Observations from Millennium at Ironwood

On Tuesday February 16th I attended the 5A Millennium Tigers at the 5A Ironwood Eagles.   Here were some observations from the three games I viewed: #1 Both programs have prospects on all levels. #2 Four freshman from Ironwood stood out in the freshman game. [player_tooltip player_id="1135513" first="Nathan" last="Wanjohi"] Ironwood -A long forward looks the part. He is skilled from the high post and in plus grabs many rebounds in his area in traffic. He has a soft touch with hook shots and plays a smart game. In the 2 games, he didn’t force any bad shot and played within himself. He plays freshman and JV. [player_tooltip player_id="1135515" first="Noah" last="Gifft"] Ironwood -One of the best shooters in the program. His catch-3 is a thing of beauty. He sets up before he catches it and fires away with range. And relocates and finds open spots on the court to shoot it. He is crafty to score it around the basket with a floater. He will be a zone buster the rest of his career. He shined in the JV game with 16 pts. Lee Bradley PF 6’1 2024 Ironwood -I haven’t seen a better motor in the freshman class then Bradley. Although undersized, his pursuit of the ball is fun to watch. He grabs out of area rebounds in bunches. He had 10+ rebounds using his length, will and athleticism. He can score it near the rim and energizes his team. Blake Carrabio CG 5’10 2024 Ironwood -A highly skilled and cerebral combo guard. He can shoot it off the catch from the 3 and can get passed his defender and dime a teammate. He plays freshman and JV. #3 Two freshman from Millennium stood out in the freshman game. [player_tooltip player_id="1135514" first="Treyvion" last="Curry"] Millennium -A fast and talented scoring lead guard. He had some impressive passes on JV but showed his scoring prowess in the freshman game with 28 pts. The 3-level scorer has the floater, a good handle and real speed. He is athletic and wired to score from the perimeter and inside the paint. Trey Schoaf C 6’5 2024 Millennium -A big post scorer with long arms. He has good skill near the basket and is efficient. He can improve his end to end play moving forward. He also played JV and freshman ball and was effective in the paint in both games. #4 Two sophs from Millennium stood out in the JV game. Santino Weimer PG 5’9 2023 Millennium -A scoring lead guard with a lot of moxie and confidence. He will let it fly from around 25-feet and the lefty is sneaky quick to get passed his defender. He can throw some darts to teammates and can finish with his right hand. He changes speeds to get in the lane. Sergio Gonzales PG 5’8 2023 Millennium -An undersized scorer has a great feel for the game. He had a monster game leading his team to a 90-85 win with 34 points. He uses the floater to his advantage and has a nice burst to the rim. He can hit the 3 with consistency and him and Weimer are big reasons they only have 1-loss on the season. #5 One soph from Ironwood stood out in the JV game. [player_tooltip player_id="936905" first="Julius" last="Williams"] Ironwood -A powerful forward is improving his skill. He can comfortably make the 3 now and he still is a load down low to handle. The deeper position he gets, the harder he is to cover. He has long arms, big hands and a sturdy frame with wider shoulders. It wouldn’t shock me to get 6th man minutes or better next year on varsity.   Varsity game: #6 Having [player_tooltip player_id="814520" first="Isaac" last="Hymes"] eligible now has made Millennium a legit title contender. #7 The Hymes affect is making everyone else on the team better by putting them in their natural positions and giving them better shots. #8 Like the beginning of year, Ironwood is still one of the 5A favorites if not THE favorite.   #9 Here were the Varsity standouts: Ironwood 79 Millennium 72 (unofficial stats)   Ironwood [player_tooltip player_id="703810" first="Bailon" last="Black"] Ironwood (15 pts 5 rebs 2 asts 1 stl 1 blk) -One of the team leaders hit a clutch 3 down the stretch in a very close game throughout. His size and handle allows him to get inside to rebound and score it or get fouled. He was 8-9 from the FT line. He made many nice passes and uses his length to deflect, steal or block shots. His range on his 3pt shot is impressive and they will need him and White to be big in the playoff games. The Northern Colorado commit is now the all-time assist leader in Eagles history. https://twitter.com/ihseagleshoops/status/1362783510897909765 [player_tooltip player_id="703835" first="JJ" last="White"] Ironwood (13 pts 5 asts 5 rebs 1 blk) -The senior guard is having a big year for the Eagles. He is now the all-time steals leaders for the Eagles. He is a true 3 and D player. He is very physical and competes hard. He has a nice 3pt stroke off the catch and keeps improving other parts of his game. He can get downhill and use the euro step or the floater and his handle plus passing have improved. https://twitter.com/ihseagleshoops/status/1361916910531567619 [player_tooltip player_id="827019" first="Ringo" last="Aguek"] Ironwood (21 pts 5 rebs 1 ast 1 stl 1 blk) -A versatile 3-level scorer is long and skilled. He has the 3, he can drive and use the floater plus play above the rim. His versatility on defense makes him unique defending PG’s on one play then the post on the next. He takes pressure off of their senior guards on both sides of the court. [caption id="attachment_1135738" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/IMG_9838-crop-3226x2118-1613857708.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1135738 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/IMG_9838-crop-3226x2118-1613857708-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Aguek keeps improving.[/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="814510" first="Jamaal" last="Dean Jr"] Ironwood (13 pts 2 rebs 1 ast) -A fast lead guard will take over full time duties the next two seasons. He is tough, strong and fearless out there. He doesn't turn the ball over often and makes good decisions with the ball. His shooting is slowly improving from the 3pt line and can get into the lane with his burst and speed despite his size. [player_tooltip player_id="936910" first="Jordan" last="Kuac"] Ironwood (7 pts 3 rebs 1 blk) -A long forward is making obvious strides. He looks maybe an inch taller and his shooting from the perimeter looks more comfortable. He gets up high for rebounds and has a nice right hand hook shot over his left shoulder. He is very long and brings energy. He will be very important for them to continue to produce as their 6th man. [player_tooltip player_id="809716" first="Steinar" last="Christianson"] Ironwood (7 pts 6 rebs 1 blk) -His stats may not show it but he is very critical to the Eagles success. He can face-up to the 3pt line plus grabs out of area rebounds keeping plays alive for his team. He is smart and knows his role on this talented team.   Millennium [player_tooltip player_id="809689" first="Coleman" last="Fields"] Millennium (24 pts 12 rebs 6 asts 2 stls) -The lone senior in the program is having a breakout season. He is on my personal AIA breakout list with four 20+ games including 24 vs Ironwood. He is a natural catch shooter from the 3pt line and is starting to heat up in the last two games with 5 3’s made. His defense has also improved along with his body. [player_tooltip player_id="1135488" first="Reggie" last="Orr"] Millennium (13 pts 5 rebs 2 stls) -My first viewing of him and I came away impressed. He is a good athlete who plays with a good motor to defend. He uses his length and quickness laterally plus he took two charges. He can slash to the hole with a burst and long strides plus can shoot it. He is shooting 42% from the 3 this year. [player_tooltip player_id="814520" first="Isaac" last="Hymes"] Millennium (12 pts 4 rebs 1 stl 2 blks) -A long and fluid forward who can handle the ball well for his size. He can score it a variety of ways from drop steps, face-up from the perimeter, hook shots and up and under moves. He rebounds well in his area and will alter or block shots. When he is on the floor, the Monsoon are exponentially better. [player_tooltip player_id="992829" first="Gabe" last="Pickens"] Millennium (4 pts 2 rebs 5 asts 1 stl 1 blk) -A true PG who picks his spots to score the ball. He can shoot the ball from the 3pt line and uses his strength and speed to get into the lane to score it or get fouled. He has long arms and quicker feet to defend on the ball and talks on defense. [player_tooltip player_id="996173" first="Donovan" last="Franks"] Millennium (4 pts 1 reb) -A wider low post forward is hard to move. He can score it efficiently inside the paint with his longer arms, strength and girth. He will be a big part of their youth movement moving forward. AJ Marsh PG 5’5 2024 Millennium (8 pts 2 rebs 4 asts) -An undersized lead guard has some jets. He is a pure point guard that can push the pace. He made some nice passes and uses his strength and speed to be a pest on the ball defensively. He has good toughness to rebound the ball despite his size but will need to cut down on his turnovers in these kind of big games.