Minnesota 17U: Who To See & Where They’ll Be (Part 3)
The last article in our three part series of “Who to see & Where they’ll be” we run through another group of teams and players that college coaches need to have on their list when looking for Minnesota talent.
#15 Mentality Minnesota
Name to Watch: James Sommer. The 2020 guard has a lot of potential and this month it’s going to be very interesting to see how he does in terms of consistency. This is a month where the pressure is on 17u players competing hard and James is one of the state’s better 2020s, how will he play game by game.
Top Available Prospect: Marcus Shepley. Shepley is the top 2019 prospect on this team as Marcus is an agile wing that has knack for getting to the front of the rim. Takes the court with a confidence and is a strong football prospect too.
Three More: 2020 Curtis Jones, Kameron Givens, Anthony Rayson
Where: Chicago at Summer Slam
#16 D1 Minnesota Rise
Name to Watch: Wyatt Olson. The 2020 frontcourt player is making his case as a power forward to watch next year and a top 50 player in his class. It’s a tough class to crack in the top 50 but Wyatt is a tougher player up front.
Top Available Prospect: Jake Kettner. Every year the GPA has players that are searching for their D2 offers and it comes through providing guys with multiple. Jake is one of the several this year and it’s very deserving. This weekend in Sioux Falls he could earn more.
Three More: Jacob Schuller, Parker Jones, Andrew Quade
Where: Sioux Falls at Summer Slam
#17 Select Leafblad
Name to Watch: Brad Winter. Active 6-foot-6 power forwards aren’t common and Brad’s resume is looking better every day. His play at several events has stood out and a July month of good games should get him where he wants to be.
Top Available Prospect: Malik Willingham. The best player in the state of Minnesota’s 2019 class without a scholarship offer from a D1 or D2 continues to blow apart defenses with his 25+ point per game plus performances. Few guys can score around 25 a game at this level (when they can play full games) but Malik is one.
Three More: Jake Weber, Luke Barnes, Jake Reeck:
Where: Milwaukee at NY2LA
#18 Comets DLR
Name to Watch: Jon Stimmler. You know what’s great about prospect rankings? They change! Big John is a top 50 guy as a 6-foot-6 or 6-foot-7 banger who has no problem moving with other centers and does a great job cutting to the block on screens. This guy reminds me of the Juggernaut on the court.
Top Available Prospect: Connor Bich. If it’s not Stimmler it’s Jenson Beachy. If it’s not Beachy it’s Connor Bich, a stretch four who continues to shoot the ball very well. Bich has had a great May and June of play.
Three More: Jenson Beachy, Josh Jeziorski, James Flicek (another guy that needs to go up).
Extra Note: Charles Johnson too who is a top 75 level player in Minnesota who will be added to the 2019 rankings when they are resorted in August.
Where: Milwaukee at NY2LA
#19 Twin Cities Pirates
Name to Watch: Khari Broadway. Love the way that Khari played last weekend at the Senior Showcase on both ends of the court. Verbal, competed hard both ways, handled the point and didn’t force anything. Scored consistently too.
Top Available Prospect: Tommy Chatman. Tommy might just be the next guy to get a D1 offer in the state of Minnesota. He could play for most of the Northern Sun teams if he wanted to and that might be the right place for him. But, usually when guys get the D2 chances that Tommy has, they can also play low major hoops too.
Three More: Karsten Broadley, Cameron Vaughn, Riley Burger
Where: Chicago at Summer Slam
#20 Heat Henderson
Name to Watch: Alex Larson. People need size. Skilled size that knows how to play and competes hard. Alex is doing more and more of that with every game.
Top Available Prospect: Jeremy Beckler. Beckler is a D2 level player at 6-foot-8 up front but he’s also a smarter person than you, me, and everyone else so this is likely a guy that guys to a top notch academic place where he can also hoop.
Three More: Joey Ganley, Ty Zubulake, Marshall Holland
Where: Indianapolis at Adidas Invitational