Prep Hoops Dakotas Top 250 Expo: Standout Junior Forwards

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Prep Hoops Top 250 Expo hit Sioux Falls Sunday, as high school players from North and South Dakota braved the snow in an effort to get into the gym and compete. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With top-notch players from both states taking part, there was no shortage of competitive basketball. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Here were some of the standout junior forwards:</span></p> <p><strong>Lucas Lorenzen - Okoboji</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lorenzen is an high-energy, aggressive and athletic forward who overcomes a lack of great height with explosiveness and force. He rebounds everything in his area and has the range to gobble up boards out of his area, and his ability to finish in traffic was top-notch on Sunday. He’s got the short-area quickness to create his shot off the dribble in the mid and high post areas, and showed a soft shooting touch out to the 3-point line in pick-and-pop or trail situations.</span></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1046354" first="Michael" last="Nhial"] - West Fargo Sheyenne</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nhial is one of the more intriguing North Dakota prospects in the 2022 class given his combination of athleticism, budding skill and feel for the game. At this point he’s more of a faceup four man than a true wing but he shows flashes of being able to shoot it from the perimeter, put the ball on the floor and guard on the perimeter. He showed he can defend at a high level in a team concept as a help guy and his effort as a rim-protector and rebounder stood out.</span></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="968163" first="Cameron" last="Jackson"] - SF Lincoln</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jackson is a big, long, physical center who uses his 6-foot-8 frame to duck in on the post and create finishing opportunities for himself routinely. He’s got a soft touch in the mid-post and good hands on drop-offs around the rim. His length is an asset on the defensive end of the floor, as he’s able to divert a lot of opposing trips to the paint and he rebounds his area as well as anybody on Sunday.</span></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="812187" first="Chad" last="Ambroz"] - SF O’Gorman</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Amrboz had a lot of good moments Sunday, using his physicality to create opportunities inside even when he didn’t have the ball a whole lot. He did a good job setting screens to free up ballhandlers or shooters off the ball, and his effort carving out space along the baseline allowed him chances to finish around the rim.</span></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="812198" first="Caleb" last="Hiatt"] - SF Lincoln</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On a day where there were a lot of bigs that played with great effort and physicality, Hiatt stood above the rest with his ability to seek out contact and establish low post position. He’s a strong, built kid who sets big screens and carves out space on the interior. He rebounded everything in his area, showcased a soft shooting touch at times and the defensive flexibility to move on the perimeter and protect the paint. </span></p>