#PHHardWorkRegionFinals: Friday Night Fantastic
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Plymouth, MN – I was at Wayzata High School on Friday night watching the Prep Hoops Hard Work Region Finals. It was a great opening night of hoops. Look below for the players that had standout performances! FRIDAY NIGHT FANTASTIC Kaden…
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Continue ReadingPlymouth, MN – I was at Wayzata High School on Friday night watching the Prep Hoops Hard Work Region Finals. It was a great opening night of hoops. Look below for the players that had standout performances!
FRIDAY NIGHT FANTASTIC
Kaden Cook Kaden Cook 6'4" | PF Park Center | 2023 State MN |6’5 PF| Minnesota Select 2023 James
He is big, strong, physical, and powerful. He muscled-up defenders around the rim and he was an interior force. Kaden was crushing on the offensive glass and he scored on putbacks. He also got to the line and knocked down FT’s. Another time, Cook showed excellent vision and dished a nice assist to a cutting teammate. Cook is an unselfish player. Kaden was also an opportunistic scorer that put up points off turnovers. He helped Select cruise to a 20-point win.
Joe Burgess Joe Burgess 6'5" | SF Park Center | 2023 State MN |6’5 F| Minnesota Select 2023 James
He was doing everything on Friday night. Joe scored on an alley-oop, slashed/drove for baskets, and cut for good looks. He is a special athlete with crazy hops and he runs the floor like a deer. Burgess scored multiple baskets in transition with great hustle and speed. He boarder well and I loved how he high-pointed the rebound. On one occasion, Joe was running the court, caught a contested pass, and finished from a difficult angle in a small window of opportunity. He also moved the rock and made the extra pass. I was impressed with his anticipation, he blocked multiple shots and pinned a ball on the backboard. It was a great Friday night game for Mr. Burgess.
Vuciri Hakim Vuciri Hakim 6'4" | SF Shanley | 2023 State ND |6’4 F| The Next Level Basketball Academy
He had multiple tough and contested scores around the basket. Hakim showed patience and strength while picking up fouls and AND1 scores. He showed excellent body control when finishing around a big/wide body from the opposing team. Vuciri was great at battling for boards. He went up and tipped a ball multiple times before grabbing it from an opponent. Hakim snagged multiple O-boards. He showed a sweet baby hook and he scored in transition. Hakim blocked shots and he had a beautiful touch pass from the high post to a cutting teammate. Vuciri has the potential to be a tough player in the EDC this coming year.
Ethan Cheaye Ethan Cheaye 5'10" | CG West Fargo | 2024 ND |5’9 G| Beyond the Game (BTG) 2024
He is a nice athlete that is strong and explosive. Ethan made multiple aggressive drives through the defense. He was weaving and dicing through the defense like they were standing still. Cheaye made a beautiful slash and he finished acrobatically around multiple defenders. I was impressed with his control, concentration, and coordination. He also showed quick and pesky hands when playing defense.
Morries Jabeth |6’2 SF| MN Lightning 2023 Dahl
He stood out as a hustler and a high-energy player. Morries was doing work on the glass with multiple offensive rebounds, he refused to be boxed out. He battled on post defense and he blocked shots. Jabeth contested shots and he was all over the court. He threw a few deep and accurate outlet passes. Morries also made a difference on defense by picking off passes and stealing the ball.
Gavin Muirhead Gavin Muirhead 6'7" | PF O'gorman | 2023 State SD |6’7 PF| Pentagon Schoolers 17U Walker
He scored 14 in the 16-point win by the Schoolers. Gavin committed to the University of Sioux Falls on Friday and the coaches were in the front row watching. Gavin did not disappoint! He cleaned up on the boards and easily had a double-double. I lost track of how many O-boards he grabbed, he gave the Schoolers a ton of extra possessions. Gavin scored many times with putbacks but he also dished assists. Muirhead showed his passing ability with a nice bounce pass to Benz. He also showed off his athleticism with a baseline drive and a 1-handed WHAM. Gavin had another dunk off a lob pass. He also made a difference by picking off passes, blocking shots, and protecting the rim.
Elliot Whitney Elliot Whitney 6'0" | CG Sioux Falls Lincoln | 2023 State SD |6’0 G| Pentagon Schoolers 17U Walker
He finished the big win with 24 points and 6 three-pointers. Whitney was on fire in the first half from beyond the arc. His jumper is soft/smooth, and his release is effortless. He also showed a soft floater in the lane. Late in the game, Elliot put on the moves on an iso drive. It started with a jab step, then he went behind the back, into a spin move, and he finished with a soft kiss off the glass. This kid is a player!
Zander Benz Zander Benz 6'4" | PF O’gorman | 2023 State SD |6’7 PF| Pentagon Schoolers 17U Walker
He finished with 14 points. He always plays great defense but this was maybe the best I have seen Zander play on offense. I saw the BIG man show off his athleticism with a 2-handed dunk and bouncy 1-handed flush. Benz also scored with his left hand at the rim. Zander had many physical finishes in the paint over outstretched arms. I loved how he refused to be posted up, fought around the front, and stole a pass. Zander altered many shots and he threw a beautiful touch lob pass from the high post. Expect a huge weekend from Benz and for the college coaches to be keeping a close eye on him.
AJ Akot AJ Akot 6'4" | SF Sioux Falls Washington | 2023 State SD |6’4 SF| Pentagon Schoolers 17U Walker
He finished with 16 points and two 3-pointers. This was the best I have seen him shoot from the outside. AJ looked confident and fluid from beyond the arc. His strength was evident with a strong AND1 score. He also picked up a bucket with an O-board putback. Akot is a special athlete with impressive hang time. He is a tough defender on and off the ball. AJ is an all-around DUDE.
Cole Peterson Cole Peterson 6'2" | PG Sioux Falls Washington | 2023 State SD |6’1 G| Pentagon Schoolers 17U Walker
He scored 12 points and hit three triples. Peterson showed off his shooting touch from downtown. On one of his triples, the ball rolled around and touched every part of the rim, it was such a soft shot that the ball had to go in. He is also a crafty slasher. Cole fooled his defender with a shot fake and he finished the score with a step-through lefty bank shot. His best play might have been when he showed a fake crossover move that led to a spin-move that left his defender in the dust. He is also an unselfish player and a scrappy defender.
Matt Eng Matt Eng 6'0" | PG O’gorman | 2023 State SD |6’2 G| Pentagon Schoolers 17U Walker
He put up 15 points with five 3-balls. Eng is shooting savant from beyond the arc. I love his demeanor, you can not tell if he has made 3 in a row or missed 3 in a row. However, in his case, it is almost always a make! Eng drilled his shots off the dribble and catch. His best was off a ball screen from Muirhead. Eng’s defender went under the screen and he stepped back and stuck the jumper from the top of the key. Get ready for many more 3-pointers from Eng later in the tournament.
Carter Kuehl Carter Kuehl 5'11" | PG Bishop Heelan | 2023 State IA |5’10 G| Arena Basketball Club 2023 Berridge
He scored 22 points in the big first-round win for Arena. In the first half, every time I looked at his court Kuehl was scoring. To start the game, Carter slashed and scored. A bit later, he cashed in a triple in transition. Shortly after, he drove, drew the help, and delivered a perfect bounce pass for a flush. At one point, Carter missed a 3-pointer and he followed his shot and grabbed the rebound. From there, he eluded a defender and scored with a nice floater off the glass. Carter showed his craftiness with an inside-hand finish in traffic. Every time I watch this kid he is putting up big points. He is a gamer!
Lamarion Mothershead Lamarion Mothershead 6'3" | SF Sioux City West | 2023 State IA |6’5 F| Arena Basketball Club 2023 Berridge
He is a gifted athlete, that’s for sure! Lamarion has impressive length and he is very bouncy. He is a playmaker on both ends of the court. I loved when his defender tried to front him in the post. Lamarion simply walked him out, caught a lob pass, and finished smoothly. He also blocked shots and grabbed many rebounds. There must be college coaches interested in Mothershead. With his length and athleticism, his ceiling is very high.
Tate Van Regenmorter Tate Van Regenmorter 6'5" | PF Western Christian | 2023 State IA |6’5 F| Arena Basketball Club 2023 Maher
I loved his fight, grit, and aggressiveness. Tate was battling on defense all game. He was also scrapping it up in the paint for rebounds. This helped him score off O-board putbacks. Van Regenmorter shot it well on Friday. He cashed in a triple and hit a smooth face-up baseline jumper. I really like his game.
Preston Dobbs Preston Dobbs 6'5" | SF Sioux City East | 2023 State IA |6’4 SF| Arena Basketball Club 2023 Maher
He is a long played that gets after it on both ends. I really liked how hard he played. He gave full effort on defense, you do not always see that in AAU hoops. Dobbs showed off his shooting early in the game when he came off a pin-down and cashed a triple. I like his versatility on both side of the ball.
Brandt Van Dyke Brandt Van Dyke 6'8" | PF Sioux City East | 2023 State IA |6’7 PF| Arena Basketball Club 2023 Maher
He has great length and arms that never seem to end. He might be 6’7 but he moves like a wing. This player can get it done in the paint, on the wing, and in the open court. Brandt stretched the floor by hitting a 3-pointer and running the court in transition. He blocked multiple shots on defense and changed the game with his length.
Zach Lutmer Zach Lutmer 6'1" | PG Central Lyon | 2023 IA |6’1 G| Arena Basketball Club 2023 Maher
He is a football commit to Iowa and his D1 athleticism was on display. Lutmer put home a monster-posterizing SLAM in the first half that ignited the crowd. Zach slashed for many more points and he showed a sweet lefty finger roll finish. I love how he drove and kicked out to shooters. He also dropped multiple dimes when attacking. He is a skilled player with handles and he threw left-handed passes. I need to see this kid play again!