Week Three’s Best of the Best
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With week three of the high school season concluded, I take a look back at the top performers I was able to see throughout the week. These are seven of the top prospects I caught either in person or online…
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Continue ReadingWith week three of the high school season concluded, I take a look back at the top performers I was able to see throughout the week. These are seven of the top prospects I caught either in person or online over the course of the week!
Antuan Nesbitt Antuan Nesbitt 6'4" | SF Racine | 2021 State WI (6’4 2021 W, The Prairie School)- Before committing to Northern Michigan later in the week, Antuan put in one of the most efficient scoring performances I’ve seen all season against Racine Lutheran. The versatile wing put up 27 points with 11 rebounds and 6 assists, all while shooting 11-13 from the floor. Antuan was in a rhythm from early on, picking his spots to pull up from mid-range, slipping through gaps in the defense to finish at the rim, and competing on the glass for offensive rebounds leading to second chance points. In transition his passing vision was able to shine, as he was able to lead streaking teammates to the rim for easy finishes.
Jack Rose Jack Rose 6'5" | SG Westosha Central | 2022 State #213 Nation WI (6’4 2022 SG, Westosha Central)- After a slower start to the year, Jack Rose Jack Rose 6'5" | SG Westosha Central | 2022 State #213 Nation WI was finally unleashed for Central in a win over Burlington. One of the top guards in the 2022 class, Jack’s jumper was falling all night as he finished with 27 points on 4-6 shooting from deep. Jack was able to create off the dribble and use his right-to-left crossover to create space to shoot from mid-range, and he also ran off screens hard to get space beyond the arc to shoot. A true grinder on the court, Jack fought on the glass and pulled in 7 rebounds, and was also making hustle plays on the defensive end.
Brandin Podziemski Brandin Podziemski 6'6" | SG Saint John's Northwestern Academy | 2021 State #232 Nation WI (6’6 2021 SG, St. John’s NW Academies)- Although Brandin’s outside shot wasn’t falling, he still found ways to put the ball in the hoop on his way to 35 points in a win over a solid West Allis Central squad. A natural scorer, Brandin simply finds ways to get a bucket, and in this instance it was with his work around the rim. Whether it be making sneaky cuts or sealing his man to receive a lob in the paint, the ball always seemed to find his hands near the basket. He also competed on the glass for a handful of second chance buckets, finishing the game with 11 rebounds. His ability to grind out the dirty buckets around the rim when his three ball isn’t falling makes him such a dangerous player night-in and night-out.
Jordan Johnson Jordan Johnson 6'2" | CG Elkhorn | 2021 State WI (6’1 2021 CG, Elkhorn)- The reigning SLC player of the year has taken no time to get back into a groove, dropping 32 points to help his team get a win over Badger. Jordan is always in attack mode, and made that clear dribbled with a purpose to get to the rim. Although he’s not the biggest player on the floor, he’ll outowork anyone to pull in the offensive board or fight through contact to finish. His shifty handle and burst of quickness make him hard for any single defender to guard, and that also led to a handful of threes off the dribble. Add in a one handed dunk off a hard backdoor cut, and it was a strong game for the senior guard.
Najashi Tolefree Najashi Tolefree 6'6" | SF West Allis Central | 2022 State WI (6’5 2022 W, West Allis Central)- If there’s one thing that’s guaranteed when Najashi steps on the floor, it’s that he’s going to bring energy. From the very start, Najashi was the most vocal player on the floor, and was getting fired up when both he and his teammates came up with big plays. Even towards the end of the loss, Najashi was constantly encouraging his teammates and communicating on defense. Offensively he exceled in the post, sealing his defender to receive lob passes over the top, or scoring with a simple baby hook. From the perimeter he showcased the ability to pull-up off of one dribble and knock down the mid-range shot consistently. Tolefree finished with 23 points on the day against St. John’s NW Academies.
Tyrese Hunter Tyrese Hunter 5'11" | PG Racine St. Catherine's | 2021 State #63 Nation WI (6’1 2021 PG, Racine St. Catherine’s)- In what was projected to be a matchup of the top two teams in the Metro Classic Conference, Tyrese helped his team pull away early as he poured in 31 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists. As a point guard Tyrese proved to be extremely effective on the glass, utilizing his quick second bounce to beat defenders to the ball and create second chance points. On the defensive end he’s able to high point the ball and rebound over size. On the offensive end he was stretching the floor with his shooting, and when he looked to attack the basket he was able to cover so much ground with his long stride to separate from the defender and finish. His quickness to attack the basket also draws in the help defender, and he’s able to quickly identify the open man and deliver a crisp pass to create a scoring opportunity.
Brennan Timm Brennan Timm 6'5" | SF St. Johns Northwestern Military Academy | 2021 State WI (6’5 2021 F, St. John’s NW Academies)- Brennan Timm Brennan Timm 6'5" | SF St. Johns Northwestern Military Academy | 2021 State WI is a player who simply brings it every time he steps on the floor. Against West Allis Central, he nearly recorded a triple-double with a 26/9/9 performance. Defenses know that he’s nearly impossible to stop once he gets to the left hand to finish, yet he continues to find ways to get off clean looks around the rim. Brennan showcased a really nice spin move to create some space to get off a shot, but he also proved that he can power through contact to score at the rim. He also did a good job of facilitating, using his size to see over the top of the defense and find his defenders cutting to the basket. Really liked his effort on the glass on both ends.