Day One Standouts From Battle At The Lakes- Maple Grove High School
There were only three games on Friday night, but plenty of prospects stood out at Maple Grove High School. See some of the standouts from Battle At The Lakes day one.
Mitchell January- D1MN Prospects
In one of the most exciting games of the day, Mitchell January led D1MN Prospects to an exciting win over Wisconsin Crusaders Select. January was imperative (integral) to the sucsess of his team; when he played well, his squad followed. At one point in the game, January was thrust into action with his team down 44-41. His impressive quickness and crisp crossover kept defenders off balance and helped the steady ballhandler lead his squad to a 64-61 victory. Absent January, the D1MN prospects would have begun the tourney 0-1.
Carter Thompson-Wisconsin Crusaders Select
There were many great prospects that hit the court on Friday night, but Carter Thompson might have been the best. Thompson was the only reason that Wisconsin Crusaders Select could hang with D1MN Prospects. Carter is not the flashiest player, but he certainly gets the job done. Using his great footwork, Thompson dominated the paint and rarely missed an open layup. He also displayed his smooth jumper as he took -and made- multiple jump shots. Carter Thompson’s terrific game was just not quite enough for the Crusaders to capture the victory.
Daniel Inman- Wisconsin Crusader Select
On the border of recklessness, Daniel Inman was a prospect who left it all on the court. Whether he was grabbing an offensive rebound, or he was chasing after a loose ball, Inman’s impact was seen all over the court. The appeal of the guard’s game does not come from crazy athleticism or great offensive prowess, rather his effort is what made him stand out.
JJ Ware- Team DTA
JJ Ware led a loaded Team DTA squad, who was playing up an age group, to a blowout win over All Love Basketball in the second game on Friday night. Ware did a little bit of everything, but he specialized in transition, easily outrunning his defender to the basket for repeated transition layups. If Ware and Team DTA play this well for the rest of the tournament, it will foreshadow some unpleasant beatdowns for their opponents.
Sammy Musungu-Team DTA
Musungu did not log a ton of minutes in DTA’s win on Friday, but he made his minutes count. The shifty point guard displayed a great pull up jumper. Musungu was very quick and made it a chore for his defender to stay in front of him. Musungu’s scoring is intermittent, but he is a player to keep an eye on for the rest of the tournament.
Will Underwood- Team DTA
One of the best shooters at Maple Grove High School on Friday night was Will Underwood. Underwood’s pure shooting form is more than just ascetically pleasing. The 6’0″ guard drained several threes and had a nice mid-range jumper from the baseline that frequently found the bottom of the net.
Lincoln Palbicki- Team DTA
Lincoln Palbicki has “all-tournament” potential. Not often that you see players of his size playing at the 15U age group. At 6’8″, Palbicki is a formidable opponent as soon as he steps foot on the court. His game could use some fine tuning, but his ceiling has yet to be reached. If he is able to clean up some things in his game, Palbicki could end up being a great big man.