Individual Matchups To Watch This Week (Metro)

Looking ahead at the schedule for this week, and it’ll be an exciting one with plenty of high level conference and non-conference matchups to watch for in the metro area! I’ll preview one exciting individual matchup to watch for from Monday through Saturday! Monday- Sam Gray vs [player_tooltip player_id="957621" first="Nico" last="Peterson"] (St. Paul Harding vs St. Paul Highland Park)- It’s a matchup of under-the-radar senior bigs in this city conference game. Sam Gray is a 6’5 forward for Harding who’s an extremely hard worker on both ends, possesses a nice array of post moves, and the strength to finish at the rim through contact. He’s an unselfish player who acts as a leader on the floor, and makes good decisions with the ball. [player_tooltip player_id="957621" first="Nico" last="Peterson"] is as long as they come, and at 6’7 with a ridiculously long wingspan, Nico can dunk the ball about as easily as anyone in the state. He runs the floor like a deer for transition buckets, can explode around the basket to finish, and will make you pay for giving him too much space around the rim. Nico is also an impact player defensively, using his length and timing to block 2.4 shots a game. Tuesday- Pharrel Payne vs Rodrick Payne (Park of Cottage Grove vs East Ridge)- It’s a battle of brothers in this one as 2022 Pharrel takes on 2021 Rodrick in an SEC clash! Pharrel has seen his stock skyrocket since the summer, as his mobility and strength at 6’8 it hard to match. He adds in a soft finishing touch with both hands, the skill to handle the ball and shoot from mid-range, and the ability to high point rebounds to his arsenal. Has been averaging 16.4 ppg as a junior. Rodrick is another player who’s seen his stock rise as of late, picking up a D2 offer recently. The 6’7 senior is a dominant physical presence who can bully his way to the rim but then finish with touch. He’s worked on his footwork to score in isolation, and can also cut off the ball leading to an explosive two hand dunk. Defensively he can shut down opposing players on the block with his strength and timing to block shots. Park won the first matchup behind Pharrel Payne’s 19 points, but game two could be an entirely different story. Wednesday- [player_tooltip player_id="958636" first="Alonzo" last="Dodd"] vs [player_tooltip player_id="774760" first="Zach" last="Longueville"] (South St. Paul vs St. Croix Lutheran)- Two high scoring guards will face off in this one, as both players come in averaging over 20 points a contest. [player_tooltip player_id="958636" first="Alonzo" last="Dodd"] is the versatile, near triple-double averaging guard who can hurt you in so many ways. His ability to finish equally as well with either hand is rare, and he has such a quick burst to get to the rim. His work rate to rebound on both ends of the floor leads to plenty of second chance and transition baskets, as he can grab the ball and take off up the floor. Zach on the other end is a sharpshooter who can put up points in a hurry with his deep range. He’s so dangerous in the pick & roll, because if you guy under the screen he can get off an accurate shot and put a quick three points on the board. His 21.2 ppg have helped lead St. Croix Lutheran to two recent upsets over Richfield and Columbia Heights. Thursday- [player_tooltip player_id="962198" first="Taison" last="Chatman"] vs [player_tooltip player_id="850710" first="Braeden" last="Carrington"] (Totino-Grace vs Park Center)- It’s a high major offered sophomore taking on a high major offered junior as these two talented teams face off on Thursday. [player_tooltip player_id="962198" first="Taison" last="Chatman"]’s change of pace and his ability to create his own shot off the dribble is among the best in the state, and he’s a capable scorer at all three levels. Defensively he also possesses the length and agility go guard multiple spots and apply high ball pressure. He’s scoring 13 a game for an extremely balanced team. [player_tooltip player_id="850710" first="Braeden" last="Carrington"] came into the year known as one of the top shooters in the 2022 class, and has been excelling as a point guard for his team this season. He plays with excellent pace, is so smooth attacking the basket, has been locating open shooters with ease, and is still deadly from beyond the arc. Although he’s been acting more as his team’s floor general this season, he can still take over scoring the ball as evident by his two 30+ point showings this year. In their first matchup it was Taison scoring 17 and TG getting the close win, while Braeden put up a team high 31. Friday- [player_tooltip player_id="958673" first="Jimmy" last="Koch"] vs [player_tooltip player_id="774756" first="Robert" last="Grace IV"] (Breck vs Blake)- Two experienced guards matchup on Friday night, as Breck’s leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id="958673" first="Jimmy" last="Koch"] will square off with Macalester committed [player_tooltip player_id="774756" first="Robert" last="Grace IV"]. Jimmy has been a solid contributor for Breck since his freshman season, and now averages 14.6 ppg as a junior. He’s quick, has a tight handle, and I really like his pull-up jumper. When he gets to his spot near the elbow, he can hit it at a high percentage. [player_tooltip player_id="774756" first="Robert" last="Grace IV"] doesn’t score quite as much as Jimmy (10 ppg), but does just about everything you look for in a point guard. He’s so quick with the ball and is capable of exploiting gaps in the defense and then finding the open man. Defensively he’s a scrapper who loves to apply ball pressure and get up in the passing lanes to force turnovers. He’s been averaging 4.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game for a state ranked team in Class AA. Saturday- [player_tooltip player_id="850712" first="Malcolm" last="Jones"] vs [player_tooltip player_id="958691" first="Logan" last="Schmidt"] (Prior Lake vs Eagan)- [player_tooltip player_id="850712" first="Malcolm" last="Jones"] has been a force in the paint this season, while 6’8 [player_tooltip player_id="958691" first="Logan" last="Schmidt"] has shown some nice flashes of potential for Eagan. [player_tooltip player_id="850712" first="Malcolm" last="Jones"] is a physical post player who can back his man down into a deep position on the block, and then score with a quick turn. His ability to win the battle before receiving an entry pass leads to easy buckets in the paint. Malcolm has also shown the ability to stretch the floor with his jumper, and is a dominant rebounder on both ends. Logan isn’t a huge scorer, but his size at 6’8 will be critical in trying to slow Malcolm down. He does a good job of boxing out and elevating for rebounds, as he averages 6.3 rpg this season. Logan also has some nice mobility for his size, and has shown flashes of post footwork to lead to easy scores at the rim.