NHR State Tournament: Championship Sunday
Championship Sunday brought out the best in the Minnesota talent at the Northstar Hoops Report State Tournament and here is a run down from the semi-finals and finals.
SW MN Stars/Heat Mac.
Cole Woodford (SW). At a swelled up 5-foot-10 and 145 pounds the Redwood Valley point guard was the toughest player on the floor. Knocked out two treys and pushed his way intelligently a step inside the arc to score three more times and dish out several assists. Gives you all he has and does it making few mistakes.
Carter Henry (SW). At 6-foot-7 Carter reminds me of Chris Taylor who played at Wayzata and Brown University. Showed that with his mid-range jumpers and high post passing today. The skills need to keep growing but they look good. Also has some Ross Travis attack to the rim explosiveness. He’s not as consistently explosive as Ross was yet, but some of his plays are quite reminiscent.
Ty Roelofs (SW). The Willmar four man is going to have a nice winter season playing with Noah Slagter. He is the ultimate hard working kid who can play with his back to the basket and hustle off the ball.
Bryce Paulsen (SW). Every so often a guy plays like an MVP and doesn’t even need to take a shot. That was Bryce today in the semi-final. Six rebounds, four assists, a mid-range jumper, defensive work, and a lot of intelligent passing.
Ryan Slette (SW). Knocked out three threes! That’s what he does and that’s what he did. Another Willmar guy. I’m already more excited for Willmar next season.
Matt Onken (SW). Low post footwork, hands, and several moves over each shoulder. That’s how you describe the Marshall undersized four man. Knows position and leverage.
Mario Dukes (Heat). A matured frame and an aggressive approach allow Mario to do a lot of things, guard several guys, and play a few spots.
Carson Hollowaty (Heat). Only guy on the Heat who made more than two shots today. Led his team in scoring, assists, and boards (allow the Heat only had a dozen rebounds total).
Select Ohnstad/Powerhouse MN
Beijan Newbern (Select). Most unstoppable player on the floor. Beijan extended to finish with that lefty touch after the attack several times. At one point he smashed into the bleachers in a scary moment and popped up unphased. Finished seven of ten field goals and all of his foul shots for 19 points. Love the way he competes.
Garett Maag (Select). A well built, 6-foot-5 wing that moves off the ball as well as anybody. How does he get all these scores from Cire? He moves off the ball with hard cuts as the defense shifts and then finishes above the rim with his strong vertical leap. Has a frame that will add a lot of muscle and the skills to be an excellent prospect.
Luke Martens (Select). If there is a tougher wing out there I don’t know where he is. Martens muscled his way to completions down the stretch as the Powerhouse defenders just weren’t strong enough to stop him from getting to deep spots nor were they strong enough to keep him from completing. Made eight of ten foul shots and scored 18.
Jake Binley (Select). Another strong wing that physically produced. Hit a three and went at the rim hard to score eleven points. Has the strength and body control to stay balanced and finish plays.
Cire Mayfield (Select). I’m not sure where he will end up at the college level but this is one of Minnesota’s better point guards. He’s much faster and has better vision than I expected. A better shooter than I knew as well. Nine points and four assists in the semi-final, got deep when he wanted to.
Beau Bailey (Powerhouse). Beau has some impressive physical abilities. We’ve all seen that. He is starting to put them to use more and more on the floor. Hit a three, got to the foul line, had a nasty dunk, and rebounded more.
Jarius Cook (Powerhouse). Jarius is good for a pair of threes every game and he hit his quote early against Select. Scored twelve, played hard defensively although wasn’t his greatest defensive game, and overall this is a player that a coach can depend on game after game.
Anthony Davis (Powerhouse). So what exactly are the college coach concerns? I believe there are worries about Anthony’s ability to hit the three and his size as a two. In my opinion those concerns have been minimized. Hit four more threes against a good Select defense, continues to be one of the best defenders out there, and college basketball has gone smaller. I’m all in on this young man being a nice prospect.
Jake Prince (Powerhouse). Showed up later because of a prior commitment but still had a game high eight rebounds and was on the floor when the game mattered. Another kid who is consistent as they come. Always defends, boards, and is one of the better guys at working behind a defense.
43 Hoops/Select Ohnstad
Luke Martens (Select Ohnstad). Luke Martens was the MVP of the title game, maybe of the weekend. Scored on 10 of 14 shot attempts using advantage of upper body strength to complete plays. There wasn’t much size on the floor in the last two games so Luke went at everyone. Whomever gets him in the future is getting a college ready guy. One of the state’s best defenders and he has the needed size already. This weekend he took a major step as a consistent scorer.
Garett Maag (Select Ohnstad). Did not finish the way he would of wanted to in the final but his dominance on the glass gave him a game high nine boards.
Beijan Newbern (Select Ohnstad). Not his best game, but a good game. It’s what makes Beijan such a talented player. On a day where he had some struggles he was still an impact double figure scoring player for Select.
Nick Fulford (Select Ohnstad). I feel like the best is still yet to come with Nick. The summer could be his breakout point with his high school team and maybe Select as well. This is a kid I think will have a huge senior year and his 11 points against 43 Hoops was another sign of that. Hit two threes, finished around the basket, and is a lot more agile than people understand.
Quentin Hardict (43 Hoops). Not quite as celebrated but every bit as important to 43 Hoops and Columbia Heights. The combo guard with a playmaking mentality who is very good pushing in transition. Needs only a couple dribbles to cover ground and has an aggressive approach to the rim.
Deunda Roberson (43 Hoops). In the last twelve months Roberson has grown both vertically and in length. This is an explosive player in many ways (vertical bounce, speed up the floor, lateral quicks) and with a bigger body he’s become a true combo guard. Scores in a variety of ways and is always a threat, even on off shooting days.
Carter Uphus (BSM). Carter always finishes when I’ve seen him play with this team. Was four of five today and that’s what I’ve witnessed in the past. Composed big that uses his size well to get to the front of the rim and softly complete.