17U top 10 AAU Review/Look Forward
Net Gain Rank: 1 Outstanding Player: McKinley Wright Biggest Stock Raiser: Jericho Sims Key Addition to Program: Wright and Ishmael El-Amin Highlight: The way this team defended as a unit leading to several even pushes Performance (Overachieve, Achieve, or Underachieve…
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Continue ReadingNet Gain
Rank: 1
Outstanding Player: McKinley Wright
Biggest Stock Raiser: Jericho Sims
Key Addition to Program: Wright and Ishmael El-Amin
Highlight: The way this team defended as a unit leading to several even pushes
Performance (Overachieve, Achieve, or Underachieve Expectations):
Overachieve Expectations: I don’t believe most thought this team would defend like they did, that they would win as many games as they did with a younger backcourt.
Starting Five for 2016 (Based on current program players): McKinley Wright, Ishmael El-Amin, Jericho Sims, and from there they didn’t have a 16U or 15U so really can’t do it for this group.
2016 Roster Moves: You have one heck of a fantastic backcourt to work with so an addition of maybe a younger guard behind them would be solid. You have Sims up front but they will need a sizeable post to go with him.
D1 Minnesota
Rank: 2
Outstanding Player: Michael Hurt
Biggest Stock Raiser: Ade Lamu
Key Addition to Program: Lamu and Kreuger
Highlight: They won they their event and they had some excellent performances in the Adidas events
Performance (Overachieve, Achieve, or Underachieve Expectations):
Achieve Expectations: They had a nice year and I think that was about what was expected. I think there were some doubters in terms of how good they would be but they did what was expected.
Starting Five for 2016 (Based on current program players):
Jack Sorenson, Jack Hutchison, Goanar Mar, Matthew Hurt, Race Thompson
2016 Roster Moves: This team could add maybe a back to the basket big but man, with Matthew, Race, Shae Mitchell, and Goanar in this program at the front three spots they are looking good. But a long big would help more. They will need to add backcourt depth, like say another Tyler Johnson type.
Howard Pulley
Rank: 3
Outstanding Player: Gary Trent Jr
Biggest Stock Raiser: Theo John and Gary Trent Jr
Key Addition to Program: Cameron Kirksey
Highlight: A July where the Panthers went 19-4 overall in four events
Performance (Overachieve, Achieve, or Underachieve Expectations):
Achieve/Underachieve Expectations: They were young so getting to the Peach Jam was tougher but if they don’t make the Peach Jam you know its an underachieve in the minds of the Pulley guys. That said, their record looked really good at the end of the year after a solid July .
Starting Five for 2016 (Based on current program players):
Tre Jones, Brad Davison, Gary Trent Jr, Theo John, and Daniel Oturo
2016 Roster Moves: This team has those five above (not sure they would play Theo and Daniel together much but they are the best two frontcourt guys they have for next year) plus Jordan Horn, Isaac Johnson, Simon Wright, and others. What do they need? Seem set at all spots but the addition of a legit power forward would help. They really don’t have a legit four man coming up through the younger levels (unless Erik Davis plays again after his senior year at Hopkins).
Fury Wilde
Rank: 4
Outstanding Player: Steffon Mitchell
Biggest Stock Raiser: Kent Hanson
Key Addition to Program: Austin Slater
Highlight: That Vegas Classic run was really fun
Performance (Overachieve, Achieve, or Underachieve Expectations):
Achieve Expectations: They had a couple tough moments in August and the injury to Mitchell hurt their SPTS championship chances in the final so there was some frustration for awhile but that Vegas run brought them to 41 wins and a great end to the year.
Starting Five for 2016 (Based on current program players):
Owen Chose, Oakley Baker, Myles Hanson, Broc Finstuen, and Nathan Reivers
2016 Roster Moves: At the 17U level they will need another sizeable player up front. That’s one, likely another guard too. They have a ton of forwards.
Minnesota Heat Vang
Rank: 5
Outstanding Player: Brady Rudrud
Biggest Stock Raiser: Brady Rudrud/Nick Geolat
Key Addition to Program: Quinton Siebenahler
Highlight: Finishing fifth is big and why did they get there? Wins over all the top ten below them (except for Heat NW).
Performance (Overachieve, Achieve, or Underachieve Expectations):
Overachieve Expectations: I believe they won more games against quality local teams than I thought they would. To them they likely just achieved but I thought it was just over achieving.
Starting Five for 2016 (Based on current program players):
Shayne Frost, Ryan Lindberg, Gavin Baumgartner, Parker Fox, Tim Leo
2016 Roster Moves: You really can’t predict the Heat, they have so many teams and I just combined the roster of two teams (Heat Wayzata players and the Heat Nord squad). What does that crew above need? That would be a nice five but a ball pressure defender and a true four man would help. If you took the Heat Nord team, add the Wayzata kids returning, that would be really good.
Select Ohnstad
Rank: 6
Outstanding Player: Carter Brooks
Biggest Stock Raiser: Sam Sustacek/Charlie Irmger
Key Addition to Program: Pretty much everybody was an addition
Highlight: Winning Battle at the Lakes, second at state,
Performance (Overachieve, Achieve, or Underachieve Expectations):
Achieve Expectations: Good event runs, they won a lot of games, players receiving strong college looks, good year.
Starting Five for 2016 (Based on current program players):
Trey Sandness, Jack Korte, Trent West, Will Tuttle, Will Pahl
2016 Roster Moves: There needs to be a lot of additions. The 16U teams were okay but whomever has the Select team or teams has a lot of players to go grab.
Heat NW
Rank: 7
Outstanding Player: Lucas Walford
Biggest Stock Raiser: Lucas Walford
Key Addition to Program: Lucas Walford
Highlight: NW won some smaller events and they won more games than any other team in Minnesota (42).
Performance (Overachieve, Achieve, or Underachieve Expectations):
Overachieve Expectations: They beat Fury Wilde at one point and that wasn’t expected at all. This was a team that played very well together.
Starting Five for 2016 (Based on current program players):
Talked about Heat earlier.
WOTN Nichols
Rank: 8
Outstanding Player: Brady Kuchinka
Biggest Stock Raiser: Sam Schuberg
Key Addition to Program: Sam Schuberg
Highlight: They had a fantastic run in the SPTS and then went undefeated at the Fab 48
Performance (Overachieve, Achieve, or Underachieve Expectations):
Overachieve Expectations: Let’s be honest, they were way better than expected. Team Muscle. They were tougher than just about anybody and beat both Select Alt and Comets Lewis twice.
Starting Five for 2016 (Based on current program players):
Sam Wilson, Cade Carlson, Griffin Gamble, Devon Hannah, Nick Cuddigan
2016 Roster Moves: They will need size. Their 16s didn’t have that much of it so that is the biggest thing but a pure PG addition would also help.
Select Alt
Rank: 9
Outstanding Player: Sam Baker/Nick Dufault
Biggest Stock Raiser: Sam Baker/Eli Cave
Key Addition to Program: Sam Baker
Highlight: They won the Select event over the Ohnstad team and went undefeated at the Fab 48
Performance (Overachieve, Achieve, or Underachieve Expectations):
Overachieve Expectations: Quite simply, I didn’t expect them to be as good as they were in SPTS. This team was much better than I expected them to be.
Starting Five for 2016 (Based on current program players):
We talked about Select’s future in the Select Ohnstad part.
Comets Lewis
Rank: 10
Outstanding Player: Cole Dahl
Biggest Stock Raiser: Matt Kreklow
Key Addition to Program: Cole Dahl
Highlight: The Comets had a couple semi-final runs in top Minnesota events.
Performance (Overachieve, Achieve, or Underachieve Expectations):
Achieve/Underachieve Expectations: I would say they were about three wins from being about where we expected them to be this year. There were good event runs so it wasn’t an underachievement but they also came up short in some games they expected to win with what they had.
Starting Five for 2016 (Based on current program players):
Bryce Irsfeld, Dillon Haider, Jaran Roste, Derek Thompson, Jimmy Volbrecht
2016 Roster Moves: The Comets have a nice group of bigs and will need one more to fill that out, they have some tough wings, and a standout PG. After grabbing a fourth big I would say they need a shot creating or deadly shooting wing to go with what they have.