Spring Open Period Preview – 2022 Shooting Guards

The 2021 class has unfortunately lost their opportunity to show college coaches what they can do in the spring open period. However, Prep Hoops is committed to helping those players that deserve a college audience, be showcased throughout the next two weeks in many forms. Today we give you our list of shooting guards college coaches should know, in Minnesota’s sophomore class. Players that would be competing on 17u and 16u teams with some of the best teams on several different circuits.   Attention High Major Programs! [player_tooltip player_id="754315" first="Eli" last="King"] – a 6’3 combo guard from Caledonia and D1 Minnesota 17u. Comparison – Tyler Johnson. Tyler Johnson the future NFL wideout? Yes. Eli is an athletic player that as a sophomore has several major conference football offers but also has the athletic ability finishing at the rim over the top of players on the court. Eli is taller than Tyler but maybe not quite as strong as Tyler was then. Eli has a better handle than Tyler did at that point in his career. Why Eli Over Others? Eli can play both guard spots, he’s nearly impossible to keep in front of in an isolation situation or off a ball screen, and he’s a well schooled player. <iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/1Mxq1shxFsI" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>   [player_tooltip player_id="850708" first="Kendall" last="Blue"] – a 6’5 combo guard from East Ridge and D1 Minnesota 16u. Comparison – Tyler Wahl in more of a guard frame. How does that work? Like Tyler at Lakeville North, Blue can handle the basketball when needed and then go the other way and guard the other team’s best player. Like Wahl, Blue can finish explosively at the rim and has ball skills. Blue has more ball skills than Wahl did at this age, while Wahl is/was bigger. Why Kendall Over Others? Blue also has a lot of [player_tooltip player_id="532557" first="Kendall" last="Brown"] to him in a different frame. These are high major players and I believe Kendall is also that level of talent. <iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/bQkVp7FNOZE" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>   [player_tooltip player_id="850709" first="Willie" last="Wilson"] – a 6’2 combo guard from Minneapolis North and Grassroots Sizzle 16u. Comparison – Some Tayler Johnson, Some Both Gach. Not just Johnson because they both played at North, but because they have grown up playing on the ball some and flying on the wing as well. Wilson also has a Both Gach like frame and agility. Wilson is more Tayler than Both as a shooter, he will fall between them someplace as a prospect. Potentially could be some Ishmael El-Amin here too if Willie keeps growing as a shooter. Why Willie Over Others? Because he will be able to play a couple different roles for his future team. <iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/qucIFIdM_Hk" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>   Attention D1 Programs! <figure id="attachment_943341" class="wp-caption alignright" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-943341"> <figcaption id="caption-attachment-943341" class="wp-caption-text"></figcaption> </figure> [player_tooltip player_id="958636" first="Alonzo" last="Dodd"] – a 6’3 guard from South St. Paul and Grassroots Sizzle 16u. Comparison – Remember Kevin Henderson from Minneapolis many years back? That’s how Dodd approaches the game, with all out fight. Dodd is more of a guard and Kevin was more of a small forward but both can not be matched when it comes to effort on the court. Scoring in most ways, rebounding effort, etc. Dodd is more of a guard though, has some Jordan Horn in him too, although a wing version. Why Alonzo Over Others? Because he will raise the level of competition in your practice immediately. <iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QEHiwUoZ0V0" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>   [player_tooltip player_id="850710" first="Braeden" last="Carrington"] – a 6’3 shooting guard from Park Center and Grassroots Sizzle 16u. Comparison – Carrington has a chance to step right into the shoes of graduated [player_tooltip player_id="549408" first="Josh" last="Brown"], but he also has a look like Jaeden King (at Western Illinois). Brown made his mark as a big time shooter with both the Minnesota Heat and Park Center. Brown doubled his production from his sophomore year to his junior year and then again junior year to senior year. Braeden now has that chance. Carrington reminds me of King, it will be interesting to see if he has that level of confidence. Why Braeden Over Others? Because he is one of the best shooters in his class. It’s that simple as the stroke is pretty. <iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Bmfcr9aJeOE" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>   Attention D1 & D2 Programs! <figure id="attachment_730747" class="wp-caption alignright" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-730747"></figure> [player_tooltip player_id="774771" first="Avery" last="Mast"] – a 6’3 shooting guard from Lakeville South and Minnesota Fury 16u. Comparison – Mast has a lot in common with [player_tooltip player_id="846120" first="Zach" last="Lea"], a physically advantaged strong wing that plays hard and is well educated as a player. Mast is coming off a big year within the flow of the South offense and he can handles several roles, like Lea. Why Avery Over Others? Mast well step onto campus ready to play both physically and game understanding wise, plus he’s very productive. <iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/FF7Z5zTJ_wY" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>   [player_tooltip player_id="796947" first="Caleb" last="Siwek"] – a 6’1 guard from Rosemount and Howard Pulley 16u. Comparison – CDH guard [player_tooltip player_id="846128" first="Curtis" last="Jones"] was the featured player at South as a sophomore scoring in pretty ways in a similar frame to Siwek. Siwek has a similar type of shooting stroke and like Jones, Caleb is respected for his work ethic. Why Avery Over Others? Because Siwek will out shoot nearly every other player. <iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/yj5oVCsRLAw" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>   [player_tooltip player_id="958640" first="Tyriece" last="Waits"] – a 6’1 guard from Osseo. Comparison – I don’t know that Waits will be a shooter like Emmette Page but the way he plays with confidence and fight, plus schooled by the Osseo staff, that’s what I thought of as I looked at Waits on a few highlight clips. Page came out of nowhere at the end of his career to have a huge senior year (headed to Evansville at the D1 level) and Waits came out of nowhere this season. Why Tyriece Over Others? His drive as a player. <iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/LcPJME0l778" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>   [player_tooltip player_id="850733" first="JaSean" last="Glover"] – a 6’3 guard from Madelia Comparison – Damani Hayes was a bit bigger but is a similar type of player and Glover is somewhat from the same area as Hayes. Good athletes that are strong and very productive. Why JaSean Over Others? He’s already scoring 30 a game as a young player. Glover Highlights will be available when Hudl is back up [player_tooltip player_id="958757" first="Cody" last="Pennebaker"] - a 6’2 guard from St. Francis Comparison – Max Bjorklund and Tyrree Ihenacho. When I saw Cody’s tape recently and thought about how Cody could be that next "come out of nowhere as a junior and make a big impression" like Tyree was, that’s when I knew Cody should be on this list. Cody is an explosive finisher that had a 30 point game this year (averaged 14 a game). He has a similar frame and size as Max but more explosion. Why Cody Over Others? Physically he has advantages that others don’t have. <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/10407658/5e948adb64defc0c885ab6fe" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>   On That Scholarship Radar [player_tooltip player_id="850720" first="Don" last="Ferguson"] (6’0 SG) of Osseo. [player_tooltip player_id="958646" first="Jasper" last="Hedin"] (6’4 SG) of Winona. [player_tooltip player_id="958645" first="Camden" last="Holter"] (6’3 SG) of Minneapolis Southwest. [player_tooltip player_id="850725" first="Sam" last="Rensch"] (6’4 SG) of Hutchinson. [player_tooltip player_id="796950" first="Jason" last="Spaeth"] (6’1 SG) of Mound-Westonka. [player_tooltip player_id="958644" first="Shawn" last="West-Zimpel"] (6’1 SG) of North St. Paul. [player_tooltip player_id="796956" first="Justin" last="Wohlers"] (6’5 SG) of Lake City.   <iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/JpFQ86JJ2Us" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/1jt5gwqtZKw" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> <iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/NS_fH_Z7BCQ" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>   <iframe src="//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/11549992/5e399cc3b018a705dc1ff384" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>