Who Is South Dakota’s Best Senior Center?

<p>Next up in South Dakota!  The biggest of the bigs.  The low post, low block talents.</p> <p>In reviewing this discussion we’ve went back to look at film of each and gave you three different things that we really like from each. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="975543" first="Zane" last="Alm"]</strong> of Mitchell. </p> <ol> <li>At the start of the summer [player_tooltip player_id="975543" first="Zane" last="Alm"] was at the top of our list as a player that could burst up the charts and find his way on to local recruiting boards. Yesterday Zane committed to Sioux Falls Coach Chris Johnson.  The 6’8/6’9 post is very agile at his size which is the thing that first grabs your attention.  He runs well and has quality steps laterally. </li> <li>The defensive potential of [player_tooltip player_id="975543" first="Zane" last="Alm"] instantly grabs your attention. Alm runs well so you know he can get back on defense quickly and in quick transition situations Zane can pick up other players out of his position too.  The lateral potential and his length help that.  And those are things that make him a potentially solid big moving on ball screens.  Then you think about Alm’s ability to move feet on his man in the post keeping his length over attempts, as well his ability to quickly get to help positions near the basket to block/contest shots, or even force a ten footer as opposed to a lay-up. </li> <li>Alm has a nice shooting touch.  We’ve seen him use both hands to finish around the rim with a nice touch.  Then you have the quickness which gives Zane the ability to quickly turn over his shoulder to score or use a dribble to get by a guy for a basket.  Right now Alm isn’t very thick so he can be knocked off balance if somebody can catch him, but the scary thing is, when he does get core strength he could be that much better. </li> </ol> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="732184" first="Reece" last="Burckhard"]</strong> of Aberdeen Central. </p> <ol> <li>Reece is the truest of centers in this class.  He is a low block aggressive talent that is 6-foot-8 and about 235 pounds.  Reece is committed to South Dakota State for football but also had a D1 offer from North Dakota for basketball.  He’s the one guy that can stick a player with his shoulder and then skillfully score with his agility.  And we’ve seen Reece win position with that shoulder contact while sitting deep and suppling a target. </li> <li>The agility that Reece has is another thing that sets him apart.  Reece is quick off his feet and he has great footwork which allows him to spin on balance and score consistently.  It also allows Reece to be an excellent defender on the ball and off the ball.  Then you have the nightmare scenario of Burckhard coming at you with three or four steps and hitting you hard while sitting in position.  Few players in South Dakota can deal with that physically. </li> <li>High percentage finisher.  As a junior Reece scored on 60 plus percent of his field goal attempts.  Half of that is Reece is able to get off his feet quickly to dunk with two hands while defenders watch with regret (as well as his balanced attempt after a post move) and the other part is the touch.  Reece has a nice face-up shooting touch to go with it.  </li> </ol> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="975511" first="Jay" last="Jurgens"]</strong> of Brandon Valley. </p> <ol> <li>In looking at video and watching live games, I really noticed a big step forward in confidence and assertiveness from Jay in the way he plays.  A stronger confidence in that when he goes at the rim he is going to finish.  A stronger confidence in taking his jumper or making the move to complete plays.  There was a lot more assertiveness in the way he played and with that came improved results</li> <li>The Jurgens I saw moving around ball screens last year and the Jurgens I saw stepping out to force the guard into a bad angle or a pass was completely different.  It’s not just being able to move agility wise, it’s more of an understanding of footwork and communication along with effort.  This is a ball screen basketball universe and Jay’s guy will be the one doing it.  His improvement in this area was crucial.</li> <li>I really like his shooting touch.  Between the 15 footer and in facing up and the touch after a shoulder turn, [player_tooltip player_id="975511" first="Jay" last="Jurgens"] has a shooting touch that I think can be dangerous for the opposition.  I saw a couple games against quicker, smaller teams where the Attack punished their opponents and at times it was using Jurgens physically on the block or using a hard screen.  Add in the confident jumper and you have an improved talent.</li> </ol>