NHR Scout: Delano blows out Blake
Since I enjoy weekend hot yoga in St. Louis Park, I swung down to Blake School’s 2 p.m. matchup with Delano while I was still on that side of the metro. I walk into the gym maybe 10 minutes late,…
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Continue ReadingSince I enjoy weekend hot yoga in St. Louis Park, I swung down to Blake School’s 2 p.m. matchup with Delano while I was still on that side of the metro. I walk into the gym maybe 10 minutes late, and it’s already 22-6. Things get even more out of hand quickly, as Blake continues to struggle on both ends and Mary-signed senior forward Matt Kreklow poured in 20 points in the first half alone. Delano had a 47-27 lead at the half.
Thing didn’t get much better for Blake in the second half, as Delano put a 13-2 run early to pull away even further. Delano pulls their starters shortly after, and the final is 89-44. Coaches from New Prague and DeLaSalle were on hand to scout Delano, our No. 3-ranked team in Class AAA.
Player Notes
Tenzin Choezin, Blake — Blake’s 5-9 junior who is active and can step out and shoot a little bit. 10 points for him (two shots from deep) made him the Bears’ leading scorer.
Jack Moe, Blake — Easily Blake’s top player with 19.8 PPG. Moe was a bit off today, missing a few at the rim and never truly getting in rhythm with his jumper. You could see his frustration throughout this one. As just a sophomore, he’s definitely a guy to watch down the road; he plays AAU for Select.
William Watkins, Blake — At 6-foot-3, he’s one of the bigger kids in Blake’s lineup. He’s a long-limbed wing who had three shots from deep in the first half, but went ice cold in the second.
Robert Grace, Blake — It might say something about Blake’s inadequacies (they’re 5-16) if they’ve got two seventh graders on the roster; Grace is one of them, and the son of the new head coach, Rob Sr. Little Rob might be the smallest kid I’ve ever seen on a varsity court; he’s listed at five feet and is likely a couple inches below that. You had to admire his fearlessness out there. Gabe Ganz is another 7th grader on the roster.
Matt Kreklow, Delano — Kreklow dropped an easy 20 points in the first half to help build a commanding lead. He’s a great pickup for Mary, in my opinion, as he’s a long shot-blocker who should be able to contribute pretty quickly in his college career. He stepped out and hit a 3 to show some range, had a dunk in transition, finished nimbly around the rim, and blocked a few shots to complete a pretty complete (and short; he sat down only a few minutes after halftime) performance this afternoon. 24 points total.
Calvin Wishart, Delano — Part of seeing this game was to see Delano play as a team, and another part was evaluating Wishart, a young stud who we’ve heard lots of good things about. It wasn’t a blockbuster performance by any means — he scored 10 points but may have approached a double-double with assists — but you can see the intelligence and poise. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll be an accomplished and successful high school player when his career ends, and a good college prospect at that.
Keegan O’Neill, Delano – When Kreklow graduates, O’Neill will likely be the next big man up for Delano. The sophomore has size and strength; he says he’s about 6-foot-7. He doesn’t have a ton of left-hand confidence yet, but he’s young yet.
Derek Techam, Delano — Freshman who plays a big part in Delano’s rotation. Besides Kreklow, this is a pretty young team. Techam has an unconventional shooting form, but he hit a three in each half. I liked his ball control as a guard paired with Wishart, breaking down Blake’s press.