Block’s Week 3 Roundup-Sophomore Performers
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Recapping some of the basketball action I saw in week 3 of Iowa High School basketball from the sophomore class. Daniel Tobiloba Daniel Tobiloba 7'0" | C Grand View Christian | 2023 State IA , Grand View Christian (2023)…
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Continue ReadingRecapping some of the basketball action I saw in week 3 of Iowa High School basketball from the sophomore class.
Daniel Tobiloba Daniel Tobiloba 7'0" | C Grand View Christian | 2023 State IA , Grand View Christian (2023)
One of the most intriguing prospects in the whole state of Iowa is Daniel Tobiloba Daniel Tobiloba 7'0" | C Grand View Christian | 2023 State IA . At 6’11, he makes it really tough for teams to score the basketball in the paint as he shows good timing and length to block shots. The most intriguing part of his game is his offensive game. He’s fairly raw when it comes to post game moves, but you could tell against the undersized Meskwaki team, that he had been working on his pivot moves. If he can refine those and continue running rim to rim the way that he already does, Tobiloba will start attracting some collegiate eyes over the next 2 and half seasons. Tobiloba and his size proved too much in the win over Meskwaki and Grand View Christian will be a tough out this year with strong guard play and a good inside presence defensively and offensively.
Blaise Porter Blaise Porter 6'1" | PG New London | 2023 State #298 Nation IA , New London High School (2023)
Off to a hot start, New London has two sophomores anchoring their offensive attack and Porter is where it all starts. The athletic point guard, Porter, ended up with a stat line of 27 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists on 68.6% shooting from the field against West Burlington who gave Porter everything they had defensively. In the end, Porter and the Tiger offense prevailed. Blaise was 4/6 from deep, which is a shot that he has improved over the summer, fall, and now winter season and looks to be expanding his game more and more. The 2023 class is a good class for PG’s and Porter will be in the conversation for the top spot come the end of his cycle.
Kade Benjamin Kade Benjamin 6'6" | PF New London | 2023 State IA , New London High School (2023)
The other sophomore that anchors the Tigers’ offense, is Kade Benjamin Kade Benjamin 6'6" | PF New London | 2023 State IA . The athletic 6’5 wing/forward, who crashes the boards hard and is quick with his sweep through dribble to get to the basket. Benjamin went head-to-head with Marvion Jackson Marvion Jackson 6'5" | PF West Burlington | 2021 State IA of West Burlington, and it was a good matchup. Benjamin ended the game with 23 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks after kind of a slow offensive start to the game. The combination of Porter, Benjamin and a couple of other contributors the Tigers will be a top team all season in Class 1A and will look to win the SEISC-South championship, as they up top right now of the conference.
Avery Phillippi, Nodaway Valley High School (2023)
The first player to stand out to me in the matchup against Martensdale-St Mary’s was Phillippi. The quick guard, was assertive with his opportunities and was looking to attack the basket when he saw openings in the defense. He would end up being the leading scorer for his team with 16 points and would add 6 rebounds to his line as well, but he did struggle with a couple more turnovers than you’d like to see and didn’t connect on any of his two three point attempts. In all of that, I could see Phillippi has a good base to build upon over the next two and a half years to help the Wolverines.
Padraig Gallagher Padraig Gallagher 6'5" | SF Beckman Catholic | 2023 State IA , Beckman Catholic High School (2023)
Though Padraig didn’t have the best scoring game on Friday against West Delaware, he did other things on the court to help his team. Gallagher pulled in 9 rebounds for his team, and did end up with 6 points on 2/7 shooting. Gallagher looked to get to the hoop off the dribble, and when he did pull-up from 3, his shooting motion looked smooth but just couldn’t find the bottom of the net. He is the Trailblazers 2nd leading scorer and at 6’4 he has shown he can be a productive wing/forward player going forward.
Mason Harter Mason Harter 6'6" | PF Wapsie Valley | 2023 State IA , Wapsie Valley High School (2023)
Registering a double-double is not often achieved, and especially for a sophomore. In the matchup with Decorah, Harter had a stat line of 11 points and 10 rebounds and was a big and physical presence for the Warriors. He got to the free throw line 14 times throughout the game, but will need to improve his shooting stroke the free throw stripe as he only shot 50% on those attempts. Nonetheless, Harter is a workhorse in the paint, and makes it difficult for opponents to guard. Harter is a nice building block for this Wapsie Valley team to continue on this year and further more.