BatL Shakopee: 14u Regional Tournament Top Performers

This past weekend I was in attendance at the Prep Hoops Next Battle At The Lakes tournament for the 14u regional tourney. There were plenty of talented players and talented teams in attendance. These players are the top performers that I saw throughout the weekend.

Keelyn Tyler– 6’0″ guard- D1 Wisconsin 2025

Keelyn is such a solid overall player. What caught my eye initially was his shooting ability. He has good footwork and a smooth release on the catch, but he is not afraid to let it go from deep off the dribble either. He also does a good job of using his strong frame to get to the basket. On the opposite end, he is an active on-ball defender that is more than willing to guard the opposing team’s best scorer. The only place Keelyn struggled this weekend was as a ball-handler in pick and roll situations. If he can get more comfortable in those situations as he continues to develop, he could have a very successful career in high school.

Tally Hurst– 6’1″ wing- D1 Wisconsin 2025

Tally is one of those players that is always in attack mode. He does a great job of getting downhill on drives and is almost impossible to stay in front of in transition. He also does a great job of hunting down rebounds on either end. He had multiple offensive rebounds that led to scores in each game that I watched him play. What’s next for Tally is developing consistency on his jump shot. He showed that he was unafraid of taking shots so he could become a big-time shot-maker as he continues to develop.

Parker Brodina– 6’0″ wing- ECI 2025 Winczewski

Parker might have been the most offensively developed player that I saw play this weekend. He displayed good footwork in the post, finished well in half-court drives and in transition, and knocked down multiple shots from outside. He also showed that he was comfortable bringing the ball up and handling the ball in pick and roll. His size and athleticism also allow him to be an active defender. For Parker, his next step is to develop his off-hand around the basket and continue to add consistency to his jumper.

Josh Arnold– 6’0″ guard- Pride Roc 2025

Josh is a lightning-fast lead guard with great positional size and strength. What impressed me the most about Josh was his downhill speed and how effortlessly he changed direction in transition. He’s a lefty, but he showed that he can finish with either hand. He also stepped out and hit a few threes, one of which was an absolute bomb. Josh’s other great skill was his passing, he does a great job dropping it off to teammates in pick and roll, and he always has his head up in transition in order to hit a teammate running the floor in stride. The big thing I want to see Josh develop is his patience in the halfcourt as he picked up some unnecessary turnovers by trying to force the action.

Dion Freeman– 5’7″ guard- YMOM 2025

Dion was the best point guard I saw this weekend. His pace in pick and roll allowed him to get easy scores in the paint for himself and for his teammates. He has a very smooth, tight handle for a guard his age that allowed him to avoid the pressure of opposing teams. His confidence in his jump shot is high-level as he hit multiple threes on the catch and off the dribble. His skill combined with his toughness made him really difficult to play against. Dion’s biggest weakness was his defense, where he gambled and got out of position too often. If he develops more discipline on that end, he will be a well-rounded high school point guard.