Comets Spring Shootout: 15u Saturday Standouts
The MN Comets Spring Shootout was held last Saturday and Sunday in the St. Cloud, MN area, with plenty of hoops action to take in over the two days.
A handful of 15u games were played at Sartell Middle School on Saturday, here are ten of the standout performers from some of the games that took place there.
Dominic Aguilar – Fergus Falls/Comets Elite Servaty (2021)
This Comets squad possesses a number of very skilled guards and wings, but Aguilar’s versatility was what caught my eye. The 6’1” guard was able to break down his man and get to the rim versus man defense and he was also able to penetrate the gaps of the zone defense to collapse the defense and kick out or finish on his own. He looked comfortable moving without the ball as well, working off of screens and finding creases in the defense for his shot.
Mayson Brown – Hibbing/Comets Elite Servaty (2021)
A member of the same squad as Aguilar, the 5’11” Brown assumed the point guard duties the majority of the time that he was on the court. He was effective in controlling the tempo of the game, pushing the ball up court when numbers presented themselves and getting the team into their offense in the half court. He did a nice job of shielding contact with his body when finishing in the lane and wasn’t afraid to take on said contact.
Evan Kim – Mounds View/Heat Wiley (2021)
The thing that stood out to me the most with Kim was the way that he communicated with his teammates on both ends of the floor, especially on the defensive end. The other Heat players always knew if Evan had backside help or if a screen was coming and he always seemed to be in good position. On the offensive end, Kim displayed a nice pull-up game, getting into the lane from the wing and elevating for jumpers on numerous occasions.
Chase Livingston – Totino Grace/Heat Wiley (2021)
Livingston operated primarily with the ball in his hands as the point guard for this squad and showed of his athleticism and quickness regularly. He stands all of around 6’1” and has a very athletic build that allows him to get going downhill with power and a quick first step that makes him very difficult to stay in front of. On the defensive end, that power and quickness allow him to be a solid on-ball defender and he also rebounded the ball extremely well for a guard.
Andrew Morgan – F/C, Waseca/Select Ohnstad (2021)
Hands-down one of the best true bigs that I watched all day at this age level. He played valuable minutes last year as a freshman for the Bluejays and he looks like he will have an even bigger impact for that squad next season. Morgan stands at least 6’6” (height not in the program) and displayed great footwork and position on the block, keeping the defender on his back and establishing good post position on offense and moving his feet to help and challenge shots on defense.
Elijah Morris – Perham/WC Select (2021)
Morris displayed range and a sound shooting stroke for WC Select. The 6’0” guard has a quick release and confidence in his shot, hitting a number of deep triples in the games that I watched. In addition, he has the ability and quickness to take his defender of the dribble if they fail to close out under control. Morris moves his feet well and has active hands on the defensive end.
Jaden Norby – Ashby/WC Select (2021)
The 6’3” forward has a high-motor and an intensity that makes him a very effective defender and rebounder. Although he played a number of players with a size advantage on him, Norby finds his man early and doesn’t allow him to get position, using his strength and positioning to keep larger players out of the paint. He goes and get rebounds out of his space and you can tell that his intensity and strength tend to frustrate opponents.
Reid Patterson – Lakeville South/Select Ohnstad (2021)
Patterson is a versatile guard that looked equally comfortable and effective with or without the ball in his hands. He was very effective finishing on the break or slashing from the wing into the lane. Patterson shields the contact with great body control and was able to finish with both hands. His intensity and athleticism allow him to be a very capable defender and effective rebounder from the guard position.
Logan Purcell – Annandale/Comets Elite Servaty (2021)
The 6’6” forward/center runs the floor well and finishes with a soft touch around the rim. Purcell uses his size effectively to wall up and continually challenge shots in the paint without fouling. Many bigs at this age tend to rely on their size alone to rebound, but Purcell establishes good position and goes after the ball with two hands, allowing him to take full advantage of his size on the glass.
Kyreese Willingham – Waseca/Select Ohnstad (2021)
Willingham was the most complete and smooth scorer that I watched at this level on Saturday. He has a very fundamentally sound lefty jump shot that he pours in from all over the court. In addition, his sturdy 6’3”ish frame allows him to be very effective getting to the basket and finishing with either hand. Like his teammate Andrew Morgan, Willingham saw a lot of action on the varsity squad for Waseca last season but look for him to have a big summer and season next year.