Max’s Tuesday Top Performers

Tuesday marked the kickoff of a handful of holiday tournaments in the Twin Cities area, and I took in two games at the TCO Holiday Classic at Augsburg, and the two semi-finals games of the MBBCA George Floyd Memorial Classic at North Central University. Here are seven of the names that impressed! Cody Pennebaker Cody Pennebaker 6'5" | SF Park Center | 2022 State MN (6’5 2022 W, Park Center)- Cody continues to show why he’s one of the top unsigned seniors in the state, as he put up a team high 21 points for Park Center in their win over Chicago Orr. He works hard running the floor in transition, which led to a handful of 2v1 buckets, as well as a tip-in as he trailed hard to put back his teammate’s miss. In the half-court he’s a threat from beyond the arc, and also cut hard back door for an explosive dunk. Doesn’t handle the ball a lot with two D1 guards on his team, but shows flashes of playmaking ability when given the opportunity. Defensively he fits in well with this team as they switch just about everything, and his combo of length and athleticism allows him to guard most spots on the floor at the high school level. Gani Stevens Gani Stevens 6'7" | C Saint Anthony Village | 2022 State MN (6’7 2022 C, Minneapolis North)- Gani was the biggest player on the floor against Houston Yates last night, and in the first half North took full advantage of that size. North could get the ball to him down low and with a physical drop step Gani would get off a high percentage look. It also helped that North’s guards were consistently breaking Houston Yate’s press, allowing for 2v1 situations where Gani was earning open lay-ups. He uses his strength to his advantage when it comes to boxing out on the defensive end, as well as setting hard screens and gaining winning position on the block before he even receives the entry pass. He ended the game with 22 points, most of which came in the first half of the win. Elvis Nnaji Elvis Nnaji 6'8" | C Hopkins | 2022 State #215 Nation MN (6’7 2022 PF, Hopkins)- It was the Elvis Nnaji Elvis Nnaji 6'8" | C Hopkins | 2022 State #215 Nation MN show yesterday afternoon against Washburn, as the unsigned senior threw down seven dunks in one game. Not only do they make for exciting highlights, but they’re earned by his effort to outrun everyone up the floor. A couple of them came off of steals, but others he simply blew by defenders who had a head start on him, allowing his teammates to throw up a lob that only Elvis can get to. Elvis is likely the fastest forward in the state, and if he’s not, he’s probably going to outwork anyone faster than him in transition anyways. One of the hardest working post players in the state who just finds ways to produce on both ends. Owen Waldoch Owen Waldoch 6'7" | PF Forest Lake | 2024 State MN (6’6 2024 F, Forest Lake)- I had to checkout Forest Lake after their win over Mounds View, and came away impressed with the 6’6 sophomore Owen Waldoch Owen Waldoch 6'7" | PF Forest Lake | 2024 State MN . He’s so dangerous moving off the ball, as his hard cuts, ability to run the floor, and fight to gain position on the block led to plenty of high percentage looks. Owen showed good athleticism for his size with a breakaway dunk, as well as the mobility to switch off on to smaller players when needed. Promising player to keep an eye on moving forward. Willie Wilson Willie Wilson 6'2" | CG Minneapolis North | 2022 State MN (6’2 2022 G, Minneapolis North)- If it was Gani Stevens Gani Stevens 6'7" | C Saint Anthony Village | 2022 State MN owning the first half, it was Willie Wilson Willie Wilson 6'2" | CG Minneapolis North | 2022 State MN delivering in the second for North. Willie put up a game high 27 points in a win over Houston Yates, playing with poise and patience on the ball. He simply took whatever Yates gave him, and that often times was a 10 foot pull-up that he knocked down consistently. Due to his change of speed he was able to break the opposing press with ease, and create plenty of 2v1 opportunities where he was able to dish it off or finish on his own.  Daejohn Thomas Daejohn Thomas 6'5" | SF St. Paul Johnson | 2024 State MN (6’5 2024 F, St. Paul Johnson)- Thomas had some foul trouble so didn’t get to play as much as he would have liked, but he made an impact during his minutes with his strength and understanding of low post position. When Johnson looked to feed him inside, he constantly earned high percentage looks because he has a great feel for his defender’s positioning, allowing him to turn over either shoulder and power through some contact to finish. As he continues to improve, he looks like the type of player who will constantly be putting opposing teams’ forwards in foul trouble because of his determination down low. Ayouba Berthe Ayouba Berthe 6'5" | SF Park Center | 2022 State MN (6’4 2022 W, Park Center)- Park Center ended up running away with their game, but in the early goings they started off a bit slow. Ayouba Berthe Ayouba Berthe 6'5" | SF Park Center | 2022 State MN was the spark on both ends as early in the game he drew a charge and knocked down a pair of threes off the catch. That run was followed up with a strong take to the rim for two points. He proved to be the type of player that a coach can throw on just about anyone and expect to hold them to well below their scoring average. At 6’4 he was sitting deep in a stance to move laterally with smaller guards, while also seeing time on 6’7 forwards. He works to fight through screens and does well sliding into position to take charges.