NHR State: Saturday 17U Standouts
The 17U action was high quality in the Collin Powell Center all day Saturday and these are the guys that caught the eye of NHR with top performances. Kipp Adams (Select Leafblad/Red Wing). When Select made their run at Heat…
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Continue ReadingThe 17U action was high quality in the Collin Powell Center all day Saturday and these are the guys that caught the eye of NHR with top performances.
Kipp Adams (Select Leafblad/Red Wing). When Select made their run at Heat Bui today it was when Kipp started getting involved in the game more and had the ball in his hands more often than not. The team made a run behind his push, his three makes at the arc, and his four assists. Tough and compact lead guard.
Gavin Baumgartner (Comets Lewis/Wayzata). Gavin had double figure rebounds early against TC Finest because he was quicker off his feet and more aggressive to the ball. An excellent rebounder for a wing Gavin loves to collect and then push rapidly. Scored his 17 early and did it on nine shots including a pair of treys. Gavin scored down hill and on putbacks and a defense that was late in rotations and out of position had no chance against him.
John Bezdicek (Heat Bui/Osseo). John has been well coached on both ends and it was never more clear than today when he used his team’s balanced halfcourt offense as his own playground to knock guys out of space with screens and then sprint to spots to catch and shot for 15 points. Within that physical playground John was bouncing to the glass for nine boards some of which became putback scores.
Cody Carlson (TP Pride/Duluth East). Made a corner trey with good form, made a face-up out of the post from 13 feet, scored at the rim using length going over Powerhouse MN defenders, scored a dozen points and more impressively had one of the best dunks of the weekend when he met a Powerhouse player a foot above the rim and denied him. Also did a nice job getting into the rebounding scrum and out fighting and reaching the opponents. Has the potential to earn a scholarship.
Johnny Erickson (Crossfire Weege/Hope Academy). The quick guard helped Crossfire put away tMBA Rip City with a flash into the lane-catch-one dribble attacking score, a baseline 15 footer, and free throws all down the stretch. Nice late game performance by a lead guard who could definitely lead a D3 team in the future.
Mitchell Faust (P.R.E.P. Graduates/Wayzata). With his pony tail flying around Mitchell had his way with the Ice around the basket scoring seven times and totaling a double-double. Faust fought his way to the front of the rim and out-toughed those around him for his numbers. A guy who Wayzata who could likely use up front in some way next winter if this is his consistent style of play.
Griffin Gamble (Heat Bui/CDH). If I was awarding daily performances I would give Griffin the passer of the day badge for sure. Had six assists but also had several hockey assists snapping the ball to open spots and serving teammates attempts on a plate. All of these passes were sharp movements within the framework out of his triple threat position and the passes were perfect. Gamble also had three possessions of scoring three points so he had nine but his passing was more important.
Zach Hanson (WOTN Nicols/New Prague). Playing against several southern Minnesota players (MN Lace Up) Hanson completely dominated around the basket. Not just because he was so much more skilled, or so much bigger, or so much more agile, no it was because of all of those things combined. One would have been good enough but his game opening dunk on the baseline, his physical And1, and his face-up jumper were all too much for his opponents. There is no doubt he would be a fantastic MIAC player but now we have to start thinking if an NSIC would take him at 6-foot-5 as a four man. They have been taking others lately so how he plays into the summer is something to watch close.
Burt Hedstrom (Comets Lewis/Minnetonka). I remember Burt as a Tonka freshman and seeing his growth over the years is exciting. Defensively there are few in the state with as consistent of effort or who are as consistent in positioning. He’s made himself into a great defender. On the offensive end Burt has always shot the ball well and he did again today making a couple treys in each game. Burt won’t take many shots usually choosing to swing the ball to make the right play.
Marcus Hill (Powerhouse MN/Champlin Park). When he gets his juices flowing Marcus can really impact a game on both ends of the floor. Marcus had a sequence of a steal, dunk complete with flex, rebound, and then a push for a score. Loves to run with or lead in transition and often times he starts the break with his defensive plays.
Gabe Hostetler (Real Athletics/Armstrong). The 6-foot-5 forward has good agility and excellent length. Type of laterally agile guy that can defend around the basket and on the arc moving around ball screens. His length gave Minnesota Ice a lot of issues defensively and he finished on the move facing the basket using his length advantage to extend and complete.
Bryce Irsfeld (Comets Lewis/Browerville). Bryce is simply too much in control for many of the guards in Minnesota to impact defensively and that includes TC Finest. Bryce simply ignored whatever pressure they tried to apply on his way to 17 points on nine shots and it was an efficient 17 spaced out throughout the game as the biggest thing Bryce did was swing the ball to wide open wings all game.
Ty’Reeon Johnson (TC Finest/Coon Rapids). One of the players this spring who has really made a name for himself Johnson had ten points and eight boards doing everything on the move. Was able to rebound with a big Comets team and also found the way to score active baskets. Has had a great spring playing consistently against many good teams.
Nathan Kavolak (Real Athletics/Totino-Grace). Was quite impressed with everything Nathan did in his team’s win over Minnesota Ice. It was as if somebody listed everything a wing can do on a court and told a player to go do everything on that list multiple times. Always around the play in a good way.
Jake Larson (Heat Bui/Forest Lake). This is a shooter that we need to start talking about in Minnesota. File him under the “game plan for him” list when it comes to how to defend a guy who can change a game with his touch. Fury Zurn will as Larson gave Heat the momentum a couple times with his deep touch. In the next game Larson took over down the stretch ending a Select run with three pull-up jumpers on his way to 11 points (had 13 against Fury). Larson glides with the ball and he can get to his pull-up rapidly before a defender can recover.
Ryan Lindberg (Comets Lewis/Wayzata). We will file him in the “Microwave” category. A guy that steps on the floor and instantly heats up. The Comets put Lindberg on, he made three treys and five of six shots for his 13, and then he sat back down. Outstanding shooting weapon off the bench that also takes smart shots and makes the right decisions.
Jonathan Mattern (WOTN Nicols/Chanhassen). Mattern impresses me more and more every time. Few power forwards in Minnesota can face-up and hit jumpers consistently with range like Mattern can (he is on a short list there) and Jonathan is really rebounding with a lot more effort and consistency than he has in the past.
Nick McMillan (Heat Bui/Mounds View). Secured an upset for his team over Fury Zurn with intelligent on-ball decisions, hitting a triple, and making ten free throws and most of them were foul shots down the stretch. Against Select Nick hit treys from four different spots on the floor and scored a team high 18 points. McMillan rarely made a mistake in handle taking pressure and dealing with it well plus he moved sharply off the ball to get into space and complete.
Trevin Nelson (Select Leafblad/Chisago Lakes). What caught our eye about Trevin is the way he competes. Made three treys, scored 11 points, handled the ball, and downright battled. Type of guy that can lead his team through sheer effort.
Deshawn Pickford (Real Athletics/Brooklyn Center). Love how Deshawn was an extension of his coach on the floor. Defensively he modeled what his coach wanted, he attacked when his coach would prefer a rapid floor push, and every time the coach wanted a long possession DeShawn was ahead of the plan pulling the ball out and making the defense work. Like how he competed.
Michael Russell (Powerhouse MN/Brainerd). Do this young man every love his crossover dribble into a kick pull! Watched him make this shot several times on Saturday plus a couple others with feet set. A nice shooter to know about going forward.
Kevin Schramm (Heat Coker/Irondale). Remember when Kevin was a long shooter on the wing? Those days are long gone. He is now one of the most physical 6-foot-5 rebounders you will see. Kevin just graduated but because is basically a new person that people haven’t seen before he is playing with the Heat this weekend and he has the attention of the college coaches in attendance. This is definitely a college power forward because he is a nasty rebounder.
Kelvin Scott (TC Finest/Park Center). Another Pirate player that has caught our attention with his active and high effort play. Scott scored a dozen against the Comets which is impressive in itself but hit two shots at the arc amongst that twelve.
Bryden Urie (TP Pride/Proctor). First off, this 6-foot-2 guard has a competitive streak that a coach would love most of the time because he wants to take on a challenge and go at it. He was dribble separating against some of the best defenders in the metro including putting one on his backside followed by a 16 foot jumper. Beat several athletic players off the bounce into space for his 24 points against the Powerhouse Minnesota team. Very impressed with his ability to create shots as well as his fight against a quality team.
Trent West (Select Leafblad/Prior Lake). At 6-foot-6 hitting shots two steps behind the arc Trent has our attention. He is a long 6-foot-6, maybe even bigger and he moves very well. Scored 14 against the Heat today and the most impressive thing was his range and touch. But I also like the way he moves. Definitely a prospect that will be moving up in our next rankings because there is a lot of potential there.