Grassroots Preview: Fury Kallman

Matt Bigelow

April 19, 2019 @ 11:00 AM

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. The Fury program consistently pumps out multiple good teams a year at each age level and this year should be no different at the 17U level as Fury Kallman looks like it’ll enjoy its share of success. Here’s a quick look: Guards: Will Woodford, Joe Bachinski, Ben Kallman, Finn O’Malley, Dan McCarrell, Kurt Ohlhues Ohlhues is arguably the best scorer in the group out of Eagan High School. He’s 6-foot-3 and does a great job getting into the paint and finishing over length. He’s a solid mid-range scorer and deep shooter but when he’s going good, he’s getting to gaps and scoring in the lane. Daniel McCarrell was one of the most productive scorers in Class AA last year from St. Croix Prep and it’s easy to see why as he’s a dynamite long range shooter. At 6-foot-3, he’s difficult to bother with smaller guys and he’s adept at finding soft spots in defenses to allow himself time to catch and shoot. He’s a solid distributor as well. Bachinski and O’Malley are quality on-ball defenders who provide consistent pressure at the head of the defense. O’Malley has good strength and does nice work when he’s breaking down defenders or playing transition and Bachinski is a solid deep shooter and does well off the ball. Kallman is a key guy for Chaska and while he isn’t necessarily a big time scorer, he is solid all-around player who can make shots, set up his teammates, rebound and defend. He’s a really good glue type guy. Woodford is a bit unproven at this point from Rochester John Marshall, but he’s another guard with great size and athleticism for this team. Forwards: Josh Rogers, Lincoln Meister, Austin Somerville, Derek McCarrell Meister is the top big on the roster from Rochester John Marshall. At 6-foot-7, he’s active, athletic and has improving skills. He was productive last year in the Big 9, averaging 12 points and seven rebounds and his ability to play a low-maintence game makes him a good fit on just about any team. Rogers is an explosive and active forward from Minneapolis Washburn and while he doesn’t have great size, his quickness and effort level are going to earn him some attention. Somerville was buried behind a host of crazy good big men last year at Prior Lake, so this is a big opportunity for him to make some noise with more playing time. McCarrell is a smart, cerebral big man out of Woodbury who lacks explosiveness but makes up for it with a strong motor and intelligence. He won’t be a featured offensive guy on this team but he’ll fill a valuable role as a screener, rebounder and talkative defender.