Battle at the Lakes: Saturday’s outstanding performers
Day two of Battle at the Lakes in St. Louis Park brought a brand new list of outstanding performers. Players stood out in a variety of ways: passing, finishing, post play, perimeter shooting, and more. Here is a list of…
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Continue ReadingDay two of Battle at the Lakes in St. Louis Park brought a brand new list of outstanding performers. Players stood out in a variety of ways: passing, finishing, post play, perimeter shooting, and more. Here is a list of players who put in outstanding preformances throughout the day.
5 outstanding performers:
Sam West-
One of the best pressing defenders on Saturday was Sam West. His ability to maintain control against his man when the team instituted its full-court press was impressive. West’s tenacious on-ball defense created turnovers and allowed his team to get out in transition. The defensive performance was highlighted by two blocks in the same possession. The second block was controlled and found a teammate who was leaking out into the open floor.
Amarion Fields-
The greatest weapon for Amarion Fields today was his vision. Fields’s ability to move defenders with his eyes to create passing lanes opened up the entire floor for his teammates. Time-after-time, he was able to create lanes to open teammates and find them cutting to the basket or camped out on the perimeter for an open shot. Paired with his high basketball IQ, his pass first mentality was extremely dangerous for opposing teams.
Jayden Mackie-
Jayden Mackie has been one of the best shooters on the floor this morning. Here’s a clip of him driving and riding up to knock down a mid-range jump shot. #PrepHoopsBatL pic.twitter.com/m5fx6fzSul
— Jordan Kneen (@JordanKneen) May 11, 2019
One of the most complete shooters on the floor was Jayden Mackie. Throughout the day he showed an ability to score at every level of the court. His athleticism allowed him to blow by defenders, while his balance and composure allowed him to knock down contested shots. The featured video shows Mackie utilizing his balance to knock down a mid-range jumper. As Mackie rises up to take the mid-range shot, he recognizes the defenders attempt to block the shot and is able to adjust in the air, maintain his balance and drill the shot.
Caden Hinker-
The best help defender on the floor today was Caden Hinker. Regardless of where he was, Hinker found a way to affect the game on the defensive end. He repeatedly was able to help off his own man and alter shots at the rim. What may have been more impressive was his ability to still maintain good rebounding position to crash the glass. On the offensive end he was a good pick-and-roll player and had a knack for drifting out to the perimeter to knock down catch-and-shoot threes.
Jasiah Nolan-
Check out this beautiful scoop shot in the lane by Jasiah Nolan #PrepHoopsBatL pic.twitter.com/2KH328ghcW
— Jordan Kneen (@JordanKneen) May 11, 2019
Jasiah Nolan was one of the most impressive finishers at St. Louis Park High School. His ability to recognize angles and use his athleticism to create shots for himself was phenomenal. He also had a number of different shots he could go to, including shots off the dribble, layups, jump shots, and fade-away shots. The video above highlights his great finishing ability. In the video, Nolan utilized the crossover dribble to create space. He then drives into the lane and hits a nice scoop-shot layup off the glass.