Granite City Classic: Day 1 Standouts

The Granite City Classic is one of the most popular holiday tournaments in Minnesota and plenty of quality players doubled down on their talent or showed us new things in their games this weekend. Here are the best performances after watching games at both venues of the tournament: Brandon Gustafson - The Becker big man is 6-foot-7 and has soft hands to score quickly. He did just that in the Bulldog loss to Roosevelt by scoring 19 points and securing plenty of rebounds. Very strong pick-and-roll player with good lateral quickness. Brenden Lankford-Johnson - I talked to multiple people throughout the game and in the halls afterward who all observed the following of Brenden: monster build. Plays point guard effectively. His size is tough. I like this guy. Lankford-Johnson is built like a truck so he can go through you to the rim but also has polished his ball skills over the last year to create space and go by you now too. Had 15 points being aggressive early off the bounce. 6-3 junior from North St. Paul, who beat Osseo comfortably. Dajuan Carter - The 6-1 senior guard has one heck of a green light and he hit two first half treys against Osseo that were just plain ridiculous. He got a pair of juco offers after North St. Paul's victory on day 2 because he is a scorer, and a pure one at that. He's not just a shooter, but wants to get to the rim as well. Eli Barlue - The 6-4 Osseo center was steady on the glass all day working hard for 12 points and 12 rebounds. He's not a go-to offensive option but he doesn't have to be when he comes up strong in other areas of need. Nice game from the senior who displayed his usual motor. Davon Townley Jr. - Townley is a top sophomore in Minnesota and his play contending with national top 5 big man Michael Foster Jr. should be evidence enough that he's got good things ahead at Minneapolis North. Townley scored 15 points using balanced footwork and confidence in his finishes at the rim while giving up three inches to Foster. North got great balance from their whole team in the win over Milwaukee Washington. Eli Campbell - Eli is a killer, by way of calm shot making when it matters most. He knocked out some big 3s to halt Washington's attempts at getting back in the game. He scored 14 playing shooting guard for Minneapolis North and wriggling free from opposing guards around the arc. Deontay Long - 6-foot-5 and big with a firm handle on the rock, Long was the Washington perimeter support when North's zone defense neutralized Foster in the paint. He scored 20 on long jumpers and some timely putbacks. Senior guard with ability to create mismatches. Adam Williams - His transformation from young spot up shooter into dynamic offensive creator has been cool to see over the years. Williams scored his 1,000th point against Rocori on his way to 20 on the day. The 6-2 Princeton guard slashed his way to his point total along with some pull up jumpers. Still uncommitted, folks! Tate Laabs - Lurking behind the four seniors who have burst onto the scene for No. 2 Princeton is junior guard Tate Laabs. He's a crafty penetrator who keeps his dribble alive in sticky situations and is also a strong shooter beyond the arc. Scored double figures in the Tiger blowout win. David Ijadimbola - We like this junior Park Center Pirate backcourt piece a lot. With Emmanuel Tamba gone for a short period of time, the defensive intensity that is synonymous with PC could be expected to drop; not so! David has stepped into the starting lineup nicely to add length and quickness along with good ball movement on offense. Tommy Chatman - Cool as the other side of the pillow, Chatman scored a smooth 18 finding his spots with ease in the cracks of St. Paul Central's defense. When Central closed the gap near the end, Chatman iced the game with his strong composure and free throw makes. Lake Region was watching closely. Dion Ford - The 6-3 senior had one of the most impressive games of the day helping the Central Minutemen give Park Center one heck of a fight. Ford scored 24 on lots of drives over and around the Pirate length and worked defensively for position and steals all game. Daveonte Davis - I think Davis has really matured in his approach to the game over the past year. He's immensely talented (scored 20 from every spot on the floor) and pairing that with his calm demeanor and next-play mentality will make a college program happy. That was my biggest takeaway from his performance. The duo of him and Ford makes Central dangerous every day. Kyle Dreyer - The Maple Grove senior was a big reason for the Crimson blowout win over Forest Lake. Jared Rainey took a backseat and let Dreyer become the second scorer on a hot night. He scored 10 on the game but was key in the early momentum swing and MG never looked back. Lovell Williams - The junior has become a regular reserve for MG and this year is especially tough to crack the rotation as a guard. Williams showed why he's in there by leading the bench unit to another extension of the Crimson lead that got the game into running time. 8 points, a couple steals and assists. Hunter Damon - With a couple regulars out for this weekend, Damon took hold of the offensive responsibility and scored 17 to lead his Forest Lake team. Five treys getting loose on pindowns and elevator screens. 6-1 senior.