Pacesetter Sweet 16 Prospect Standouts
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The Pacesetter Sweet Sixteen took place over the weekend, with four teams from each class competing in a 16 team tournament to cap off the summer. I was in attendance to catch the action on Sunday, and these are some…
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Continue ReadingThe Pacesetter Sweet Sixteen took place over the weekend, with four teams from each class competing in a 16 team tournament to cap off the summer. I was in attendance to catch the action on Sunday, and these are some of the prospects who stood out in the games I saw!
I really like the way that Kaden contributes to this talented Park Center team with his work ethic in the paint. He’s the type of player that could not dribble the ball for the entire game, and end up flirting with a double-double because of his effort on the glass. It seemed like just about every missed shot was ending up in his hands, and he showed a quick second leap to explode off the ground after an offensive rebound and finish for two points. Kaden was playing as an undersized big for his team, and with that he was constantly beating opposing players up the floor which led to a few transition buckets, including an explosive dunk towards the end of the game. You’ll never see Kaden take a play off, and that type of intensity should allow for him to carve out a strong role for the defending state champs this winter.
Noah Asuma
Noah Asuma
Simply put, Noah is not built like an ordinary freshman. He’s physical strong and just looks like an upperclassman on the basketball court. He utilizes that strength on the defensive end where he is often tasked with guarding forwards, but is such an all-around athlete that he was able to switch on to just about any spot against Armstrong. Offensively he compliments his older brother well as he’s always moving off the ball and does a nice job of finding space on the perimeter for kickout passes when his older brother drives. Was a constant threat to shoot from deep and he was hitting them at a high rate. Noah put together some solid games last season as an 8th grader, and I think he’s in store for strong freshman year for one of the Class A favorites.
Will Underwood Will Underwood 6’0″ | PG Mahtomedi | 2023 State MN is back healthy and was playing at a high level on Sunday afternoon. As a sophomore he put up an impressive 23.6 ppg, but he’s not just a scoring guard. Will also appears to be one of the best passers in the class, as he was dropping some dimes and creating constant good looks for his teammates throughout the game against PEM. Because of his ability to quickly get off shots from deep, he’s so good at getting defenders to bite at a quick shot fake and then attack to get into the lane. Always kept his eyes scanning the floor and was able to look defenders off before passing in the opposite direction to an open man. Can play with some flair at times but can also make the fundamental passes right to his teammates’ hands. With Will back in the lineup, Mahtomedi looks to have one of the best backcourts in the state this season.
Without Aeron Stevens Aeron Stevens 6’7″ | PF Plainview-Eligin-Millville | 2023 State MN , Kaiden was forced to take on an even bigger role against Mahtomedi on Sunday. The senior guard was in attack mode on offense, showing off his full offensive arsenal. He was creating separation to knock down perimeter shots, operating out of the mid-post, and weaving through defenders to get to the rim. Kaiden is an impressive athlete who makes things look effortless on the basketball court. His football skillset also translates to the basketball court, as he crashes the glass hard and is so good at high pointing the ball off the rim and securing it with two hands. Made some nice defensive plays jumping long passes as well. His play is a big reason why PEM will be one of the favorites in Class AA this winter.
Isaac Matti Isaac Matti 6’1″ | SG Hayfield | 2023 State MN has the ability to put up some ridiculous numbers this winter for Hayfield. He’s been known for his outside shooting ability, which was on display Sunday afternoon, but he’s not just a shooter. Matti was handling the ball with composure, and was able to get to just about any spot he wanted to all game long. What really impressed me was the level of explosiveness that I didn’t know he had. His frame allows him to take some bumps when getting to the rim, but on multiple occasions he was just floating in the air and was able to wait for a shot blocker to land before finishing with ease over the top. Despite the big scoring numbers, he’s an unselfish player who’s able to keep his teammates involved while putting up impressive scoring totals due to his efficiency. Just doesn’t take bad looks and is a high level shooter.
Isa El-Amin
Isa El-Amin
Isa saw time at the varsity level as a freshman, and looks ready to take a jump forward as a sophomore. Despite being the smallest player on the floor, he plays with no fear. He excelled at beating the initial defender off the dribble with his quickness, and was getting into dangerous spots in the paint and along the baseline. Has excellent vision to find open shooters off the drive, and was delivering accurate passes to them allowing them to beat the closeout with a shot. Isa did the bulk of his scoring from beyond the arc, but a couple of times he showed he’s not afraid to scrap around the rim and utilize head fakes to get guys in the air before going up to try to finish. Think he has the potential to be a player who can impact games at a high level even if he isn’t scoring much because of his passing ability.