Kevin McHale” style post play. He has a high release point and understands how to make a fade-away and then use that fade-away to make an up-and-under. Additionally, he has a strong mid-range game.
Sam Anyan, 6’2 F, Spokane Classical Christian 2021
Anyan is a wing player with good lengthy who can defend wing players of similar size and can make shots offensively. A good player to stretch the court.
Garrett McClure, 6’0 G, Pullman 2020
McClure is a true shooter with plus handles. Lacks speed, but can make shots from deep.
James Kelly, 6’0 G, North Idaho Christian 2020
Kelly is a very aggressive point guard defender. Kelly played in a ¾ court press the entire championship game. Few players worked harder on the court than Kelly. In that game, Kelly added a couple of offensive 3’s and a few spectacular layups.
AJ Curson, 5’10 G, Christian Center 2021
Curson is an aggressive defender. Curson was able to get his hands in the passing lanes to create transition opportunities. Offensively, he is able to use that aggressive mentality to attack the paint and create plays.
Harley Wilks, 5’7 G, Kootenai 2021
Wilks had a nice fake-a-pass that led to a layup like a play that you would see from a young Rajon Rondo. Wilks was able to make an outside shot, but is in need of improving his handles.