Twin Cities Team of the Week: Week 4

Every team was trying to head into winter break on a high note, and that led to some big time performances; some from known names, and others from breakout players. Northstar Hoops Report breaks down ten of the top performers from week four of the high school season in the Twin Cities! Alonzo Dodd (6'2 2022 G, South St. Paul)- Alonzo Dodd has simply been ridiculous this year. The 6'2 sophomore is putting up huge numbers, and last week he exploded for 36 points in a win over a solid Richfield squad. And he's not just a one-dimensional scorer either. Alonzo Dodd is so quick getting to the rim, where he can manipulate his body to flip the ball over, under, or around defenders to finish. With that aggression attacking the basket comes plenty of free throw opportunities, as Alonzo hit 14-24 from the charity stripe in the win. That percentage is quite below his average, but the sheer quantity is impressive. Dodd also hit a pair of three pointers. South St. Paul lost to Red Wing later in the week, but I couldn't find the stats from that game. Taison Chatman (6'3 2023 PG, Totino-Grace)- Taison Chatman is proving to be as good as advertised during his freshman campaign. The smooth scoring guard put up multiple games of 23 points last week, both coming in wins against legit competition. The first was a 53-50 win over Champlin Park, and TG followed that up with a 78-73 win over Spring Lake Park. One of the most impressive things about Taison is his feel for the game and ability to dictate the tempo of the game. He doesn't play at all like a typical freshman in terms of his maturity. Match that with his ball handling, pull-up jumper, and leaping ability, and you have a freshman that can already play at a high level. Daniel Rosenber (6'3 2020 W, Burnsville)- Rosenber is a player who a lot of people thought could have a breakout year, and last week he showed just why there were high expectations for his game. He started off the week with 20 points as Burnsville took down Minneapolis Southwest, and then scored an impressive 26 as Burnsville narrowly lost to a loaded Eastview team. Rosenber capped off the week with a new season high of 29, though Burnsville would once again lose in a one possession game to Robbinsdale Cooper. Daniel is a long and bouncy wing who can go and finish at the rim, but has a nice mid-range jumper as well, using his elevation to get shots up over defenders. Look for him to continue to build on this strong run of form. Dawson Garcia (6'11 2020 F, Prior Lake)- The fact that Dawson scoring 42 points in a game wasn't big news in the local basketball community is a testament to just how good he is. Dawson put up those 42 points in a win over Rosemount, while shooting 7-9 from beyond the arc! Yes, that's a 6'11 player shooting 7-9 from deep. He's currently shooting 53.6% from beyond the arc this year. Despite the hot shooting touch, the most impressive thing about Dawson as a prospect could be the way he can move as a 6'11 player. He runs like a smaller guard, and can make all of the cuts while handling the ball to maneuver past defenders like a 6'2 player would. It's rare to find a guy 6'10+ who can do that, and when you add in the shooting touch and ability to finish from the block, and you have a dangerous player. Evan Lind (6'7 2020 F, Bloomington Jefferson)- I first saw Lind in a fall league game a couple months back, and really liked the potential he showed as a post prospect. After checking his stats from three games last week, it looks like he's starting to turn that potential into production. He scored 9 points in a win over Minneapolis Southwest, but would go on to put up games of 22 and 24 points in wins over Eagan and St. Paul Harding. He doesn't have a height listed online, but looks to be around the 6'7-6'8 range, and he runs the floor well for a player that size. Add in a finishing touch and aggression on the glass, and he's a player that could start to pick up some looks at the D3 level. Jalen Suggs (6'5 2020 G, Minnehaha Academy)- Minnehaha ultimately suffered an overtime defeat to Hopkins, but Jalen Suggs was dominating the game before fouling out in OT. On his way to 41 points Jalen was knocking down deep threes, splitting through multiple defenders to finish around the rim, and threw down a pair of thunderous dunks in the second half. He did all of that while facing constant jeers from the opposing student section, responding to their taunts with buckets. It was a very impressive performance to watch. He then followed that up with 21 points, this time in a win over one of the top teams in Wisconsin, Onalaska. Suggs proved again what he has proven before, in that once he gets going, he's almost impossible to stop. Simeon Sharp (6'1 2020 G, St. Paul Harding)- Harding is still looking for their first win of the season, but point guard Simeon Sharp has been putting in some notable individual performances, including three strong games last week. He started off the week by scoring 25 points against Tartan, and then scored 28 against Bloomington Kennedy. He capped off the week by scoring 24 points as Harding narrowly lost to Bloomington Jefferson. Sharp is one of the quickest guards you'll find, and that leads to him being extremely dangerous in transition. That quickness also allows him to get to the rack while drawing fouls consistently. Will Cordes (5'11 2020 G, Shakopee)- Will Cordes played a big role in helping keep Shakopee undefeated, putting up solid numbers in two wins last week. He started off with 15 points as Shakopee narrowly beat a sharpshooting Eagan squad. Later in the week he scored 23 as Shakopee took down Chanhassen 72-58. Will is a really quick guard who can dictate the tempo of a game, and is one of those guys who can seemingly get anywhere they want to on the court. He can also act as a floor stretcher with his shooting touch from distance. Blake Remme (6'5 2020 W, Spring Lake Park)- After struggling in SLP's loss to Cretin-Derham Hall, Remme rebounded last week for two big games. In a win over Andover he scored 26 points, and then exploded for 37 as Spring Lake Park narrowly lost to Totino-Grace. Remme is a versatile scoring threat with his ability to knock down threes, pull-up from mid-range, or get to the rack to finish. He can also throw down from above the rim in transition. Combine that offensive skillset with his long frame on the wing, and he should start to pick up some more scholarship level looks as the season progresses. Mitchell January (6' 2022 G, Richfield)- Richfield went 2-1 last week, and Mitchell January put up 20+ points in all three games. 26 points against South St. Paul, 29 against Minneapolis Roosevelt, and 22 against Milwaukee Vincent helped bump up his season average to 17 ppg this year. Mitchell is so good at getting to the rim where he is crafty enough to finish with both hands. Whether it be beating his man off the dribble, or leaking out for a fast break, Mitchell has a nose for getting to the basket. He is also an unselfish passer in transition, always looking to push the ball forward with a pass rather than dribbling.