NHR State: Friday Night Storylines
The 10th Annual NHR State Tournament kicked off Friday night and here are some highlights starting off with a Buffalo lead guard bringing Minnesota Comets Gagner to a win. Dahl Can Ball This past winter I was at Minnetonka for…
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Continue ReadingThe 10th Annual NHR State Tournament kicked off Friday night and here are some highlights starting off with a Buffalo lead guard bringing Minnesota Comets Gagner to a win.
Dahl Can Ball
This past winter I was at Minnetonka for the Skippers/Buffalo game and in a wild, rampant contest 163 points were scored. The player that kept up with the numerous Tonka guards was Nate Dahl. Dahl did his best to match every Tonka basket with a furious attack of his own that opponents couldn’t get in front of. That’s the night I learned that the junior guard has the ability to score against a pretty high level of Minnesota guard.
This spring the Minnesota Comets Gagner squad has put together some impressive results both in wins, and in close game losses. Last night I got the chance to see the Comets defeat Triumph 204 (a Minnesota team) and what I saw was some of the best halfcourt ball movement and halfcourt offensive activity that I’ve taken in in the last nine weeks. It was a team effort earning a 55-39 victory. Leading the way… Nate Dahl.
We’ve seen that Nate can score – averaged 14 a game last winter against Lake Conference competition – and now we’ve seen that Nate can lead a halfcourt offense slowly breaking down the opponents. The first thing I noticed was Dahl’s mix of pace. The Comets did a great job in quick transition but when it wasn’t there, it was a methodical dissection, starting with Dahl’s first read. Oftentimes that first read was a quick pass to the wing when he noticed the defender wasn’t in position, or it was a an extra dribble or two deeper before the first past collapsing the defense.
Then you had the passing. Dahl’s ability to pass the ball – putting it on the hands of cutters or shooters – or the simple snap reversals or quick balls to the deep corner that teams couldn’t recover to. It was all excellent and has me appreciating Nate Dahl as one of the finer lead guards in the class.
West Central Wildcat Win Before Midnight
When the other seven courts were being cleaned, the West Central Wildcats and Starks Elite still had 12 minutes on the clock in a close game. This worked out great for them because they got to play in front of St. John’s, Jamestown, Concordia-Moorhead, and the rest of the teams over there (it’s really weird going close to a guy and staring at their shirt). What prospects stood out? Here is my group from that game:
- We have to start with Clint Determan, a 6’1 guard from Wheaton-Herman-Norcross. He scored 21 a game this winter and last night had 18 consistent points that helped WC defeat Starks Elite in a one score game. This was a contest where every score mattered and Determan’s 18 was the most consistent effort of the night.
- Six-foot-7 Ian Fahje was 6’4/6’5 last season when I saw him as a sophomore, but now he’s a 6’7 agile post that scored his 16 points over great size on the Starks Elite team. If you score seven field goals against Isaac Nyakundi Isaac Nyakundi 6'9" | C MacDuffie | 2024 State NLG and the other Starks bigs, you are doing something right. Ian was able to quickly leap and use his body to shield while releasing consistently to score. Definitely an eye opening showing for him.
- Soren Anderson Soren Anderson 6'4" | SF Perham | 2023 State MN of Perham may have had the dunk of Friday in this game. The 6’5 wing back-cut his guy and then dunked two hands over Nyakundi who might just be the toughest player to dunk over at this event.
- This is a great event to learn about new players and we found another big. 6’9 Slayton Stroschein from South Ridge – yes same school as 6’9 Austin Josephson Austin Josephson 6'9" | C South Ridge | 2023 State MN – was really good in the low post last night for Starks Elite . When the guards actually entered the ball in the post in a good spot, he did a nice job with it.
- Asher Zubich Asher Zubich 6'1" | PG Mountain Iron-Buhl | 2023 State MN is a wizard passing the basketball. Every time I see him I like his all around ability more.
NHR State Notes
- Today was my first good look at Albany guard Tysen Gerads Tysen Gerads 6'3" | SG Albany | 2023 State MN , an athletic attacking 6’3 off guard that has a very good first step and a nice lift into a finish off of a two/three step run to the rim. Attacking guards need to have the quickness to get by guy 1 and the quickness to beat the help to the cup PLUS size to finish and the bounce to get off the floor before help can react. Gerads has that.
- Owen Skram Owen Skram 6'5" | PF Robbinsdale Armstrong | 2023 State MN of Minnesota Heat PVR and Robbinsdale Armstrong led his team over the Hall of Fame with an impressive mix of threes, short jumpers, and balanced, strong scores at the cup. 6’5/6’6 forward that had a load of MIAC/UMAC/NAIA schools looking on.
- I thought Isaiah Hanson Isaiah Hanson 6'4" | SG Rochester Mayo | 2023 State MN did an exceptional job of finishing around the basket last night in the Heat win. More versatile wing scorer than I thought.
- 6’5 Joe Randle of Saint Anthony and Hall of Fame left a nice impression. He was a 7 point, 6 rebound a game guy last winter who could really take a jump as a senior.
- A player I really like is Kaden Braxton Kaden Braxton 6'2" | CG Shakopee | 2024 State MN of Minnesota Crossfire and Shakopee High School. This young man can playmake and is tough to go with it. A sophomore that will mix so well with Jalen Langsy Jalen Langsy 5'11" | PG Shakopee | 2024 State MN , Isaac Snell, Termaine Fulton Jr Termaine Fulton Jr 6'1" | SG Shakopee | 2023 State MN , and Tyler Boegeman Tyler Boegeman 6'4" | SG Shakopee | 2023 State MN to form what should be yet another really good Saber backcourt, wing group.