Fury Shootout 17U Standouts: Guards
The Fury Shootout took over the Southeast Metro last weekend. With many of the state’s top AAU programs in attendance, it didn’t take long to find a competitive game or a batch of high-quality players.
Here are some of the guards who stood out over the weekend:
Fury Wilde ultimately won the tournament championship and while the frontcourt guys shined for them, they had a number of terrific performances from members in the backcourt. Wayzata’s Drew Galinson stood out as an impact “3-and-D” wing, displaying a beautiful shooting stroke and the ability to get it off even when forced to adjust against a hard closeout. He’s got a strong frame and he used it to his advantage on the defensive end where he’s able to get up underneath longer wing players and make guys uncomfortable.
Michael Jones is far from a slept-on player at this point but he was a catalyst in the team’s effort to get to the championship particularly against the MN Eagles. Jones has all the tools in his offensive toolbox, starting with a dead-eye shooting stroke. He doesn’t need the ball to be an effective player and when he does get the ball, he doesn’t hold it. He even showed the ability to post up smaller guards on occasion over the weekend.
Totino-Grace guard Charlie Jacob didn’t pump up a lot of shots — nobody really monopolizes the offense for Fury — but he did an excellent job of picking his spots for when to attack. His one-dribble pullup game was deadly throughout the weekend and he uses his size to either body defenders to get his spots or find open teammates.
The team Fury beat in the championship — Comets Servaty — is also driven by its frontcourt players but got some excellent performances from the guards throughout the weekend.
Sibley East guard Gavin Bates was perhaps the team’s best player in an overtime win over Fury Antl and continued to play well throughout Sunday especially. Bates has a great frame and he uses his strength to probe the defense and get into the lane seemingly at will and he did a great job either muscling up shots or dishing to a teammate for an easy shot.
Grand Rapids’ Nate Seeleye was a bright spot for Comets Servaty in what turned out to be a bit of a dud in the championship game. His creativity on drives stood out as he finished with a combination of floaters and through contact and his ability to get separation showed even against smaller and quicker guards. He’s got great length for a wing player and flashed the ability to knock down 3-pointers and defend at a high level too.
The first thing that stands out about Comets Servaty is obviously their incredible size. The second thing I noticed was that they don’t appear to have a pure point guard. They’ve got a number of guys who can handle the ball and make plays but they don’t have what most would classify as a pure point guard.
With that said, Park Christian’s Steele Senske spent a lot of time as a primary ball handler and the more I saw, the better he looked. He’s a big time scorer for his high school team and transitioning into a facilitator can take some time but I was impressed with his overall floor game as the weekend went on. He looked to get the ball up the floor and find teammates more and more and when he got the opportunity to attack or shoot, he didn’t waste it. If he continues to develop that playmaking part of his game at this level, he becomes an even more interesting player given he’s already got great size, athleticism and scoring ability.
The MN Eagles continue to enjoy a great deal of success on the AAU circuit despite not having what many would classify as a “big-name” player. The Apple Valley squad playing without arguably its three best 17-year-olds got to the semifinals and pushed Fury Wilde to the limit.
The Eagles thrive thanks to incredible defensive intensity and great chemistry. They’ve also got plenty of talent.
Nathan Macho stood out as a go-to guy for the Eagles and was particularly strong in the loss to Fury Wilde. Macho’s got a strong frame and he’s smooth in his attacks. He’s also a bulldog of a defender — something Apple Valley’s got quite the collection of these days — and he showed he’s capable of defending four positions in spurts.
Ely Hendrickson is another guy who continues to play well for the Eagles and the first thing that stands out with him is of course his unbelievable shooting stroke. He’s a pure sharpshooter and he does a great job using screens and finding spots where he can get his shot off.
Air Force One was overmatched by Comets Servaty in the game I saw from them but a guy who really stood out was Bloomington Kennedy sophomore Terrell Davis-Barber. The diminutive point guard is packed with strength and explosiveness and was in attack mode throughout the game. He showed he could hit an outside shot early in the game but was at his best getting into the lane where he had little trouble finishing over length.
I thought the best game of Sunday was the Comets Servaty overtime win over Fury Antl. It featured two teams with opposite styles of play and a good deal of momentum shifts. It seemed like whenever Fury Antl would seize momentum, the guy leading the charge would be Rosemount guard Luke Siwek. Siwek is undersized as a shooting guard but he had a stretch in the second half where he scored 11 straight points for Antl including a corner 3-pointer, a layup over Comets 6-foot-10 center Justin Balcome and a three-point play where he collected a loose ball, took contact and finished. I thought his defense was stellar throughout most of the game too. Again he’s not the biggest or strongest kid but he’s smart on both ends of the floor and he’s a grinder.
One of my favorite guards in the 2018 class is Lake City and Southeast Minnesota Lightning point guard Marc Kjos. He’s short and he might not be the quickest kid but he brings an awful lot to the table. Kjos was outstanding for the Lightning again last weekend averaging more than 10 assists per game and knocking down almost half of his 3-point attempts. He’s got deep range and he makes his teammates better by constantly looking to pass. He’s a tough defender and he makes up for his lack of height with great strength and smarts. I still think he could use a floater type shot to better score on drives but every time I watch the Lightning play, he stands out.