Max’s Weekend Prospect Standouts

<p>I was able to catch two games over the weekend, and these are the seven prospects who stood out! I watched Cretin-Derham Hall vs East Ridge on Friday night, and Minnehaha Academy vs Hibbing on Saturday.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="850701" first="Tre" last="Holloman"] (6’2 2022 PG, Cretin-Derham Hall)- </strong>Things were looking bad for CDH midway through the first half, and even trailing by double digits with just four minutes to go, but Tre helped his team rally and pull off the comeback win. He finished with 26 points and 6 assists on the night, and was getting to the rim whenever he wanted to. His ability to crossover from his right to left hand and then burst to the rim was giving East Ridge plenty of trouble, and then once he got to the rim he has such good body control to absorb contact and finish. As usual Tre was constantly creating looks for his teammates by drawing in the help defender and then quickly locating the open man for a clean shot. Defensively he came up with some clutch turnovers as well, jumping passing lanes and providing high level ball pressure.</p> <p><strong>Mercy Miller (6’4 2024 G, Minnehaha Academy)- </strong>Ever since stepping in to Minnehaha’s starting lineup, Mercy has been a solid presence. Against Hibbing he turned a turnover into a two hand slam going the other way, and he also showcased his confident stroke from beyond the arc. What really impressed me was his ability to attack the basket full speed, but remain under control and stay balanced as he went up to finish at the rim. Mercy also had the highlight play of the day, taking his man off the dribble from the wing and then elevating for a dunk with two defenders nearby. A solid 14 points from the freshman in the win.</p> <p><strong>Daniel Montalbano (6’4 2021 F, Cretin-Derham Hall)- </strong>Daniel Montalbano picked the right night to step up for CDH, as he just about doubled his 5.5 ppg scoring average, putting up 10 points in a tight win over East Ridge. He’s a hard worker with size and strength at 6’4, and provided energy on the defensive end. He had no problem doing the dirty work for his team, and when it came down to it, Daniel knocked down a clutch three late in the game that helped to close the gap in a comeback win.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="957200" first="Tre" last="Holmes"] (6’2 2021 SG, Hibbing)- </strong>[player_tooltip player_id="957200" first="Tre" last="Holmes"] scored a team high 11 points for Hibbing against a loaded Minnehaha Academy team. He has a nice blend of size and athleticism on the wing, and showed no fear going up against talented opponents. Tre showcased a smooth pull-up jumper, and wasn’t afraid to get to the rim to score. [player_tooltip player_id="957200" first="Tre" last="Holmes"] is a dangerous player because of his ability to score from all three levels, defend multiple spots, and finish above the rim in transition.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="850707" first="Chase" last="Carter"] (6’6 2022 F, Minnehaha Academy)- </strong>Chase was able to get extended time as one of the go-to players in this game, a role he doesn’t always get to play due to the amount of talent around him. As one of the focal points of the offense, Chase was extremely efficient catching on the block and going straight into an attack. He was capable of turning over either shoulder with a quick spin, and then finish through contact with either hand. When he catches in a good position, he’s almost guaranteed a clean look if the double can’t get over quick enough. Chase also showed a flash of his smooth shooting stroke from beyond the arc. Finished with 13 points on the night.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="957208" first="Ben" last="North"] (6’1 2021 PG, East Ridge)- </strong>[player_tooltip player_id="957208" first="Ben" last="North"] is a player who would be capable of playing college hoops if that was his focus, and it showed on Friday night as he put up 15 points for East Ridge. He’s a great athlete who understands how to get high percentage looks at the basket, and leads his team from the point guard spot. Ben is fearless attacking the basket and possesses the body control to hang in the air for some difficult finishes. He adds in scrappy defense, outside shooting ability, and unselfish passing.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="680229" first="Hercy" last="Miller"] (6’3 2021 PG, Minnehaha Academy)- </strong>It was the [player_tooltip player_id="680229" first="Hercy" last="Miller"] show early for Minnehaha, as he converted his intense ball pressure into transition buckets, including two high flying dunks. His open floor speed makes him so dangerous as he’s able to take off an pull ahead of defenders to get a clean look at the basket. In the half-court he’s a threat to shoot from beyond the arc, and if you leave a hand down he’ll make you pay with a clean shooting stroke. Hercy has no shortage of confidence in his game, and that allowed him to score a game high 20 points while hardly playing in the second half.</p>