PH Circuit: 22 Impressive 17U Players from May
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We are two days into June! I hate to say this, but summer flies by very quickly. We want to look back at the impressive players that I watched in May before everyone gets caught up in summer activities. This…
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Continue ReadingWe are two days into June! I hate to say this, but summer flies by very quickly. We want to look back at the impressive players that I watched in May before everyone gets caught up in summer activities. This article looks at players from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
Impressive 2023 Players from May
Kyle Olebaygi |6’6 F| Illinois Twolves/Lincoln Way-East
- He is one of the strongest and most powerful athletes that I watched, an explosive dunker!
- Very physical in the post, effective on the block and off the bounce, blocked many shots
Gavin Pierce Gavin Pierce 6'5" | SF Prior Lake | 2023 State MN |6’4 SG| Northstar Titans Terhaar/Hopkins
- He completely went off from 3 at the Midwest Showdown, amazing shooting performance
- Big guard with a smooth stroke, deep range, in-rhythm shooter that does not need much room
Jackson Ressler Jackson Ressler 6'4" | PG Lakeville South | 2023 State MN |6’4 G| Northstar Titans Stone/Lakeville South
- Plays fearless & confident, turns TO’s into quick points, creates for others, unselfish scorer
- Super consistent production, best defender on team, makes everyone around him more competitive
Trey Smith Trey Smith 6'7" | SF Osseo | 2023 State MN |6’7 SF| Northstar Titans Stone/Osseo
- Explosive & athletic, playmaker from the wing and in the paint, hits triples, slashes, scores above rim
- Very productive with 17 ppg & 6 rpg, proved that he is a special player, spring stock riser!
Wyatt Hawks |6’8 PF| Northstar Titans Stone/White Bear Lake
- He is a bear on the boards, good size with soft touch, finishes with power & finesse
- Averaged a double-double and this BIG has made a name for himself, strong with good feet
Khalif Bettis Khalif Bettis 6'6" | SF Burnsville | 2023 State MN |6’5 SF| MN Chill Elite/Burnsville
- Scores points fast & furious, great jumper from 8-feet, 15-feet, and out to college range
- Has crafty old school scoring ability, makes splashy plays at the rim & dynamic in the open court
Anish Ramlall Anish Ramlall 6'2" | PG Rosemount | 2023 State MN |6’3 PG| WOTN/Rosemount
- Picked up a D2 offer this spring and he has been one of the top PG’s in the Hard Work Region
- Elite handles & passing, creates his own shots, exceptional at creating for others, productive 3-shooter
Spencer Hall Spencer Hall 6'3" | SF Wayzata | 2023 State MN |6’3 G| MN Fury Antl/Wayzata
- Plays with a good head on his shoulders, hard worker that can defend many positions, versatile scorer
- Effective slasher & smart cutter, makes big plays when team needs it, he is a jack of all trades
Max Shikenjanski Max Shikenjanski 6'2" | PG Stillwater | 2023 State #288 Nation MN |6’3 G| MN Fury Antl/Stillwater
- A tireless worker, GAMER, never too big of a moment, will do what it takes to get the win for his team
- High-yielding scorer that also see the floor and drops dimes, easily a top player in the Hard Work Region
Vuciri Hakim Vuciri Hakim 6'4" | SF Shanley | 2023 State ND |6-4 SF| Next Level Basketball Academy/Fargo Shanley
- Long wingspan, blocks & alters shots at impressive rate, sneaky at creating TO’s, aggressive on boards
- Elevates well, scores on O-boards, slashing, posting, cutting, 15’ J’s, very active on both ends of the floor
Connor Epp Connor Epp 6'0" | CG Freeman Academy-Marion | 2023 State SD |6’0 G| Scared Hoops Bertram/Freeman Academy/Marion
- Impressive athlete, great speed & quickness, good ball skills, changes speed to keep D off balance
- Knows how to make winning plays, creative attacking from the perimeter, uses athleticism to score at cup
Jackson Edman Jackson Edman 6'7" | SF Pierre | 2023 State SD |6’7 PF| Sacred Hoops Bertram/Pierre
- Has been scoring at all three-levels, tough off the bounce, controls the lane & protects the rim
- Showed off his explosive athleticism with wild DUNKS at Battle At The Lakes, STOCK RISER!
Blake Volmer Blake Volmer 6'0" | CG Winner | 2023 State SD |6’3 SG| SD Attack/Winner
- Was very effective slashing & scoring at Battle At The Lakes, tough, wiry, and athletic
- Does not dance with the ball, attacks close-outs, efficient, mid-range jumper looked smooth
Isaac Bruns Isaac Bruns 6'4" | SG Dakota Valley | 2023 State SD |6’5 SG| SD Attack/Dakota Valley
- D1 offer from USD, has looked like a D1 player all spring, impressive performance (Battle At The Lakes)
- A top shooter in the Midwest, excellent at manipulating the D, perfect footwork, great feel, WINNER
Ethan Russell Ethan Russell 6'6" | SF Aberdeen Christian | 2023 State SD |6’6 SF| SD Attack/Aberdeen Christian
- He looks like a 3 & D player, he surprised me a bit with nice footwork and finishing around the rim
- Advanced skills, long wing with a sweet pull-up game, cuts for buckets, equal-opportunity scorer
Carter Kuehl Carter Kuehl 5'11" | PG Bishop Heelan | 2023 State IA |5’10 G| Arena Basketball Club/Heelan
- Big point producer at Buckets In The Big Red, dropped 30 in a W, high assist guy as well
- I like his handles and pull-up game, pressure does not bother him, plays with swagger
Keavian Hayes Keavian Hayes 6'2" | SG Sioux City West | 2023 State IA |6’2 SG| Arena Basketball Club/Sioux City West
- An extra special athlete, built like a next-level player, powerful, strong, & exciting player
- Constantly gets two feet in the paint, motor never stops, posts up inferior guards, physical finisher
Ayden Klein Ayden Klein 5'11" | SG MOC-Floyd Valley | 2023 State IA |6-0 G| Pentagon Schoolers Walker/MOC-Floyd Valley
- He had a big weekend at Battle At The Lakes, Ayden took over the game a few times
- Plays very aggressive, finishes against BIGs at the rim, hits catch-n-shoot treys, plays super hard
Gavin Muirhead Gavin Muirhead 6'7" | PF O'gorman | 2023 State SD |6-7 F| Pentagon Schoolers Walker/O’Gorman
- Biggest spring stock riser in the Dakotas, has put on a show this spring with dunks & alley-oop SLAMS
- Proved to be a legitimate shot-blocker, good-eyed passer, hit triples, can finish from every angle at rim
AJ Akot AJ Akot 6'4" | SF Sioux Falls Washington | 2023 State SD |6-4 F| Pentagon Schoolers Walker/O’Gorman
- Has shown that he fits in with the top athletes on the circuit, long, lanky, bouncy, and versatile
- two-way player and unselfish, has stood out with offensive rebounds, Swiss Army Knife type of player
Zander Benz Zander Benz 6'4" | PF O’gorman | 2023 State SD |6’7 PF| Pentagon Schoolers Walker/O’Gorman
- Another big stock riser, work ethic is unmatched, love his turnaround baby-hook, active on both ends
- Stretches the floor with treys, goes hard at the glass, unselfish passer, long wingspan, team player
Matt Eng Matt Eng 6'0" | PG O’gorman | 2023 State SD |6’2 PG| Pentagon Schoolers Walker/O’Gorman
- Has been one of the best 3-point shooters that I have seen this spring, game-changing scorer
- Hits shot off dribble and catch, nice work running the point, throws beautiful alley-oop passes, clever D