Prep Hoops Top 250 Expo: Sophomore Standouts
The younger levels of the Prep Hoops top 250 Expo in Minnesota had as much talent as any Top 250 event in the nation. NHR picks out our standouts.
Prep Hoops Expo Top Five Standouts
Dalton Banks, Eau Claire North (6-1, 2020). One group was trapping all of the guards they had faced until Dalton found his way to the court. Banks weaved through everybody and led his team to success. Banks was the best guard in the event by far because he does more than playmake. This is a guy that exploded to boards, he defends hard, and Banks will attack anything when he finds space.
Dain Dainja, Park Center (6-8, 2020). The number one thing that Dain looks to have improved is his touch facing the basket. We watched Dain face-up at the basket and blitz other players of size finishing over the top of others. Dainja also smoothly completed shots in the open floor and he grabbed boards and pivoted with an elbow meant to send a message. Dain is growing up and playing with an attitude of toughness and confidence.
Dawson Garcia, Prior Lake (6’10, 2020). Dawson is on the verge of becoming a multi-offered high major talent. His skill set and agility at 6-foot-10 is rare and this weekend we watched him move like a 6-foot-4 wing in skill drills but then go at the rim using his advantages with confidence and also with an attitude. There is a competitive edge to Dawson that most guys his size don’t have. He has top 50 talent nationally if he continues to progress.
PJ Hayes, Waconia (6-4, 2020). Just like we said last weekend PJ is a shooter with size that is showing he can do more. When Hayes went at the rim in the skill drills his agile finishes in acrobatic fashion surely caught me off guard. PJ did a lot more off the dribble than we have previously seen.
Jacob Hutson, Edina (6-8, 2020). A player that will fall in the new name category in the coming days but also belongs here. The first thing we saw was his size in the drill line and then Jacob went at the rim and dunked like he wanted to bring some of the glass backboard home with him. Jacob followed that with some skilled dribbling and mid-range touch as well. A name to know.
Prep Hoops Expo Next Five Standouts
Henry Abraham, Cambridge-Isanti (5-11, 2020). Henry’s next step as a basketball player is to be the main scoring weapon of his school and lead them to wins. To do that a guy has to score in multiple ways and this weekend Henry was able to get past several of the ball handlers and finish possessions.
Steven Crowl, Eastview (6-8, 2020). Steven is every bit of 6-foot-8 and is maybe an inch bigger than that. Long and quicker off his feet than expected with a touch. Steven will need to add some core strength as a deep post defender but he’s going to be able to contribute soon because he can defend in the post with agility and length.
David Ijadimbola, Park Center (6-2, 2020). This event had a lot of good guards that battled and David won more of his share than he lost. The play that sticks out is the quickness that David uses in covering ground and moving into his mid-range touch.
Blake Remme, Spring Lake Park (6-5, 2020). The way Blake moved around the court to get himself open was like that of a veteran player. Blake’s skill work was always at a high rate of effort and his touch from the perimeter had his teammates looking for him each possession.
Wyatt Schroeder, St. Francis (6-5, 2020). Wyatt is thicker, stronger, and more physical than most kids his age and he used that several times to attack the heart of the defense and complete. He’s a better ball handler and face-up player than we knew too.