Grassroots Preview: MN Rise 16U

<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;">Here is a quick look at MN Rise 16U</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Guards</strong>: John Palmer, Mason Ellwein, Tyler Underwood, Easton Hulke, Travis Underwood, Chris Dow</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Palmer is the point guard from Faribault who has a really nice feel for the game. He’s smart and unselfish with the ball in his hands and while he doesn’t have a great deal of explosiveness or twitch, he changes speeds well and has great court awareness. He’s a solid deep range shooter as well. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ellwein is a Mankato West kid who saw some playing time as a sophomore with the Scarlets. He’s a solid 3-point shooter and brings athleticism to the wing. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tyler Underwood, Travis Underwood and Hulke all hail from Byron and all come with a little bit of playing time from last year with the Bears. Tyler Underwood is just 5-foot-8 but he has pretty good burst and plays solid on-ball defense. Hulke figures to be one of this team’s better 3-point shooters. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dow comes from Cedar Mountain and provides more deep shooting. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Forwards</strong>: Kegan Heiderscheidt, Ky Harrison, Shane Stevenson, Cameron Anderson</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Heiderscheidt is more of a perimeter guy given his skillset but at 6-foot-4, he’s capable of doing a lot of things. He’s a solid ball handler and passer and can shoot comfortably from 3-point range. He’s athletic and aggressive on the glass and on the defensive end too. He was productive as a sophomore at Sleepy Eye and should blossom into a really nice player.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Stevenson is the tallest guy on the team at 6-foot-5 but he also has skills that allow him to play inside and out. He runs the floor well and gets to spots on the floor where he can be impactful. He’s a solid in and out of area rebounder and has the mobility to cause problems for slower-footed big guys. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Harrison was a rotation guy for Minnesota Valley Lutheran last year as a sophomore and gave a good team about six points and five rebounds. He’s not the biggest guy but he’s got a hot motor and plays within himself.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Anderson was one of the best players for Blue Earth Area last year as just a sophomore. Like most of these forwards, he spends more of his time on the perimeter where his quickness and skills make him a tough guy to match up with but he’s also got the toughness to guard up.</span></p>