Hard Work Region Finals (16U): Fury Zurn Goes Back to Back
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The Minnesota Fury knocked off Minnesota Heat PBJ in a great game. Who stood out? What prospects caught the eye? We discuss now! Back to Back! With eight seconds to go in the game Maxwell Woods Maxwell Woods 5'10" |…
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Continue ReadingThe Minnesota Fury knocked off Minnesota Heat PBJ in a great game. Who stood out? What prospects caught the eye? We discuss now!
Back to Back!
With eight seconds to go in the game Maxwell Woods Maxwell Woods 5'10" | PG Chanhassen | 2024 MN jumped the passing lane on the left wing, collected the ball immediately on the push, and was far too quick for any Heat player to make a play on his lay-up. The finish at the cup put the Fury up 73-71 late and the Heat couldn’t counter giving Pete Zurn’s team a back to back Hard Work Region Finals championship.
For the Fury, Max Woods Max Woods 5'11" | PG Chanhassen | 2024 State MN and Charlie Theis Charlie Theis 6'5" | PF East Ridge | 2024 State MN were at their finest, just like in last year’s title game! Woods and Theis combined to score 50 of the team’s 73 points with each player having a big half. Brando Hrncir and Ell Ehrke each had their key moments as well with both scoring three times. Henry Tschetter Henry Tschetter 6'3" | SG Stewartville | 2024 State MN finished off a strong event leading the Heat in scoring while Jalen Langsy Jalen Langsy 5'11" | PG Shakopee | 2024 State MN appears to be a top Minnesota junior point guard and Jonathan Mekonnen Jonathan Mekonnen 6'8" | PF Eastview | 2024 State #201 Nation MN looks more and more like a top ten prospect in his class every day.
The Fury won six straight games to earn the title. They beat Waterloo Salvation (72-31), Minnesota Lightning Bauer (51-48) in a scrap, knocked off Omaha Elite in another close one (74-70), crushed Chapman Basketball Academy (61-40), smacked Iowa Prep (66-46), and then beat the Heat. Great weekend for the Fury.
Now….. can they pull off the three peat next year?
Co-MVPs
Clear MVP? Yes, and it was two guys. Charlie Theis Charlie Theis 6'5" | PF East Ridge | 2024 State MN (East Ridge) was outstanding in half one. Max Woods Max Woods 5'11" | PG Chanhassen | 2024 State MN (Chanhassen) was great in half two. Let’s talk about these kids!
Charlie Theis Charlie Theis 6'5" | PF East Ridge | 2024 State MN is a 6’5 wing/forward. What does he bring? Versatility. There was not better example of that Sunday then when the Heat tried to switch. When Theis got a small on him he instantly rolled hard to the rim (scored on a cut, scored on a post-up). When Theis had a big on him to start or a big switch on to him Charlie attacked hard off the screen and finished with either hand. The Fury set great screens all game and Theis was the hard cutter catching and finishing. The Fury does a great job using a hard post and we saw Charlie pass well out of the high post, face up and attack, and hit a jumper. Theis had 27 points making 10 of 12 field goal attempts and 7 of 9 foul shots with seven boards.
Max Woods Max Woods 5'11" | PG Chanhassen | 2024 State MN then took over the game in the second half. Woods is a Chanhassen point guard that simply wins at a higher level than people expect his teams to. That was the case in the winter, that is the case now. He’s a high character winner and guys love to compete with Max. There might be a guy bigger, maybe a guy taller, maybe a guy more explosive or better shooting the ball, but those players aren’t leading their teams to regular victories like Max Woods Max Woods 5'11" | PG Chanhassen | 2024 State MN . He had 23 points and five assists in the title game.
Heat PBJ Prospects
There are three Heat prospects that I think have a shot at a great number of full scholarship options in the near future. Those three are….
Jonathan Mekonnen Jonathan Mekonnen 6'8" | PF Eastview | 2024 State #201 Nation MN (Eastview). Mekonnen has the physical tools: he’s 6’7, long, runs well, laterally moves better than nearly everybody on the floor, and has an explosive vertical leap. He has all the physical tools to be a high major talent, Mekonnen just needs more experience to become more consistent and he needs to keep growing physically. When that happens we are looking at a player that has a great chance at a big future. Mekonnen scored on the move, he turned over his shoulder quickly to lift around the basket, and we saw a little bit of his attacking and lift into a short jumper. Scored on 7 of 8 shot attempts.
Henry Tschetter Henry Tschetter 6'3" | SG Stewartville | 2024 State MN (Stewartville). Be prepared, we are going to be hearing a lot about Henry Tschetter Henry Tschetter 6'3" | SG Stewartville | 2024 State MN growing into a scholarship prospect. Henry has definitely grown both a couple inches in height and added some good weight making him stronger. And with it, Tschetter looks to be moving like a scholarship athlete. He led Stewartville to a great summer winning the Breakdown Summer championship and we are seeing Henry consistently produce for Heat PBJ. Handle it? Yes I would let him do that. The shot? It looked great all summer. Playmaking? Can pass with the best of them. Paint? Posts up smaller players, boards well, and finishes attacks against the bigger help. Scored 19 points in the title game with only one miss.
Jalen Langsy Jalen Langsy 5'11" | PG Shakopee | 2024 State MN (Shakopee). I’m sure that you’ve seen that Jalen has picked up an NIL sponsorship via MT Noodles, owned by former Heat Coach Justin Bui. The notoriety is there and so is his game. Jalen is a good shooter, a crafty finisher in small windows at the cup, and a great creator, but what really caught my eye over the weekend is that Jalen is a better defender on the ball than I thought. If that continues the Langsy ceiling is even higher than I first thought.