Summer Slam: Sunday Standout Guards

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Solid teams from all over the midwest converged on the Pentagon in Sioux Falls last weekend for the Sanford Summer Slam. With teams from North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa and even Canada, there was a ton of great competition over a three-day stretch. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here were some of the standout guards from Sunday</span></p> <p><strong>Gabe Myren, MN Matrix</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Myren was fantastic Sunday, leading Matrix to a tournament title win over Pentagon Schoolers Kraning. The Spring Lake Park guard got anywhere he wanted on the floor and finished at the rim with ease. Myren isn’t the biggest guy but he’s smooth with the ball, has a lot of moves and does a great job changing his pace on drives. He’s a strong finisher and a solid shooter. Myren wasn’t just putting up points though. He was terrific on the defensive end practically shutting down the Schoolers’ best perimeter player. </span></p> <p><strong>Ben Giles, Fury Syverson</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Giles was a spark for fury Syverson, providing some juice on the offensive end in the championship win. The Chanhassen swingman showed a nice outside jumper and the speed/athleticism to get to the rim and finish in the paint. His energy on the defensive end was also a plus, as he routinely pushed the tempo and applied good perimeter pressure on the ball and in the passing lanes. </span></p> <p><strong>Finn O’Malley, Fury Kallman</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">O’Malley does a little bit of everything on the court and while he isn’t a big scorer, he showed off a really nice overall floor game. O’Malley’s defense is a plus on the ball as he’s got the quickness and hand quickness to apply solid pressure. He’s smart off the ball as a help guy and can get aggressive in the passing lanes. O’Malley did a nice job facilitating and seems to be at his best when he can drive and kick. </span></p> <p><strong>Eddie Beeninga, Fury Poppen</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Beeninga was a bright spot for Fury Poppen though as a whole, the team struggled to score in its loss to Pentagon Schoolers Begeman. Beeninga showed off impressive handles and the ability and comfortability with handling the ball and probing in traffic, creating numerous easy shots for teammates at the 3-point line or at the rim. His competitiveness on the defensive end is a big positive as well. </span></p> <p><strong>Jacob Stoltzenberg, MN Matrix</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Stoltzenberg is on a short list of the elite shooters in the state and he had it going Sunday. The St. Cloud Cathedral shooting guard knocked down three first half triples in kickout fashion and helped seal the game in the second half with a pair of pull up long-twos off a ball screen.</span></p> <p><strong>Sean Sullivan, Fury Syverson</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sullivan doesn’t put up huge point totals but his play just seemed real steadying for Fury Syverson. The 6-foot guard out of Rosemount moved the ball well, knocked down open shots and did a really nice job putting pressure on the ball defensively. </span></p> <p><strong>Noah Loehr, Fury Syverson</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Loehr is a jack-of-all-trades type player who can do a lot of nice things. The 6-foot-3 wing seems to see the floor really well and did a great job moving the ball ahead of defensive rotations. He’s a solid slasher and has the strength to get into the paint and make things happen. And he was really solid on the defensive end, staying in front of guys on the ball and consistently being in good position to provide help off it. </span></p>