NHR State: Max’s Day 2 Standouts
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The action continued yesterday at Hopkins high school, as AAU teams from across the state were competing at the NHR State Tournament! I was in the gym all day watching games, and these seven players stood out with strong performances.…
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Continue ReadingThe action continued yesterday at Hopkins high school, as AAU teams from across the state were competing at the NHR State Tournament! I was in the gym all day watching games, and these seven players stood out with strong performances.
JaSean Glover JaSean Glover 6'3" | SG Madelia | 2022 State MN (6’4 2022 G, SW Minnesota Stars)- It wasn’t JaSean’s biggest scoring performance at 11 points, but I still came away impressed with some of the things that Glover brings to the floor. At 6’4 he has solid length as a guard, and uses it to his advantage as he rebounded the ball at such a high level. He has great timing to elevate, and was the best I saw all day at high pointing the ball to secure rebounds over size consistently. JaSean also has a quick crossover to beat his man off the dribble and get to the lane, and he always had his head up looking to zip passes to open teammates for clean looks. He added in some tough finishes and a transition dunk to help his team pull off the win.
Jay Nyamari (6’1 2022 G, Minnesota Heat 2022 Hoyt)- Jay has been one of the breakout performers of the weekend, as he had his team battling with D1 Minnesota Prospects until the very end. He showed tons of confidence on the defensive end, knocking down contested threes and excelling at creating space off the dribble. Jay brought tons of energy to the floor with his on ball defense, sitting deep in a stance, fighting to get through screens, and using timing to come up with some steals. He capped off his 22 point performance with a transition slam off of a steal.
Andre Gray Andre Gray 6'4" | SG Mpls North | 2021 State MN (6’3 2021 SG, Real Phenom 2022)- One of the top unsigned senior guards in the Midwest, Andre showed the confident shooting stroke and shot creating ability that has earned him multiple D1 offers. Right from the jump he was in shot creation mode, and he proved why not too many defenders in the state can prevent him from creating space off the dribble. Andre covered so much ground with his crossovers and stepbacks, allowing him to get off just about any shot he wanted from three or mid-range, and he was hitting at a high percentage in the game I watched. Gray also got after it on the defensive end, competing on the ball and jumping passing lanes to lead to a pair of transition finishes. One thing that also stood out about Andre’s game was his ability to collect a rebound or loose ball, and fire out some deep outlet passes to lead streaking teammates to the rim.
Will Opsahl Will Opsahl 6'8" | SF Goodhue | 2023 State MN (6’6 2023 G/F, MN Lightning 2023 Ellerbusch)- It’s rare to find a player at 6’6 that handles the ball for his team, but that’s exactly what Will did in a win for the Minnesota Lightning yesterday. He’s a long and lanky prospect that can change directions quickly and has a variety of moves that he can uses to create space of get by his defender. Will always kept his head up looking to make smart passes, and his size as a ball handler helped draw out opposing team’s biggest players, opening up more opportunities for his teammates to get clean looks around the rim. He also finished with 10 points on the game.
Dylan Omweno Dylan Omweno 6'0" | PG Eastview | 2023 State MN (6’ 2023 PG, Minnesota Select 2023 Krona)- Running with Select this weekend, Dylan proved why he’s regarded as one of the fastest players in the state. When he locked in on the ball, he wasn’t giving up an inch of space to his man, and often ended up creating turnovers with his ball pressure. One of those turnovers led to a transition dunk, and many more led to easy points for his team. In the half court he’s so quick with the ball, allowing him to create space to get off a clean look with ease. Dylan has a quick stepback jumper from three, but can also hesitate and then burst to get to the rim.
Anish Ramlall Anish Ramlall 6'2" | PG Rosemount | 2023 State MN (6’2 2023 G, WOTN 2023 Bertsch)- Anish didn’t put up any crazy scoring numbers, but I was impressed by his decision making with the ball. He doesn’t force anything, and is so good at reading defenses in pick and roll situations to make the right play. Anish excelled at getting his man on his hip, leading to some easy floaters in the lane, or drawing in a help defender which led to open looks for his teammates. No matter what the opposing defense threw at him, he never looked rushed and always remained composed on the ball. Defensively he’s a high effort player, and used his length to create some loose balls and turnovers.
Kaden Cook Kaden Cook 6'4" | PF Park Center | 2023 State MN (6’3 2023 G, MN Select 2023 James)- The 2023 guard out of Park Center provided grit and high effort plays around the rim for Minnesota Select. He’s a guard that excelled at getting into the paint, whether it was off the dribble, offensive rebounds, or hard cuts without the ball, and he was consistently fighting through contact to try to score. Kaden had a highlight and-one dunk that got his team fired up, and he also had multiple blocked shots on the other end using timing and athleticism to protect the rim. He showed a lot of grit and fight in the paint, and should see a bigger role in the winter with Park Center.