The Great Plains Alliance Tournament was held in Saint Cloud Minnesota on June 29th and 30th. The GPA is always a great tournament with teams from South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and of course Minnesota. Many NAIA and D2 coaches…
The Great Plains Alliance Tournament was held in Saint Cloud Minnesota on June 29th and 30th. The GPA is always a great tournament with teams from South Dakota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and of course Minnesota. Many NAIA and D2 coaches were present to check out the action. Here are the top performers.
There’s a chance that Gavin’s stock has grown more than any other player in South Dakota throughout this AAU season. You’re missing out if you haven’t seen his dunks in person. Gavin helped his Schoolers team beat Schoolers Maschino in a big way. He has two monster dunks that led to huge momentum swings. The first one was in the first half when he stepped out on the perimeter, had a smooth shot fake, then took 1 dribble to hammer it home. Then in the second half, he had an “and 1” dunk heard around the gym. In a tie game with 15 seconds left, Gavin’s best play was a steal that he took all the way to the rack for the game-winning lay-up.
Taylen had a great showing at GPA. SD Attack and the Minnesota Fury had a back-and-forth nail-biter. In this game, Taylen was 9 for 11 from the field with 22 points. In addition, he got his teammates involved with 6 assists. Taylen can always get buckets, but he plays his best basketball when he’s also getting his teammates involved.
Randy was a stat stuffer for his squad at GPA. But what else is new? It seems that Randy is always filling up the stat sheet with efficient shooting and assists. He averaged 17.2 points per game and shot an unbelievable 77% from the field. The craziest part how that stat line is that it’s not uncommon for Randy to have a tournament with those numbers. Randy was a quiet MVP at GPA who not only can score but elevated the play of all his teammates.
Jeremiah was one of the ND players invited to the MN D1 Showcase and this weekend he showed why as he put on a show throughout the tournament. His best moment was against SD Attack in the semi-final game where he scored 23 points, including 5 3-pointers. In addition to hitting shots, his athletic ability made it difficult for defenders to stay in front. Jeremiah’s performance helped his ECI win the 16s division.
This is Porter’s first tournament since receiving his offer from the University of South Dakota. It didn’t take him long to showcase his talent. As a 6’5’’ Point Guard, he caused matchup issues for his opponents. He scored at the rim with a combination of strength and athleticism but also showcased his passing ability by finding open teammates. His best game was against his best opponent ECI. In that game, Porter scored 25 points with multiple finishes through contact and hitting shots from beyond the arc.