Hardwood Classic: Top Snipers (Part I)
Nolan Benak, 6’1 SG (SW Iowa Select 17U)
We had to see this kid twice, just to make sure the first game — when we saw him can six 3s — wasn’t a fluke: it wasn’t. He nailed five 3-balls in our next viewing of him, and we’re convinced that the Millard South (Omaha) rising senior is one of the very best shooters in the entire Midwest.
Jake Hull, 6’3 G/F (Iowa Intensity 16U)
Nobody that we saw last weekend made more 3-balls in a single game then this Grinnell rising junior, he made eight in a 41 point effort against Victory Ministry. And Hull’s not even known for his 3-point prowess. A big and versatile forward, Hull’s a guy who made just 22 percent of his 3-attempts last season as a sophomore. He was a sure-thing sniper last weekend in Kansas, though.
Bennett Otto, 6’4 SG (Howard Pulley 17U EYBL)
What a pure stroke this tall and accurate sharpshooter’s got. He put in three 3s in our viewing of him on Friday afternoon, and told us after the game that he’s got an offer from D2 power Augustana.
AJ Wilkins, 5’11 G (Iowa Intensity 15U)
Well, when you score 15 points and don’t miss a shot for an entire half, it’s almost guaranteed you’ll make this list. This is what Grinnell rising sophomore AJ Wilkins did during his team’s shellacking of BBA Force-Shane last Friday afternoon.
Marc Trujillo, 5’11 PG, (Drive5 17U)
We were told after the game that the Olathe product had been playing on a tender ankle, you could have fooled us. He was slicing and dicing the comp with dribble drives, and proved to be a very effective 3-point shooter too, canning three 3s in a narrow loss to MOKAN Select.
Savonni Shazor, 6’6 SG (KC Spurs White 17U)
The hometown kid didn’t have to go too far to show off his fluid and pretty stroke. A Lawrence High School product, Shazor has the look of a high-level off-guard, with great size, length, a fluid stroke and some serious range. He was canning triples off the bounce, too.
Arlo Stump, 5’8 G (Victory Ministry 16U)
After a huge junior season with Golden City, in which he averaged an impressive 25.5 points per game, Stump has clearly carried that momentum into the offseason. He was unconscious on Saturday in a win over Iowa Intensity, going for 22 points and canning four 3s in the process.
Cory Prather, 5’10 SG (Showtime Hoopers 17U)
The Davenport North shooting guard was the main scorer in the first half of a narrow loss to one of Chicago’s best teams, Young & Restless-DeNard. It was clear, the game-plan for Showtime Hoopers was to get Prather the ball and let him launch from deep. He ended up with five 3s in the loss.