Class of 2020 Stock Risers Pt. 2

Max Wagner March 30, 2020 @ 02:10 PM

With the high school season all wrapped up, Prep Hoops takes a look at some of the players who boosted their stock as college prospects! [player_tooltip player_id="846128" first="Curtis" last="Jones"] (6’3 2020 SG, Cretin-Derham Hall)- Curtis went from being known as a sharpshooter last year, to being an all-around scoring threat whose name is in the conversation for best shooter in the state. Shooting 45% from beyond the arc while attempting 186 threes, Curtis averaged 15.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists while playing alongside two Division 1 offered talents. Curtis has good size at 6’3, plays with a mature composure, and has sneaky athleticism around the rim. His smooth stroke from outside combined with a crafty lay-up package makes him a high level scorer. Curtis holds a number of junior college offers. [player_tooltip player_id="955680" first="Caron" last="Crowe"] (6’2 2020 G, St. Paul Central)- Caron spent his junior season as his team’s spot-up shooter while a strong 2019 class handled the majority of the scoring and handling duties. This season Caron was the lone returning contributor, and proved that he’s a talented player in his own right. He averaged 19.1 ppg as Central’s go-to scorer, using his mixture of outside shooting and explosive finishing ability to dominate in conference play. Caron has long arms, lateral quickness, the explosiveness to finish above the rim, and can knock down outside shots. [player_tooltip player_id="846145" first="Drew" last="White"] (6’5 2020 W, St. Paul Washington)- The leading scorer in the St. Paul City Conference, Drew upped his scoring average from 16.9 as a junior to 23.3 ppg as a senior. This explosive scoring ability is due to his strong 6’5 frame, explosive finishing ability, and aggressive style of play. Drew is a streaky shooter from beyond the arc who can take over a game once he sees a couple go in, though occasionally struggles with cold spells. When the outside shot is falling it opens up his ability to blow by defenders to the rim, and he is a highlight finisher in transition. Drew has available options at the juco and D3 levels. [player_tooltip player_id="955833" first="Jacob" last="Daing"] (6’4 2020 W, Rochester John Marshall)- Just last year Jacob was a role player averaging 4.7 points for a team led by Matthew Hurt, now at Duke. Fast forward to his senior year, and Jacob excelled, scoring 17.5 ppg with highs of 36, 29, 27, and 26 on the year. Daing is a threat from beyond the arc who is also a crafty shot creator off the dribble. His long stride allows him to cover a lot of ground while limiting the amount of dribbles he needs to get to the hoop and finish. I really like his footwork to create and knock down turn-around jumpers. [player_tooltip player_id="549410" first="Agwa" last="Nywesh"] (6’3 2020 PG, Austin)- After a strong summer running with the Minnesota Heat program, Agwa appeared to have D1 potential. This winter he solidified that status, earning an offer from Idaho State and committing soon after. Agwa did a little bit of everything for Austin to keep them in the state rankings once again. He’s the guy they had pressuring opposing ball handlers full court, was their number one option scoring the ball, and got everyone involved with his playmaking ability and passing vision. Agwa led Austin in scoring, assists, rebounds, and steals, proving himself to be one of the top point guards in Minnesota. [player_tooltip player_id="955830" first="Essay" last="Hagos"] (6’2 2020 SG, Concordia Academy)- Essay had a solid junior campaign, averaging 11.7 ppg, but really blew up as a senior scoring 21.4 ppg as one of the top scorers in the metro this year. Essay became comfortable pulling up from three off the dribble, with range extending a few feet beyond the line. He had a lot of success jumping passing lanes this year, leading to transition opportunities where he excelled at finishing with defenders nearby. [player_tooltip player_id="846207" first="Chang" last="Hoth"] (6’3 2020 G, St. Cloud Apollo)- [player_tooltip player_id="846207" first="Chang" last="Hoth"] made great progress in his game, both physically and skill-wise. He grew from 6’ last year to 6’3 this season, and more than doubled his scoring average to 21.2 a game while playing around plenty of talented prospects. Most impressive about Chang? His ability to light it up from beyond the arc, where he knocked down 78 three pointers while shooting 43.6% from distance. Chang can run off screens and get his feet set quickly before catching and letting fly from deep, or create his own shot with a fluid handle and change of pace. The lanky guard recently earned his first offer from Dakota County College.