Hardwood Classic: 16U Player Notes

Carter Bonnema (6-4/6-5, ECI Select Nagel/WF Sheyenne).  Carter is stronger than most on the floor with a wide frame and the knowledge of how to move his man down (or power him off the block cause the defense reacted late) and instantly get post position.  Carter’s strong shoulder turn into a balanced one hand hook was nearly unstoppable at times.

Ethan Friedel (6, BBA Force/Tea Area).  Ethan has one of the most gorgeous shooting strokes you will see.  This weekend we watched him hit at the arc, hit mid-range attempts, score with one dribble getting his feet set to score, and overall put up numbers.  He’s a near guarantee at the foul line and there is a competitive fight to Friedel that makes him more than just a shooter.  There was a no-look pass where Friedel waited for the angle to be available that he actually fell down just after the beautiful delivery. 

Simon Habonimana (5-11, ECI Select Nagel/West Fargo). The first thing you notice about Simon is his ball pressure that completely destroyed the focus of some guards.   With his strength and lateral explosiveness Simon has to be one of the best ball pressure defenders we’ve seen.  Offensively he had moments as well like the three attacking scores in five minutes against the Heat.  Simon was too strong hitting the alley to be knocked off balance.

Wil Johnson (6-0, BBA Force/Harrisburg).  Fast point guard with some handles that pair with his speed making him a difficult guard.  Wil has one of the deeper crossovers we saw which beat the defense allowing him to get lane and create offense for himself or others. Had a nasty no-look pass which could only be made by players with a high level of court vision.  Made some crucial foul shots down the stretch against the Comets.

Marshall McLaren (6-2, SD Heat/Lennox).  Marshall has a thicker frame which is why he is listed as a small forward but there is skill and toughness there as well.  He knocked out a pair of treys and three quick jumpers versus ECI showing you have to step out to him but he also rebounds well and stronger enough to guard several spots.

Joey Messler (6-2, BBA Force/Sioux Falls).  Messler is a long and slippery two guard that gets up the floor well and has the stroke to bring the defense out to the arc.  Agile player so he can also attack to finish and he gets put-backs too because of the vertical bounce and his size against other guards.

Sheldon Siemonsma (6-3, SD Heat/Dell Rapids).  Sheldon is a gifted young man and the type of athlete that instantly grabs the attention of people thinking about the next level.  His monster no-step vertical leap blocks of jumpshots swatting them hard in the other direction are plays that are simple rarities.  These often came from playing the middle of the zone and then Sheldon would go play point guard showing off excellent vision and handling skills.  Sheldon was in the paint often blowing by defenders with his quick first step and ability to quickly dribble separate.

Wyatt Smith (6-7, Dakota Niners/Mitchell).  Wyatt caught our eye for a lot of reasons.  First off he is about 6-foot-7 and a strong 6-foot-7 at that.  Instantly that puts him in a rare category as there aren’t many players his size that can move and throw down like Smith showed in warm-ups.  Then Smith was moving laterally with forwards and bigs much, much better than expected.  With that type of effort plus lateral activity schools will be interested because he can step away from the rim and move around screens. Seems to have very good core strength, he rebounded with two strong hands in traffic and alone getting to the carom, and he finished on both sides of the rim at a high percentage with or without hands in his face.  Very intriguing. We played really well as a team and we are getting better every game. We are going to be a force by July

Others PHD Liked

Cooper Chwialkowski, ECI Peterson/West Fargo

Justis Clayton, BBA Froce/Harrisburg

Dejay Fykstra, BBA Force/Sioux Falls

Jacob Hanson, ECI Nagel/North Sargent

Carter Holm, Niners Select/Brookings

Justice Morrison, SD Heat/White River

Reed Overweg, Niners Elite/Mitchell

Mason Peter, Niners Select/Dell Rapids

Cody Robertson, ECI Peterson/GF Red River

Danny Strande, Niners Elite/Hamlin

Collin Trottier, ECI Nagel/WF Sheyenne