The First Five: North Dakota Phenom
This weekend the North Dakota Phenom will finally have a bench when they play in the Battle at the Lakes in the Twin Cities. First Five looks at the Phenom.
Trae Steckler. Trae Steckler is unique. Why? Because he’s a versatile player that we’ve seen play so many different roles. Just this past weekend he played point guard and low post back to the basket finisher as he totaled 15 points and nine boards while limiting turnovers.
Steckler then earned himself an offer from Valley City State after a nice weekend of play. Steckler is a high percentage finisher and a 70 percent foul shooter who spent his winter scoring 21-22 a game. Trae is a fantastic rebounder on both ends of the court and a player that can be assigned several different roles confidently.
A player that can handle the ball and get a double-double, quite unique. Quite uncommon.
John Horgan. Josh grabbed the attention of everyone in the gym this weekend when he knocked down eight threes and led the Phenom to a win over the Iowa Mavericks Orange squad. It was the type of shooting performance that people will all remember, and the type that put Josh on the map.
Teams in the WDA know Josh. He started 21 games this winter and led his team in scoring with 13.8 points per game. Horgan is also a good defensive rebounder and led his team in assists this winter. Shooting wise he didn’t have the type of three point shooter year he wanted but he’s had a nice fresh start with the Phenom.
Josh Kihle. The 6-foot-9 center from Burke County is a rare commodity. He’s every bit of 6-foot-9 and nearly impossible to move on the block. Josh is more agile than people understand, has an excellent touch, and his footwork in the post has been well taught. Kihle has the ability but what he needs is the stamina. When he gets tired Josh has a problem holding position and displaying the balance and footwork needed to use that touch. The ability is there and with some work Josh could be a consistent deep post weapon.
Bartholomew Ogbu. Ogbu has physical gifts that very few people in North Dakota see much. Not only is he physically advanced well past most kids his age but Ogbu is also very agile laterally, getting up and down, and bouncing off his feet to make plays at the rim. Will he be a basketball talent? Ogbu loves basketball and the interest is certainly there. That said Ogbu has offers from North Dakota and North Dakota State on the football field and his highest potential is likely on the gridiron. As a hooper Ogbu’s skills have definitely increased from last summer as he played some lead guard this past weekend out of need but he did it well. Good passer, touch looks better, and around the basket he’s physically at a big advantage.
Jagger Miller. Miller competes with more heart than just about anybody. His effort to move his feet as a help defender, to get over on screens to stop the attack, and to rebound in his area and out of his area is nearly unmatched. Jagger grabbed over eight boards a contest this year and nearly had more boards than points. It was the same this weekend when he scored three times and grabbed 9-10 boards in our viewing. The effort is there. If Miller can improve his skill level he can become a prospect that will improve his stock at a level well past where he is now. Schools will want Jagger’s work ethic and fight without a doubt. He should have a monster year at Devil’s Lake.