Breakdown Fall League 2.0 Standouts

<p>Breakdown Sports kicked off their 2.0 fall league this past weekend, with a nice blend of metro teams competing. Prep Hoops was watching, and these are seven prospects that stood out!</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="962200" first="Jack" last="Janicki"] (6’3 2023 G, White Bear Lake)- </strong>The MVP of the day from what I watched, Jack put on a show in White Bear Lake’s win over St. Paul Central. His offensive talents had Central constantly rotating defenders on him, just to see if anyone could slow him down. Jack was pulling up from well beyond the arc, and later used that shooting range to make defenders fall for his shot fake before blowing by to the rim. He had a few crafty finishes inside, hanging in the air before extending to score with the left hand. I also liked his patience with the ball, and willingness to make the extra pass to get an even better shot for one of his teammates. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="850712" first="Malcolm" last="Jones"] (6’8 2022 PF/C, Prior Lake)- </strong>Malcolm got off to a slow start against Minnetonka, but really turned it on in the second half to help lead his team to a win. His size and strength in the post was too much to handle at times as he was finishing through contact with ease, but he was also deceptively quick in beating his man off the dribble. Malcolm had some difficult finishes, while also occasionally stretching the floor as he’s a threat to shoot from three. Defensively he swallowed up everything that came off the rim, and he showcased good timing to block/contest shots in the paint.</p> <p><strong>Rodrick Payne (6’7 2021 C, East Ridge)- </strong>Nothing flashy about Rodrick’s game, but he just works hard and uses his physical gifts to his advantage. Rodrick is one of the most powerful players you’ll find in the metro area, but is surprisingly explosive and able to elevate quickly to finish above the rim. Rodrick had a pair of powerful dunks, with one coming off a nice cut to the rim, and the other coming in transition. He also acted as his team’s rim protector, going up to block what would have been a pair of highlight dunks for St. Paul Central. I really liked his ability to finish with touch, and to always go up balanced when he looked to score.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="957623" first="Kaden" last="Doram"] (6’3 2021 W, St. Paul Central)- </strong>Kaden broke into the top 100 of the 2021 rankings after a strong summer, and he really made an impact on the defensive end for Central over the weekend. At 6’3, Kaden is an athletic wing, but has to defend in the paint a lot due to Central lacking size. He never backed down despite often guarding players four inches taller than him, and he was blocking 2-3 shots in both games that I saw. Offensively he was aggressive attacking from the wing, and had some acrobatic finishes at the rim while also drawing fouls. Kaden also knocked down two 3’s against East Ridge, signs that he’s developing in to a reliable outside shooter.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="962205" first="Jalen" last="Cain"] (6’2 2023 G, Minnetonka)- </strong>[player_tooltip player_id="962205" first="Jalen" last="Cain"] is another player who makes this list based on his defensive performance. Going up against Prior Lake, Jalen was a menace defensively. He’s a long guard with good quickness, and Jalen made it his focus to apply constant ball pressure to opposing guards. Jalen used his length to poke balls free and intercept passes, while also blocking shots at the rim. The turnovers he forced help jumpstart Minnetonka’s offense, and he also finished off a few transition lay-ups himself.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="957215" first="Kanye" last="Raheem"] (6’2 2021 SG, White Bear Lake)- </strong>[player_tooltip player_id="957215" first="Kanye" last="Raheem"] had some of the most impressive plays of the day, showing off impressive explosiveness attacking the basket. He started off with a dunk off one foot in transition, and later added an impressive baseline slam going up over two defenders to finish with two hands. Kanye is the type of athlete who just floats when he goes up to finish, meaning he can hang in the air and either contort his body to finish around defenders, or right over the top of them.</p> <p><strong>Chiddi Obiazor (6’5 2023 F, Eden Prairie)- </strong>A high potential prospect in the 2023 class due to his physical attributes, Chiddi had an impressive first half against Minneapolis North. Chiddi had a strong dunk, using his 6’5 and 205 lbs frame to explode to the rim to score. He also showcased impressive athleticism for his size, able to defend against size in the post, or move his feet to guard smaller players on the wing. Not sure what his role will be this winter for an Eden Prairie team that lost a lot to graduation, but he’s definitely a 2023 prospect to track as he continues to build upon his skillset. </p>