ND Phenom 2025: #PrepHoopsLiveATL
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Hoops fans in the Dakotas know that North Dakota Phenom 2025 is a stacked & talented team. After Prep Hoops Live Atlanta, now there are people from Kansas, Arkansas, and Alabama that also know about the talent level of Phenom!…
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Continue ReadingHoops fans in the Dakotas know that North Dakota Phenom 2025 is a stacked & talented team. After Prep Hoops Live Atlanta, now there are people from Kansas, Arkansas, and Alabama that also know about the talent level of Phenom! The North Dakota boys had a standout weekend in ATL and they are back in NoDak with an unblemished 4-0 record. This squad is made up of Class A and B players from across North Dakota and they are proving to be the real deal. Read below for ND Phenom’s results, quotes from Director/Coach Jordan Maurer, and player comments/notes from their win over Bryson Warren United 2025.
Results/Schedule 4-0
Director of ND Phenom & 2025 HC, Jordan Maurer’s comments on the weekend
“This was the first event we had all 9 players available and the additional depth was very valuable. We played hard and intelligently and if those 2 things happen, success typically will follow.”
“We proved that we can compete with teams from various areas of the country that play different styles of basketball and that our group of athletes has serious collegiate basketball potential.“
I watched back ND Phenom’s game vs. Bryson Warren United 2025. Phenom came away with an impressive 2-point win! Look below for player comments/notes from the 66-64 hard-fought victory.
Phenom Player Notes
Drew Kempel Drew Kempel 6'3" | PG Bismarck Century | 2025 State ND 6’3 PG| Bismarck Century
- 18 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals
- I like his crossover & fake-cross, keeps the defense uneasy
- Hesistation move, behind the back, has all the moves to alleviate pressure
- Penetrated and kicked out to shooters all game
- Directs traffic, was a 1-man press break at times
- Great off-hand, threw left-handed passes and scored with lefty finger rolls
- Showed great hang time when finishing and grabbing rebounds
- Strong AND1 finishes
- Pick-pocket steal, like taking candy from a baby
- Transition score, runs floor hard, Englund assist
- Blow by baseline drive, silky smooth reverse finish
- Athletic slash/score with a 2-footed finish
- Used body well to protect the ball when finishing
- Picked off a pass when hustling back in transition D
- Very effective in the pick-n-roll game with Ouse
- Loved when he rejected the BS, drove baseline and scored
- Aggressive defensive rebounder, goes after the ball like a heat-seeking missile
- Stiff and sturdy defender
- At the charity stripe a ton
- Was always in the right place at the right time
Karson Ouse Karson Ouse 6'8" | SF Kindred | 2025 State #283 Nation ND |6’5 SF| Kindred
- 17 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
- Has an excellent hesitation move, spin-move, and jab step
- Handles ball well against smaller/pesky defenders
- Impressed with how he catches/rips/attacks
- He was really good at attacking the basket with his left hand
- Shooting range extends beyond college range
- Contests and changes shots at the 3-point arc with his long arms
- Blocked 3pt-shot late in the game, clutch play
- Drive down the lane, showed impressive hang time & lefty finger-roll finish
- Slash into the paint, jump stop, 10-foot jumper over defender, nearly impossible to stop
- Broke down D off bounce, scored with a perfect runner/floater
- Loved how he did a dribble handoff and slipped to the rim
- Impressive rebounds over opponents with his long wingspan
- Looked good shooting the trail 3-ball
- Great cut to the block, post up a smaller defender, turnaround score over D
- Screen-n-roll bucket over defender
- Catch-n-shoot trail triple from right-wing, he makes it look easy
- Kick-out dagger 3-pointer, less than a minute left in contest, ICED the game
Walker Braaten Walker Braaten 6'4" | CG Westhope/Newburg | 2025 State #278 Nation ND |6’2 G| Westhope/Newburg
- 14 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist
- Closed out with a high hand to contest shots
- Sprints the floor hard after teammates secure the rebound
- Has a quick first step with a beautiful pull-up jumper that is fluid & free
- Deflected passes and blocked shots, has great timing/instincts
- Quick/sneaky hands that tip/avert/steal and find the ball
- A next-level athlete, drove and scored against impressive athletes
- Had many tough/physical/acrobatic drive & finishes
- Catch-n-shoot sniper, hit corner 3 and was fouled, could of been a 4-point play
- Great rebounder vs. bigger players
- Had a big D-stop late in 2nd half, forced a travel
- Run-out basket and hit clutch shots late
- Scored contested buckets at the cup in crunch time
- GAMER!
Presley Peraza Presley Peraza 6'6" | PF Kindred | 2025 State ND |6’4 SF| Kindred
- 4 rebounds
- Showed an athletic spin-move, covers a lot of ground
- His in-rhythm jumper looked smooth, definitely has potential with his J
- Athletic O-board to give his team an extra possession
- Had a nice dump-down pass to his Kindred teammate
Caden Englund Caden Englund 6'2" | CG Shiloh Christian | 2025 State ND |6’1 G| Shiloh Christian
- 5 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal
- Is a drive-and-kick specialist
- A shifty slasher with an effective crossover move
- Snaked through the defense all game
- Quick & clever, is a master as changing speeds to keep D off balance
- Scored with a physical finish vs a BIG defender
- Plays fearless, does not avoid the trees in the lane
- Made hustle plays, saved the ball from going out of bounds
- Tough player, took a hard foul and popped right back up
- Deflected a pass with outside hand, led break and dished to Kempel for 2pts
- Picked off a pass when his opponent was trying to post him up
Brennan Johnson Brennan Johnson 6'7" | PF Tioga | 2025 State ND |6’5 PF| Tioga
- 1 point, 6 rebounds
- Multiple offensive rebounds throughout the game
- Full contact player/rebounder
- Brute force, displaced players around the rim
- For his size he slid well, moved his feet, kept O in front
- Provided size and toughness in the paint
- Took a CHARGE! Those are rare in AAU
- Used both hands around the rim
Josh Bickett Josh Bickett 6'1" | SG Carrington | 2025 State ND |6’1 G| Carrington
- 3 points, 2 rebounds
- Battled for rebounds and loose balls
- He moved and shared the ball on offense
- Showed hardworking on-ball defense, forced the PG into an over-and-back TO
- Fought for position vs. bigger players, dove on the floor
- Catch-n-shoot 3-ball bucket in the 2nd half
Parker Falcon Parker Falcon 6'6" | SG Bismarck Legacy | 2025 State ND |6’4 G| Bismarck Legacy
- 4 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
- Showed a nice shot fake to get defenders off-balance
- Has a high release on his jumper, allows him to shoot over defenders
- Swiped the rock from ball-handler, led to a breakaway layup
- Baseline drive, kick-out pass to shooter & a timely offensive rebound
- Hard post-up vs. smaller guards, showed a sweet baby-hook
- Slasher that got to the FT-line
- Stole an inbounds pass, threw a dime to a cutting Kempel for 2-points
Jenner Smude Jenner Smude 6'4" | SG Century | 2025 State ND |6’3 G| Bismarck
- 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist
- Showed a quick release on his jumper
- Sets feet in a hurry and shoots with a hair-trigger
- Slashed into the lane, unselfishly kicked out to a spot-up shooter
- Pushed ball in transition, dropped a nice dime for an easy layup
- Catch-n-shoot triple when his team needed a baset
- Contests and alters shots with his length