Who Is South Dakota’s Best Junior Shooting Guard?
Time to look hard at these juniors. Who are the best three junior shooting guards in the state of South Dakota? We dive into that today. Who do you think is the best? Is it somebody else not on our…
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Continue ReadingTime to look hard at these juniors. Who are the best three junior shooting guards in the state of South Dakota? We dive into that today. Who do you think is the best? Is it somebody else not on our list?
In reviewing this discussion we’ve went back to look at film of each and gave you three different things that we really like from each.
Kalen Garry Kalen Garry 6'3" | SG De Smet | 2022 State SD of De Smet.
- In looking at Kalen Garry Kalen Garry 6'3" | SG De Smet | 2022 State SD ’s film the first word that comes to mind is physical. Garry is a physical attacking athletic player that comes at you hard with his 185 pounds that moves better than anybody else on the floor. He can explode to the rim or explode into a jumper. At this size Garry is an excellent rebounder and the biggest reason for that is players simply can’t get a body on him as guards simply aren’t strong enough and/or quick enough. You almost have to have a frontcourt player to stop him from getting where he wants but those players usually aren’t quick enough.
- Defensively I was very impressed at what Kalen could be and that could be a reason a school like USF has offered Kalen. He’s not only a willing defender, but Kalen can sit deep in a stance and beat just about everybody to a spot laterally. Kalen’s quick feet can quickly change directions meaning he can suffocate a players attack and if they do get a bit of an angle on him, Garry is able to use that 185 plus pounds to knock players off their line with a physical shoulder and/or core bump.
- Garry took a massive step forward as a play maker his sophomore season. Garry is a player that faces all of the opposing team’s attention but still found ways to get better. He scored his 22 points a game this winter making nearly 53 percent of his field goal attempts plus he sank three of four foul shots. So with extra attention his way, Kalen was at the rim completing at a high rate, improved the percentages on his jumper, and provided 3-4 assists a game. All around impressive as a playmaker.
Cael Lundin Cael Lundin 6'3" | SG Tea Area | 2022 State SD of Tea Area.
- This is a shooter and there are many things about Cael that standout but there are three that come to mind such as: 1) the quickness of the ball coming off Cael’s hand, 2) Lundin’s ability to stay locked in on the shot despite a contesting defender closing hard on his attempt, 3) you will see a lot of players that bring the ball down to get into their shooting motion but Cael wastes little tie as he keeps the ball at his chest and gets up into his touch. Everything about Lundin’s focus and the quickness into his shot make it very hard to get a good contest on this 6’2 wing.
- I love how Lundin moves off the dribble into his shot. He glides to space and does it covering a lot of ground while a defender tries their best to change direction and get a hand up. Because Cael has good lift on his shot and he’s so quick to get from his move to a feet set spot to lift to his shot, it’s so tough to keep his percentages low.
- We talked about Lundin using the dribble to get into a move creating space for a jumper but his handles create more for him than that. While his scoring makes Cael a wing, he does have a comfort with the basketball so this is a guy I would trust at the one as well. That ball handling ability with a quick first step also allows Lundin to get closer to the rim for finishes on either side, or a mid-lane touch bucket before a defender can step up to contest.
Andrew Walter Andrew Walter 6'3" | SG Harrisburg | 2022 SD of Harrisburg.
- At 6-foot-3, 180 can deceptively beat your bad closeout every time. His rip through into a first step is as good as they come and his quickness to get deep before the help arrives helps Walter make consistent plays. The rip-through right to left is deadly and Walter has used it from a number of directions. Also, his hesitation dribble is another way Andrew can stun a defender.
- Like we mentioned with Lundin, Walter is another guy who has been well taught in how to quickly and comfortably get a jumper out of his hands before a defender can react for his team. Walter has hands up and he keeps the ball at his chest before moving the ball into his release. It’s the type of pretty shot that is tough to get a good close-out on.
- Andrew’s patience, ball handling, and playmaking ability could certainly put him in the combo guard category. Another part of his game that has grown is his attacking off the ball screen. His patience, quickness of his first step, and recognition of the defense leads Andrew to a lot of success.