Top 250 Expo Minnesota – Best in Show
Who were the top players/performers at the Top 250 Expo that I was able to see Saturday? Here’s my list!
***Keep in mind this was a five hour event with 280 kids. That’s far too many kids to see in a short amount of time for one person to see which is why we had several writers watching this weekend. So if a player doesn’t appear in the 6-7 stories I will write this week, there is a good chance those players appear in other articles.
Ryan Boysen Ryan Boysen 5'11" | PG Rockford | 2021 State MN of Rockford (2021 PG). Ryan Boysen Ryan Boysen 5'11" | PG Rockford | 2021 State MN is coming off a strong year of basketball but yesterday there was just a different confidence to him. A different flare. A different playmaking feel. He’s moved from being a guard that I think some D3 schools like, to being a guard that a lot of D3 schools will be calling and you have to think some NAIA teams would offer. He made some plays in situations where the window seemed to be closed but somehow Boysen finished with a bucket, or found the lane for a pass anyway.
Liam Carney Liam Carney 6'2" | PG Providence Academy | 2022 State MN of Providence Academy (2022 Wing). Remember last month when Liam nearly had a quadruple-double in one of the Prep Hoops Circuit tournaments? I was left thinking “was it more his talent or the opponent being so bad?”. Well, this weekend I watched Liam absolutely explode for numbers again only this time it was a shooting touch that put in about 30 points into the imagined scorebook. Carney was in a situation where he just pulled up possession after possession and his teammates were good with it because he was NBA Jam halfcourt netting burning hot. His confidence is sky high right now and he could have a huge winter.
Taison Chatman Taison Chatman 6'4" | PG Totino Grace | 2023 State #35 Nation MN of Totino-Grace (2023 Guard). When Taison gets you in a spot where he can step away and show off the shooting touch that was crafted in gold and made for the world to enjoy, you may as well just look on in awe like the rest of us. Maybe it’s the crossover after he gets you leaning. Maybe he pulls you out and then spins or attacks off of you, or maybe he uses a quick bump with that off arm and then steps back into the attempt. A lot of guys tried their hand at trying to stay in front and a lot of guys ended up jogging back the other way thinking “maybe next time”.
Andre Gray Andre Gray 6'4" | SG Mpls North | 2021 State MN of Minneapolis North (2021 SG). Every time Gray has stepped on the floor this summer he’s played at a level that he has established as his senior year norm. His release and the confidence Andre has in his shot have taken a giant step forward. Andre’s timing in terms of his lift and release have become so fluid and this weekend guys were contesting his shots hotly and it had no affect at all on Andre’s approach. Then you add in Gray’s strength and explosiveness as a defender and transition finisher, and you have a guy who I think more and more D1s are going to or should get involved with.
Nicholas Katona of Shakopee (2022 Forward). This weekend Nick put himself at an even higher level as a prospect than I had thought he was coming in. Katona was already high on my list but the way he competed harder than everybody on the floor, and the way he made some athletic plays both ways will stick with me. For example, the shot block on one side and then a quick bounce to the other side of the rim to block another shot two seconds later, was so impressive. But even better he ran the other way and scored moments later. Another play was a reverse lay-up with one hand that was so quick people didn’t even have a time to process it before he finished. In a class stacked – and I mean stacked – with talented wings, Katona is as productive as any. And he plays maybe harder than any of the rest.
CJ O’Hara CJ O’Hara 6'4" | SF Park Center | 2023 State #285 Nation MN of Totino-Grace (2023 wing). It’s almost like some of the older players didn’t believe that CJ could get around them, but he did. Over and over. Guys would step up one or two steps to high and O’Hara used that athletic, 6-foot-4 frame to get the edge and then show everybody why he is one of the best finishers in the state. If you watch CJ play enough times you will see him go at the rim and finish at a higher percentage than most at his position. Sure you have the dunks but it’s also the contact take followed by the completion or the one hand extensions to score.
Will Tschetter Will Tschetter 6'8" | PF Stewartville | 2021 State #96 Nation MN of Stewartville (2021 Big). You have to love a guy that searches out places and ways to compete. Will was at the Expo for one reason, to find new talent to go against and to put numbers in the book. In the game I watched Tschetter scored 27 points with a dozen boards hitting three threes and 12 of 17 shot attempts overall. He had a bit of a rough start scoring around the rim but it was constant effort that put Will and his team in the driver’s seat. Michigan committed talent that once again sought out a competition situation.
Demarion Watson Demarion Watson 6'8" | SF Totino-Grace | 2022 State #150 Nation MN of Totino-Grace (2022 wing). Saturday was another showing of the massive potential that Demarion Watson Demarion Watson 6'8" | SF Totino-Grace | 2022 State #150 Nation MN has. Let’s be honest here, in what is a very stacked class of talent, Demarion’s ceiling ranks with one of the 2-3 best in the state. And some could argue his ceiling is the highest. At 6-foot-6 or 6-foot-7 Watson-Saulsberry has the explosiveness and developing skills (handling, shooting, etc) that have put him on the national map. Iowa State, Nebraska, and Minnesota have offered since watching Demarion play at the Expo.