NHR State Tournament: Saturday 16u
Saturday was a full day of action, from a 9am tap to a late night finish. And NHR was there from the start to the finish. Here is our best of the best.
Mr. Dependable. Saturday morning’s Mr. Dependable was St. Thomas guard Jack Thompson. Playing with Select Jaryan he was the lone guy on the floor who played a consistent game from start to finish. Scored ten in the first half and then put the game away for his 16. Thompson has the uncanny ability to attack and find space to complete when most guys would be dead in the water. He just finds ways to complete plus he loves the spin move and even when teams anticipate it they still can’t keep him in front.
Coach Jaryan also got some big minutes from the always chatty Jarvis Wright and Waseca’s Malik Willingham. Wright is a thick wing with a deep touch who got going with two treys leading his way to 13 points down the stretch. Willingham was the catalyst in taking Select back from down eight to tying the game not just with his perimeter touch but his defense. Willingham’s pressure forced a lot of Powerhouse problems and it was a big eye opener. Malik is good with a dribble and outstanding with feet set to hit but if he is also the level of defender I saw today things are really like up for him.
A Prospect to Know. Tyler Kemp of New Prague is a player that I have heard many different things about. So many different things I wondered if people were confusing players. Well, they weren’t. Tyler has grown to 6-foot-4 so he’s more of a wing but has played a lot of point guard so he has the feel to do that as well (and he plays it well). A technically sound talent with a calm demeanor who usually has to be defended by a smaller guard and Kemp is savvy enough to take advantage of that smaller player in many ways. Makes a nice WOTN combo with point guard Tommy Jenson who is as strong as they come at the PG spot.
V for Vinson. Osseo guard Miles Vinson has the potential to be an excellent Oriole the next few years based on our 2017 viewings. This is a well built agile wing that uses his body well and has great lift. Miles hit some pull-ups floating in the air and exploded at the rim for chances as well. The potential is there and when this young man gains experience he could be very good. Powerhouse Minnesota also got good minutes from John Briggs (Roseville) and Ty Zubulake (Henry Sibley).
Huge Impression. Heat Wright/St. Thomas Academy wing Noah Chamberlain had a pair of strong showings Friday night and Saturday morning. He’s an agile, long 6-foot-4/6-foot-5 who always seems to be shooting on balance as Noah does an excellent job setting himself up for the catch into the shot. His strides are much longer than the guys defending him so he beats them with cuts and transition runs plus has a decent first step. Chamberlain’s size as wing also allows him to look over the top of well positioned defenders.
Another Eagan name. Ben Kozemzak. Ben is a 6-foot-2 junior-to-be from Eagan that scored 22 for Heat Wright in a win over TC Finest. Eagan has of course been in a rut for some time but we are starting to see some good names pop up this spring and Ben is the latest. His first impulse seems to be attack and against Finest did that well touching in scores over contesting defenders after a physical dribble. Nice touch out to 15 feet is what we’ve seen in two viewings and Ben also knocked out his foul shots. Another solid Wildcat.
In the loss Jovan Christian had a solid second half and our biggest takeaway is his feel for reading space in a defense and finding the weak spots for his attack. Jovan does a nice job attacking a spot and then touching in with a traditional 12 footer or the floater.
Big Red? Okay. The second the tweet went out that Blaine/Crossfire Belle forward Jason Kaul was having a good game there were several tweets praising “Big Red”. The name and game work with us. This is a 6-foot-4 and well built small forward that moves his feet with ones and twos giving little chance at advancement but also has the power to score inside against bigger players. He can’t be defended by a guard because he can power past them or shoot over them. And the shooting touch is high quality.
Another Crossfire Belle player that grabbed attention was Melrose point guard Preston Keaveny. This is the guy that you look at and don’t expect the massive bounce from and then he vaults to the rim and knocks your socks off. This kid is so bouncy people were collecting to see the lift off. Had a couple dunks as well as two late game finishes at the rim that put his team over the top of Heat Bui. A player to know going forward as few in Class AA will have the agility to move with Preston.
In the Heat Bui loss Jared Rainey, a six foot guard from Maple Grove, was the player that opponents had a tough time moving with. Maple Grove of course needs to replace a lot but Rainey seems to have the advanced athletic ability to compete at the Northwest Suburban Conference level plus had the skill to run his team and score 13 points with five boards.
Select Blue leaves Fury K Blue. The Mason Zick momentum continues to build. A Northfield guard/wing who Fury simply could not deal with as Zick’s physical approach and quickness were too tough of a combo to slow. He had 19 in the win while Jake Reeck (one of the Fab Winona Four) knocked out five three pointers getting his feet set to catch and destroy the opponents.