Twin Cities Team of the Week: Week 8

Just when we think we're back in swing with full weeks of basketball, we're hit with snow cancelling the weekend of hoops. Despite the lessened amount of games, there were still plenty of notable performers throughout the Twin Cities. NHR gives you ten of the best from week 8 of the high school season! Joshua Strong (6' 2021 PG, Champlin Park)- Champlin Park went 2-0 last week, recovering from a rocky start to the season. In their 79-50 win over Andover, Joshua wasn't needed to put up big numbers, but still chipped in a well-rounded 6 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals. It was against Wayzata though that Joshua Strong made his case to be on the team of the week. In a 78-76 win he put up 24 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals. Strong is a sharpshooter from beyond the arc, but I really like how he attacks lazy close-outs, bursting by the defender and dishing out a pass to a teammate in the paint. He also distributes well out of the pick-and-roll. Lovell Williams (6'1 2020 G, Maple Grove)- Maple Grove played just one game last week, but in it, Lovell Williams absolutely stuffed the stat sheet for his team. In the 74-43 win over Blaine, Williams recorded 17 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 6 steals. Defensively he does a great job at moving his feet and staying low to stay in front of his man, and he has quick hands to rip the ball to pick up steals. Lovell also excels at jumping passing lanes and getting out in transition for some easy buckets. Lovell is a really unselfish guard, but can also hurt you from beyond the arc if given the space to shoot. Will Blascziek (6'4 2021 F, Lakeville North)- Lakeville North took down Burnsville 81-63 last week in North's lone game, and it was junior Will Blascziek who was leading the way for a 7-5 team. In the win Blascziek had a game-high 27 points to lead his team to the win. Will does a great job at floating around the arc, getting his feet set before catching and firing from three where he hits at a consistent rate. There isn't much flash in Will's game, but he brings consistent effort on both ends of the floor while limiting mistakes with the ball in his hands. Detavius Frierson (6'5 2020 W, Park Center)- Detavius Frierson set a new season-high in scoring for himself in Park Center's win over Centennial last week. The versatile wing, who's even been playing a lot of point guard this year, put up 20 points in the big win. Detavius has a great change of pace when attacking the basket, using a hesitation dribble before exploding towards the rim. With his mixture of heigh and elite athleticism, DT becomes a bit of a mismatch. If you put a smaller guard on him, he has the ability to post up and score. If you put some size on him, he's often too quick to stay in front of. Jalen Travis (6'8 2020 C, DeLaSalle)- Jalen Travis has been a consistent force on both ends for DeLaSalle this year. The D1 football commit helped lead the Islanders to wins over Columbia Heights and St. Croix Lutheran last week. Against Heights he used his size to score 24 points, and then added 19 against St. Croix Lutheran. Travis is so strong in the post, that you can count on one hand the amount of players in this state who can stand their ground in the post against him. Once he backs you down, he has such a soft touch with either hand around the rim. On the other end he's an immovable force defending on the block, contests shots without fouling, and pulls in rebounds in bulk. Dylan Blair (5'11 2020 G, Prior Lake)- Prior Lake won their lone game against Farmington last week by a score of 91-66, and Dylan Blair stepped up on the offensive end. The sharpshooting senior knocked down six three pointers on his way to a 25 point performance. Shooting 35% from beyond the arc this year, Dylan gives Prior Lake a consistent floor stretched who opens things up inside for some of their size. If Blair can keep shooting at a consistent level, Prior Lake will be tough to beat come March. Davon Townley (6'6 2021 F, Minneapolis North)- Simply put, there's no one player in the Minneapolis City Conference who can match Townley's size, athleticism, and skill on the block. He used that to his advantage as he put up 27 in North's win over Minneapolis Edison. Townley has a strong build, but doesn't sacrifice mobility as he is able to run the floor as a big. When he catches on the block he has the strength to back you down, but against taller players he has a really nice spin move to create separation. The lefty then has a soft touch to finish. Defensively he uses his long arms and timing to be a shot blocking threat. Matt Banovetz (6'6 2020 F, Holy Angels)- Matt Banovetz is having a big time senior year for Holy Angels, and he continued that run of play into the win over St. Anthony last week. In the win he scored 27 points with 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 8 steals. Banovetz has good size at 6'6, but makes his money stretching the floor and shooting from beyond the arc. Matt is also a threat to finish inside, and when he isn't catching on the block, he's able to drive inside from beyond the arc and work his way into a post up. Shaheed Muhammad (5'11 2020 G, North St. Paul)- North St. Paul handed Tartan their first loss of the season last week, and it was Shaheed Muhammad leading the charge scoring the ball. He finished with 29 points in the win, using his deep shooting range and shifty handles to tear the Tartan defense apart. Shaheed is so quick with the ball in his hands, able to break a defender down off the dribble and then quickly accelerate into space to get his shot off. His range extends well beyond the arc, and that combination of range and quickness makes it hard to step up to guard him. John Henry (6'5 2020 G, Eden Prairie)- John Henry stepped up when Eden Prairie needed him most, coming up huge in Eden Prairie's win over Hopkins. In the win he scored 28 points and was on fire from beyond the arc the whole game. Henry was running the baseline and coming off screens to catch in the corner and shoot, knocking down his looks at a high rate. He also had a strong take to the hoop to finish, an aspect of his game that he's really improved on since last year. USF is getting a great player at the D2 level next year.