Fantastic 40: Friday’s Best
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The Fantastic 40 is the final event of the year and it’s loaded with talent. Talent from North Dakota to Cali, and Texas out to Florida, the Tarkanian Center has been on fire!
North Dakota Making Headlines
With five star talent all over the facility from hot beds like Texas, California, and Florida, who expected some of the top headlines from Friday to come from North Dakota? But that is what’s happening as the North Dakota Phenom knocked off Rasheed Wallace Select out of North Carolina and the 16s knocked off one of the better programs in Iowa, Beyond Ball. For the notes of North Dakota we go….. Basketball in Bullet Points!
- Colorado committed top 150 big Joseph Hurlburt played some of the best basketball I’ve seen from him. The ball was going through Joe and he produced regularly. The curls off the down screen were caught and finished at the rim. Hurlburt caught after the balls screen and finished at the cup. After stepping off the ball screen to the wing Hurlburt hit some jumpers, and Joe was really good completing with his back to the basket. Throw in the 16 boards, seven assists, and three scores against Rasheed’s team and you had a big day.
- Treysen Eaglestaff Treysen Eaglestaff 6'5" | SF Bismark | 2022 State ND made major headlines with the dunk on an Iowa player’s head in game one but that was just a part of his late game run. Eaglestaff’s corner three and three bucket scores gave his team a shot at the buzzer. One game later, the UND committed 6’5 wing was even better. He hit four threes and scored 21 in a big win.
- Speaking of threes, Trey Brandt Trey Brandt 6'1" | PG Beulah | 2022 State ND hit six of them moving off of Hurlburt to catch and complete for 24 points.
- Big fan of the potential of 6-foot-8 2023 Carson Yale Carson Yale 6'9" | PF Des Lacs Burlington | 2023 State ND . When you look on the floor and see the Phenom 16s, Yale is the guy that has the size, athletic ability, agility, and activity to be a full scholarship talent. He moves better laterally than most on the team, and he’s the tallest on the team. His initial jump and second jump allow him to get putbacks, boards, and shot contests, and Yale moves actively in a way that makes him a four man that can produce without constantly having the ball.
- 2023 post Ryan Erikson Ryan Erikson 6'10" | C Bismarck Century | 2023 State ND put constant pressure on the opposing frontline leading to numerous foul calls/free throws in the second half. He was immovable inside scoring 20 with 9 of 10 (or 10 of 11, I had a hard time reading the book) foul shooting.
Tyler Andrews Explodes
Many of you will remember Tyler playing out of Iowa as a young player. Or you may recall him competing with Gain Elite out of Minnesota for a season or two. There was also last summer when Andrews was with D1 Minnesota. Now he’s competing with Belmont Shore and turning heads.
At 6-foot-6 Tyler has always been one of the most explosive players on the floor going to the cup. He’s reclassified into the 2022 class and will head to Sunrise Christian next winter, and when Andrews gets there he will be one of the stronger players in the program. So here we have Andrews with good size as a wing both in height and strength, he’s certainly experienced, and of course explosive. There’s one more thing…
Tyler Andrews faced some of the best players in the nation and was one of the best shooters on the floor. Twice. Against 3D Empire out of Texas, Andrews exploded for 31 points including seven threes! What I loved even more was that in addition to those seven threes, Andrews never stopped his transition run or cuts so he had five rim buckets as well scoring on 12 of 18 shots. Then against the Texas All Stars, was a weapon once again in the Belmont Shore 80-72 victory. Andrews made three treys and contributed 13.
Best of Texas
There were players from Texas that played well, and there were Texas talents that seriously turned heads. Here are the head turners from Texas on Friday.
- Arterio Morris Arterio Morris 6'4" | PG Dallas Kimball | 2022 State #16 Nation TX , the five star Texas commit, added one to his resume Friday night. The Circuit All Stars are a huge and agile team that has length all over. Trying to attack that group for a bucket is like trying to run through the dense forests of Alaska without getting a scratch. Morris used that explosive agility and amazing body control to 28 points on the board on 12 of 21 shooting. Morris had to shoulder a heavy load to keep his team in the game and he did so at a high level.
- Six-foot-8 2022 power forward Robert Jennings Robert Jennings 6'8" | PF TACA Storm | 2022 State TX is a player with a nice offer list and his constant activity off the ball is something his future college coach will love. Scored a dozen with six boards against the huge Circuit All Stars team and did so scoring on the few chances he got in space. Most notable was the opposite leg one hand dunk back across his body.
- Leo Dort went against another top 50 level big, and out-rebounded that player in a big way. Dort grabbed everything in his area AND grabbed all the 50-50 boards against fellow nationally ranked players. A 15 rebound game against Belmont Shore is quite the headliner.
- Five star Keyonte George Keyonte George 6'5" | SG IMG Academy | 2022 State #4 Nation FL will make his choice tomorrow but Friday he was too busy showing off that gorgeous release for 21 points on 7 of 16 shooting against Belmont Shore.
- I’d say that 6-foot-5 four star Rylan Griffen Rylan Griffen 6'5" | SG Richardson | 2022 State #72 Nation TX was the Texas All Stars prospect that had me most impressed. Rylan scored 21 points and it was hid defensive reads that really stood out. When the defender dropped a leg stepping off balance and Rylan knew that player couldn’t contest his shot, Rylan hit the three. When the defender cheated around the ball screen Rylan faded back to catch and hit a three. And when Griffen cut hard to the corner, he cut in a way that the defender couldn’t sprint to off the screen so he had the time to catch and hit. Brilliant court reads setting up shots.
- My time seeing Arop Arop of Texas Swish was quick but the 6-foot-9 2022 big made a nice impression. He’s vocal, directive, and active on D. Arop did a great job moving on ball screens to set up the catch he’s quick off is feet for the highlight finishes.
- Anthony Black Anthony Black 6'7" | PG Duncanville | 2022 State #10 Nation TX of 3D Empire was also very good putting up 22 points on 9-14 field goal shooting against Belmont Shore.
Five More from Fantastic 40
Here are five more guys that stood out at the Fantastic 40 and we do it in quick hitting fashion:
- Six-foot-9 Dominick Barlow was the most dominant player I saw from Circuit All Stars. Barlow had 20 points on 8 of 10 shooting plus 4 of 4 foul shooting. Barlow hit the game clinching foul and rim ran successfully the full game.
- Hansel Donato, a 2022 from Florida, is a joy to watch. Donato’s ability to hit a three while the defense anticipates the attack, his ability to use his long arm and poke the ball, and Donato’s finger rolls are amazing. Had 14 points, four boards, and four assists on 6 of 10 shooting for the Circuit All Stars.
- One of the best performances of the day was Trey Pettigrew getting Belmont Shore the 80-72 win over the Texas All Stars. Trey scored 25 points on 9 of 16 shooting.
- Josh Jefferson had double-doubles in both games I watched. 12 and 12 once, 11 and 11 the other. His low post catch and hard turn moved opponents and impressed the traditional power post coaches, myself included.
- Four star Aidan Shaw had 16 points and 13 rebounds in game one, 15 points and five boards in game two. For Shaw it’s all about how quickly he gets off the ground at 6-foot-9 and then extends the defense with that corner trey.