Great Plains Alliance: Ray Allen Select Earns 17u Title
The Great Plains Alliance finished up Wednesday morning with the Ray Allen Select offensive execution controlling a pair of opponents for the championship. Malik Abdul-Wahid = MVP Opportunity. It can opened up a new world for just about everyone. Six-foot-5…
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Continue ReadingThe Great Plains Alliance finished up Wednesday morning with the Ray Allen Select offensive execution controlling a pair of opponents for the championship.
Malik Abdul-Wahid = MVP
Opportunity. It can opened up a new world for just about everyone. Six-foot-5 athletic wing Malik Abdul-Wahid won a state title with Brookfield Central providing the fourth best scoring total and third highest rebounding total as a junior. Malik was a key piece in a line-up that also includes David Joplin, Ben Nau, and graduated Cole Nau, and he did his job in a championship way.
With Ray Allen Select, Malik has a bit different opportunity than he does with the impressive line-up at his high school. Often times in St. Cloud this week, Abdul-Wahid was a featured scoring piece. With championship gold on the line, and offered schools Northern Michigan and Winona State watching (among many others), Malik put together a memorable 33 point, 9 board game shooting a ridiculous 13 of 16 from the field, and 6 of 8 at the foul line.
The beauty of the 33 points was how Abdul-Wahid put the numbers together. Ray Allen Select dissected opponents with ball movement and active off-ball players working in unison and it was Malik who had the sharpest cuts and brightest movements to open space. And when you are as quick off the ground plus as strong as Malik is, a rotating defense is almost powerless to defend. The Minnesota Comets were often powerless watching Abdul-Wahid bounce for buckets.
For Malik it was more than those active scores though. He also showed a nice touch flashing and catching to shoot from 12 feet, or pulling up in transition to hit the mid-range jumper. Speaking of transition, Abdul-Wahid’s rapid movement up the floor and quick bounce to complete was too much for retreating defenders to race back and make a play on. In a year where D2 schools have been slow to extend scholarships, Malik’s name could pop up for a few more schools when the damn eventually does break.
More Title Game Standouts
With a split squad line-up (Tony Dahl hurt, Matthew Willert, Cooper Olson, and Noah King at the NCAA camp) the Minnesota Comets grabbed a couple players from other teams in their program as well as some available players in Henry Abraham and Sam Privet. This group had a nice list of wins defeating Phenom U NY2LA, Heat Vang, and Gain Elite (who had nationally ranked Dain Dainja and Myles Stute this weekend).
This weekend nationally ranked 2022 Eli King stepped into a bigger scoring role for the Comets and led the team to the title game. Eli is often that explosive player scoring at the rim a couple times a game with some foul shots and a jumper mixed in. This weekend Eli’s field goal attempts had to double and he handled the role exceptionally. The same can be said for Marshall power forward Noah Puetz who was relied on much more for scoring and between the eight foot jumpers and active moving scores at the rim Noah impressed. In addition, Reid Gastner likely solidified has spot as a D2 player in some capacity. Reid is shooting at a 40 percent rate at the arc (had 15 points in the title game) plus he’s one of the toughest minded players that competes in a physical way.
Ray Allen Select should take a bow for the way they played team basketball with a short bench. The “One More Pass” movement of the 17u summer continued with R.A.S. who embarrassed many players for their lack of effort on the defensive end. Fail to talk on a screen, R.A.S. beat you. Fail to get to help position quick enough, R.A.S. beat you. Ball watching? You were beaten ten times over by R.A.S. Sam McGath was not only one of the key passers in the movement, he was also a recipient scoring 17 title games points on 8 of 11 shooting,
Miles FrischLegends of The Last Game
Two courts were being cleaned, college coaches left, and ten year olds were manning the clock. It was a friendship game involving Heat Sheehan and Select Brown won by Select. Die hard parents and girlfriends were in the crowd numbering in the dozens. This is where legends can be made! Here are the five best!
Mason Klett of Select Brown/Apple Valley. Six-foot-5 Mason Klett improved throughout his junior season. He was a two bucket a game guy last winter that finished his season scoring in double figures in the playoffs. Who knew it was a taste of things to come? Mason grabbed the attention of many scoring 39 in a SPBL game last weekend and yesterday he knocked out seven threes on 11 of 16 shooting for 31 points in the Whitney Center. What’s crazy is that Mason could of hit 40 but he fouled out with about six minutes to go. His second half shooting touch was scorching.
Miles Frisch of Select Brown/Eden Prairie. There was a moment that we though Miles was going to push for another 40 spot. He had 22 points at the half on four threes plus some slashing buckets and we thought “it was on”. However, Klett somehow became even hotter in the Kyle Brown offense so Frisch helped his team find Klett for scores, a mature move by a player who was knocking out shots himself. Miles ended with 25 points on 10 of 18 shooting.
Peyton McConville of Heat Sheehan/Big Lake. Big weekend for Peyton! Not only did he show well at the Prospect Showcase where Prep Hoops staff was excited to be writing about him, he then traveled to St. Cloud and had an impressive 20 point, eight rebound game with some of the slickest cuts, and prettiest stop on a dime and lift into a touch that we’ve seen.
Carter Kulavik of Heat Sheehan/Rockford. I have seen only a couple players this year grab rebounds at the rate of Carter Kulavik. I’ve seen Carter play three full games in the past two months and parts of another. In all these games his rebound count doesn’t stop at ten, Carter uses brute force to swallow up second chances on the regular. Carter had 19 points and 17 rebounds in this game.
Jacob Pallas of Select Brown/Mayer Lutheran. When Jacob took his first shot attempt late in the game I was somewhat disappointed. He made a tremendous impact on a game without taking a single shot for so long! Pallas totaled 11 assists moving it to shooters as well as the forwards scoring at the rim. If basketball added to assist totals with “previous pass”, Jacob would of hit 20.