Summer’s Standout 2022 Shooters
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With summer basketball just about wrapped up and the school year set to get started, I’ll be taking a look back at some of the top shooters I saw play over the past few months! Keep in mind this is…
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Continue ReadingWith summer basketball just about wrapped up and the school year set to get started, I’ll be taking a look back at some of the top shooters I saw play over the past few months! Keep in mind this is by no means a complete list of the state’s best shooters, rather just a compilation of some of the best shooting performances from players that I was able to watch live.
Caleb Siwek Caleb Siwek 6'1" | SG Rosemount | 2022 State MN (6’2 2022 G, Howard Pulley)- Caleb may have put together the best shooting performance I saw all summer, absolutely taking over in a game at the Marquette Team Camp. Running with his Rosemount HS team against a talented team from Michigan, Caleb hit tough shot after tough shot to keep his team alive. Stepback threes with a hand right in his face? Swish. Pulling up from 15 feet after dribbling full speed down the court? Another make. Caleb made the game look effortless as he was seemingly hitting everything no matter what the defense threw at him. The range extended to well beyond the high school arc, but he also showed he can get to his spots from mid-range and is a tough finisher when he takes it to the rim. Also a better athlete than he may get credit for as he is most known for his shooting ability.
Carter Bjerke Carter Bjerke 6'9" | C Wayzata | 2022 State MN (6’8 2022 PF, D1 Minnesota Prospects)- Not only is Carter arguably the top frontcourt shooter in the state, he’s one of the best shooters in Minnesota period. He has that high arcing shot that leaves everyone in the gym thinking it’s going in every time the ball leaves his hands. It seemed like even on an off game he would still knock down two 3’s, while also finding ways to consistently contribute in the paint. He’s a strong player on the block with soft touch to finish with a baby hook over size. His shooting stroke forces opposing team’s to bring their bigs out to the perimeter to guard, creating the opportunity for his team’s wings to attack the basket with less size defending it. St. Thomas is getting a confident and composed big man that can simply light it up from beyond the arc.
Nick Burke Nick Burke 6'5" | PF Southwest Christian | 2022 State MN (6’5 2022 F, WOTN/Minnesota Heat MacDonald)- Though primarily running with WOTN, I also got the chance to watch him play with the Heat in Birmingham when his primary team had an off weekend. At 6’5 he brings some nice size to the wing when he plays the 3, but can also compete against size and strength as a 4. Nothing flashy about Nick’s game, but he’s so good at moving without the ball and just finding himself in pockets of space to get off clean looks off the catch. Plays a lot off the ball, but also showed some flashes of being able to create his own shot off the dribble while keeping things simple. When he’s not knocking down threes, Nick uses his height to his advantage on the wings as he’s an underrated passer with his ability to see over the defense and deliver crisp passes to his cutting teammates.
Kobe Kirk Kobe Kirk 6'2" | SG Mounds View | 2022 State MN (6’3 2022 SG, Minnesota Heat Grow)- It’ll be hard to find anyone in the state with more confidence in his shot/range than Kobe Kirk Kobe Kirk 6'2" | SG Mounds View | 2022 State MN . You know you’re a good shooter when your coach has confidence in you taking shots from 5-8 feet beyond the arc, and Kobe was able to do that this summer due to the percentage of those shots that he makes. I saw it often where out of state teams were unaware of the range that Kobe possesses, and he hurt them early by knocking down a flurry of deep shots. Those shooting performances included a 33 point outburst in Birmingham that saw him put up 11 points in just one minute of game time. Not only can Kobe hit from deep, but he also showed continuous improvements in his ability to get to the rim to finish, and also surprised a lot of people with his help-side shot blocking ability as a guard. He’s also a high academic prospect who scored a 34 on his ACT.
Donald Ferguson Donald Ferguson 6'1" | SG St. Cloud Tech | 2022 State MN (6’2 2022 G, Team GetShook)- Ferguson had a strong showing at the MBCA Showcase, showing that sharpshooting ability as well as his consistently improving game with the ball in his hands. Capable of playing the 1 or the 2, Donald has a smooth stroke from beyond the arc that he can hit at a high rate, doing a nice job of getting squared up to the rim before catching and quickly getting into his shooting motion. When handling the ball he has a great feel for the game and plays with a change of pace that always keeps defenders on their toes. He’s dangerous getting a man on his hip on then creating a bit of separation to hit a floater or mid-range jumper as well. In transition he’s added explosiveness to be an above the rim threat, and has grown to have the length to guard either guard spot.
Benard Omooria Benard Omooria 6'2" | CG Osseo | 2022 State MN (6’1 2022 G, Minnesota Select)- Ferguson’s teammate during the high school season, Benard was a constant floor stretcher for one of the top 17u teams in the state this year. He has a quick release that makes him so dangerous running off screens without the ball as defenders chasing him won’t be able to get off a clean contest before his release. The threat of Benard pulling up from three also allows him to use a hesitation dribble that commonly gets defenders jumping and allows him to get into the paint to finish with a floater or distribute.
Dylan Wheeler Dylan Wheeler 6'3" | SG Mounds View | 2022 State MN (6’3 2022 SG, Minnesota Heat MacDonald)- It seemed like every game I watched of Dylan this summer he was hitting 3-4 shots from beyond the arc. He’s a streaky player who can catch fire in a hurry and drain multiple threes in a short period of time, something he did on multiple occasions. Defenses can’t afford to lose him off the ball because he’s an active player who will constantly move and look to find openings to get off a shot. Dylan never seems to waste a dribble, and excels at getting into the elbow-free thrown line area off one or two bounces before pulling up and hitting at a high percentage.
Braeden Carrington Braeden Carrington 6'4" | SG Park Center | 2022 State #141 Nation MN (6’4 2022 SG, Grassroots Sizzle UAA)- Recently committed to Minnesota, Braeden is one of the top guard prospects in the 2022 class. Known mostly for his shooting early on, Braeden has also expanded his game. He’s a consistent threat from three but also gets to his spots in the mid-range and uses a high release to knock down shots over the top of defenders. Braeden can handle the ball as the 1 and uses change of pace to create off the dribble for himself and others. Play him off the ball and he can run the baseline to get open looks in the corners, or come curling off screens and get his feet squared up to fire off high percentage looks from deep.
Kyle Johnson Kyle Johnson 6'2" | SG De La Salle | 2022 State MN (6’1 2022 SG, Minnesota Magic)- After playing a role off the bench for DeLaSalle in the winter, Kyle put on some strong shooting performances this summer with the Minnesota Magic. He’s such a composed player who doesn’t seem to force much offensively, but when he gets into a rhythm he’s capable of hitting some contested shots. Kyle showed the ability to hit from deep and mid-range off the catch or dribble, and is also a worker on the defensive end who’s not afraid to pick up deep or hit the floor for loose balls. According to his Twitter profile he boasts a 4.2 GPA, and he’s a player who saw his stock rise at the D3 level because of his ability to not only knock down shots, but also contribute without the ball.