Ten Names To Know: Park Center Downs Osseo 79-62

Park Center and Osseo faced off in a Northwest Suburban Conference matchup, with a plethora of college prospects on both sides. The scrappy group of sophomores on Osseo were able to keep the game close heading into halftime, but Park Center pulled away for a comfortable win behind their outside shooting and the inside presence of Dain Dainja and James Parker. Here are ten names to know from the conference bout! (I will leave out Dain Dainja for the sake of covering other players since he is already widely recognized as one of the state's best players) James Spencer (6'5 2022 F, Osseo)- Some of the other sophomores get more attention than Spencer, but I love the way he competed off the bench last night. He has a strong and physical frame, and used that to score a few physical buckets around the rim on his way to 13 points. James is also fearless going up to block shots, and is a valuable rim protector for Osseo. His athleticism and powerful frame make him an intriguing power forward prospect. David Ijadimbola (6'1 2020 G, Park Center)- Ijadimbola got Park Center's offense kickstarted with his quickness and ability to slice through the defense and get to open spots on the floor. He found success dishing off passes to teammates from the lane, and his outside shot was also clicking. When David was pushing the ball in the open floor, good things happened for Park Center. He scored 11 points in the win. James Parker (6'6 2021 F/C, Park Center)- James Parker is a bit of a sleeper prospect for this Park Center team. I think we'll be hearing a lot of him next year, but for now he is a key bench contributor for one of the state's top teams. He came off the bench shortly after the tip, and made an impact immediately with 4 quick points. He is a physical presence in the post, but has very good footwork so that he isn't reliant on his strength to get open looks around the rim. He scored 12 points using a soft touch to finish efficiently. Benard Omooria (6' 2022 G, Osseo)- Though just a sophomore, Benard showed no fear against the loaded group of Park Center seniors. He was the driving force offensively for Osseo, and his three point shooting in the first half was a big reason Osseo was able to keep the game close by halftime. He added in a floater in the lane to his barrage of three point shots, and was able to finish with 20 points on the night. A strong performance from the top-25 sophomore. Josh Brown (6'3 2020 G, Park Center)- Josh Brown is one of the top remaining unsigned seniors in the state, and one of Minnesota's top shooters regardless of class. He did a good job last night of picking his moments to let it fly from deep, and was able to do so immediately after the catch, or by taking a quick, one dribble side-step to get some space to shoot. His constant threat from beyond the arc helped open up space inside for teammates Dain Dainja and James Parker to finish around the rim. Brown finished the night with 12 points. Josh Ola-Joseph (6'4 2022 W/F, Osseo)- Josh didn't have his greatest showing last night as he saw a lot of time matched up against Dain Dainja, but he managed to give some glimpses of what could make him a high level prospect. The 6'4 wing had a really nice drive off the dribble to beat Dainja and finish at the rim. He also banked in a three from deep, and finished in transition after a steal. He plays a lot bigger than his 6'4 height due to his long arms and ability to explode off of two feet, which makes him a versatile piece on defense. Josh scored 7 points for Osseo in the loss. Tariq Henry (6'1 2020 G, Osseo)- I've loved Tariq's ability to explode past his defender and finish around the rim this season. He's the type of player that embraces contact around the rim, and he excels at finishing through it. He had a solid first half, but Park Center went with a zone defense in the second that saw him struggle to find gaps through the lane. His solid first half was still enough to see him finish with 8 points on the night. Detavius Frierson (6'4 2020 W, Park Center)- Detavius is always so consistent when I watch him play. He makes really good decisions with the ball, is a reliable handler bringing the ball up the floor, and can finish around the rim with the best of them. DT had one of his signature two-handed dunks towards the end of the game, but his most impressive play was taking the ball coast-to-coast and finishing through contact for an and-one. Outside of that we saw Frierson burst to the rim off the dribble and finish, as he ended the win with a 12 point tally to his name. Jalen Cook (6'3 2021 G, Park Center)- Jalen Cook is another guy like James Parker who will see some minutes off the bench, but we won't see fully shine until next season. He brings solid size to the guard spot, and is a threat from beyond the arc. He saw time late in the first half, and made his minutes count with a finish at the rim and a three pointer. I also saw him throw in a one-handed dunk during the JV game. He finished with 5 points for Park Center. Hassan Kamara (6'3 2022 W, Osseo)- The Fridley transfer wasn't able to find his rhythm from three last night, but he was solid defensively and chipped in with two tough finishes around the rim. We've seen him as a good three point shooter in his two years of varsity at Fridley, so we can expect the stroke to find its way back soon. In the meantime Hassan has proved himself as a guy who can power through some contact and finish at the rim. Hassan scored 5 points in the loss.