Prep Hoops Top 250: Top Underclassmen (Part II)

<p><em>The annual Prep Hoops Top 250 took place in Des Moines on Saturday afternoon. Throughout the week, we’ll be taking a look at some of the best players in the gym, in a series of articles breaking down the top scorers, defenders, passers, etc. In this article, we take a look at some of the top freshmen and sophomores we saw on Saturday.</em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>2023 Mackenzie Reed (Cedar Rapids Kennedy)</strong></p> <p>The 5-9 guard from Kennedy showed some solid all-around abilities, especially on the offensive end. He played well in the pick-and-roll, finding the roll man on occasion, turning the corner and getting to the rim a few times, but where he was the best was when the defender sagged a little bit, as he showed a really strong mid-range game. He’s a good shooter from 15 feet and in, and is quick with the ball in his hands.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>2023 [player_tooltip player_id="956887" first="Cade" last="Kelderman"] (Waukee) </strong></p> <p>A 5-9, pass-first guard from Waukee, Kelderman was one of the best passers in the gym. He has good court vision and is a strong ball handler who did a nice job using his ability to get into the paint to help open up his passing, getting to the rim, making the defense collapse and kicking out to shooters for open looks. He’s also a capable finisher at the rim with either hand. He showed some solid on-ball defensive abilities with quick hands and feet.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>2023 [player_tooltip player_id="956879" first="Tate" last="Petersen"] (Monticello)</strong></p> <p>Like just about every other player that we’ve written about in the top underclassmen group, Petersen has a lot of maturing to do physically, but he’s a gifted offensive player who is going to contribute immediately for a Monticello team that we expect to be among the best in 2A (we have them opening the year at #2). At 5-9, he’s small, but he looks to attack constantly, and he handles the ball really well. He has a good looking stroke from the arc and should turn into a knockdown shooter for a Panthers team that could use his shooting ability. As he continues to grow and fill out, he could become one of the state’s better scoring guards.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>2022 [player_tooltip player_id="682275" first="Brayden" last="Kindhart"] (Cedar Rapids Jefferson)</strong></p> <p>Kindhart is a big, athletic 6-0 wing with a really solid frame to keep adding strength to. He rebounds well on both ends of the floor, gets to the rim and finishes well, and showed a very improved jumper, especially from the arc. He’s an explosive athlete who plays above the rim and he should become one of the better players in the Metro as he continues to fill out and improve his jump shot.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962642" first="Jaxson" last="Young"] (Linn-Mar)</strong></p> <p>A 6-1 guard, Young showed off a little bit of everything in his offensive arsenal last Saturday. While he proved himself to be a solid shooter off the dribble from the mid-range and the arc, he’s at his best when he’s playing downhill and attacking the rim, where he’s a creative finisher with either hand. He has great footwork in the paint, especially for a guard, and showed a willingness to post up smaller defenders and back them down for buckets. He handles the ball really well, and does a nice job setting up his penetration with ball fakes and jab steps. Quick with the ball in his hands, a solid shooter and a good finisher at the rim means that he’s going to score a lot of points for Linn-Mar over the next three years. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>2023 [player_tooltip player_id="956886" first="Masin" last="Shearer"] (Montezuma)</strong></p> <p>The younger brother of one of the top players in the state, Shearer has a lot of maturing to do physically, but he has a lot of the same skills that older brother Trey does. He’s a shifty lead guard who handles it well, changes directions and has solid footwork. He can shoot it from deep, both off the dribble or the catch. He’ll become a really solid scoring threat as he continues to mature.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Other top underclassmen written about in other articles: <em>2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962617" first="Noah" last="Allen"] (Newton) [Written about in Top Shooters article], 2024 Joe Bean (Cedar Rapids) [Written about in Top Defenders article], 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="682273" first="Austin" last="Hilmer"] (North Linn) [Written about in Top Scorers article], 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="962619" first="Ian" last="Duffey"] (Lewis Central) [Written about in Top Big Men article], 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="682278" first="Trey" last="Lewis"] (Johnston) [Written about in Top Passers article]</em></p>