Grassroots Preview: Comets De Los Reyes

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Grassroots season is underway and the talent pool in the state of Minnesota is incredibly spread out, meaning there should be a lot of really good, competitive clubs. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The dubbed No. 2 team in the Comets organization is Comets De Los Reyes, which has a great mix of guards, wings and bigs.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here is a quick look:</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Guards:</strong> Caleb Druvenga, Emmett Johnson, Daniel Savageau, PJ Hayes, Austin Wetter</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Johnson is playing up two years as he’s a 2022 guy but his defense and slashing ability fit nicely with a team full of guys that can shoot the ball from deep. His on-ball defense is already strong and should continue to grow as he gets bigger and stronger. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Druvenga and Savageau are combo guards who play similarly in that they can both shoot the ball well from the outside but seem to be at their best when they are attacking. Druvenga’s been one of the better players in the South Suburban Conference for a couple years out of Shakopee. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Savageau flies a little under the radar playing at Osakis High School but he’s absolutely worth looking at because of his two-way ability. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hayes is an addition to the Comets program this summer and he brings over excellent size and shooting ability on the wing. He’s not the quickest or most explosive kid but he’s strong and knows how to create separation from defenders. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wetter is a player to watch because of his multifaceted skillset. At 6-foot-5, he’s got the ability to excel on and off the ball and his defense is an underrated aspect of his game.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Forwards:</strong> Matt Banovetz, Josh Schloe, Kale Hoselton, Evan Wieker, Ethan Rens</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This forward group is a little unproven but Matt Banovetz and Kale Hoselton are both pretty well-known players around the state at this point. Banovetz is a skilled inside-outside faceup big man who can score from inside and in the midrange while Hoselton is a twitchy combo-forward who does extremely well as a cutter, offensive rebounder and early postup guy. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Schloe had a solid year at Sauk Rapids-Rice and seems to get better with each passing game. At 6-foot-7, he plays with a physicality and motor that not a lot of guys bring and he’s a skilled finisher around the rim. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wieker averaged roughly 10 points and seven rebounds last year for a good St. Michael-Albertville team and excels at playing a simple game in that he’s going to work hard without the ball, set solid screens and defend at a high level. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rens didn’t see a ton of time last year at Champlin Park because he was behind some talented big men but he brings another solid big body to the team. At 6-foot-6, he’s got an opportunity to fill a role for this group and his defense is going to be a plus. </span></p>