Battle at the Lakes: Sunday Standouts

<p><strong>PLYMOUTH, Minn. -- </strong> Breaking down the top individual performances during Sunday’s action at the Battle at the Lakes at Wayzata High School...</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="764101" first="Quentin" last="Bolton"] - 2021 - SF - Wisconsin Playground Club PH</p> <p>Bolton got hot against Minnesota Select in Sunday’s finale. An athletic, 6-foot-5 shot maker, Bolton is an instant offense type prospect that’s really good at creating his own shot. Holding a Division 2 offer from Northwood, Bolton is still on the board this spring. With his size and length, Bolton can rise, fire, and generate a clean look just about whenever he wants. The Shoreland Lutheran wing has an excellent face-up game from both mid and 3-point range.  In transition, he can be like a runaway freight train at times, somebody defenders don’t want to step in front of. </p> <p><strong>Jaxon Dillon - 2022 - SG - Wisconsin Blizzard Ivory</strong></p> <p>Dillon has some intriguing measurables. He’s listed at 6-foot-1, but has some noticeable length. Like the way he puts the ball on the deck and attacks gaps. Dillon is a long-strider that covers ground quickly and has nice footwork when going through the hole. He can finish athletically at the rim and adjust his shot in mid-air. Got in trouble a few times dribbling into traffic,  but started to adjust and feels the help defenders coming. Dillon also does an adequate job of moving without the ball and knows how to read defenders/utilize screens. He just narrowly missed a couple 3’s, which could have changed the game against MSP Elite.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="939067" first="Nate" last="Kwiecinski"] - 2024 - W - Kevon Looney Power 5<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/e9r4ni.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1189090" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/e9r4ni-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a></strong></p> <p>Like this prospect a lot.  Kwiecinski is a 6-foot-4 wing that’s bouncy, skilled, and can shoot the rock. He’s able to play and defend multiple positions.  Kwiecinski led Power 5 back from a double-digit deficit in the second half and his transition dunk while catching off two feet appeared to be the turning point. Kwiecinski is not only versatile, but well-rounded. He does a little bit of everything on the floor. He also comes from a good basketball family as one of his brothers is currently at Drake, while the other is at Siena.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1189001" first="Andre" last="Renta"] - 2022 - PG - Wisconsin Playmakers</p> <p>Renta capped off his breakout weekend with 24 points against Powerhouse Minnesota on Sunday. The Hudson guard entered the weekend unranked, but will be making a big move after the spring. The lefty is a dangerous scorer with his combination of explosive ball handling and 3-point shooting ability. Renta essentially made defenders pick their poison, able to either blow-by and get to the rim or step into a triple. He needs to work on his right hand and not let defenders shade him one way, but Renta often found ways to get back to his left regardless and is very good at shielding the ball at the rim, putting a shoulder into a defender, and either getting them off balance or creating separation in the air.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1026710" first="Daniel" last="Robinson"] - 2023 - G -  Wisconsin Playground Club PH</p> <p>Playing up in 17U Robinson, had a good showing against Minnesota Select. The Waukesha South guard scored it really well in isolation and answered some individual challenges from defenders really well. An athletic two-way guard, Robinson gets after it on both ends. He’s a dribble-drive threat  and like his older brother, is steadily improving his jumper during the latter part of his high school career.   Defensively, Robinson gets after people and is opportunistic when it comes to trying to pick the pocket of his man. Flying under the radar a bit in the 2023 class, Robinson was a big part of Waukesha South’s second half turnaround last season.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1028771" first="Ryan" last="Sweeney"] - 2022 - G - Team 1848</p> <p>In the midst of a breakout spring, Sweeney had 17 points in a win over the South Cook Jaguars.  He doesn’t look the part, but the Green Bay East product has some lethal scoring ability from all three levels. Sweeney is smooth, crafty, and fundamentally sound. He’s able to create space for his shot with the utilization of pivot footwork and shot fakes. Always liked Sweeney in transition. The 6-foot-2 guard can fly in the open floor and play above the rim.  He’s also an unselfish playmaker that doesn’t  need to score in double figures to be effective and also buys in on the defensive end. This spring, Sweeney has been getting some Division 2 love and took a  few visits recently out in Missouri. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="988981" first="Landon" last="Van Calster"] - 2022 - SF - Team 1848</p> <p>Continuing to take steps in the right direction, Vancalster showed off his mismatch nightmare potential in a Sunday morning win over the South Cook Jaguars. At 6-foot-6, Vancalster has always been an excellent 3-point shooter and floor spacer. His ability to pull people away from the rim and take defenders off the dribble had been somewhat of a question mark. On Sunday, Vancalster was very aggressive as the Northern Michigan commit scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. The Freedom standout got the ball in isolation settings and made some pretty moves to the rim.  Vancalster also hit three triples, including a key face-up, jab-step dagger in the second half.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="865849" first="Kade" last="Van Asten"] - 2022 - SF - Wisconsin Blizzard<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Kade-Van-Asten-2.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1189088" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Kade-Van-Asten-2-300x153.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="153" /></a></p> <p>Van Asten did some nice things despite a loss to a really good Illinois Hoopstars squad. The Little Chute wing/forward shot the ball well against the zone and made the defense pay a few times when they lost track of him in the corner. Also liked his vision and awareness when he caught in the high post, hitting the high-low pass or skipping the ball cross court for an open three. Van Asten has been shooting the cover off the ball this spring and is emerging as one of the state’s top perimeter threats. He’s more than just a shooter, however. The 6-foot-3 junior is a gritty, blue collar kid that rebounds and competes on the defensive end.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1189004" first="L.J." last="Wells"] - 2022 - SF - Wisconsin Playmakers</p> <p>Wells is beginning to emerge in the 2022 class and has a ton of upside. The 6-foot-5 wing is a smooth, lengthy, athletic prospect with some skill.  Wells is walking highlight if he gets a lane to the rim or a putback opportunity. The Eau Claire Memorial product  makes athletic plays around the rim, but flashes with his slashing, ball handling ability in the open floor, and occasionally stepping outside to shoot the rock.  He’s still a little raw skills-wise, which should have Division 2 schools drooling, but Wells finishes well around the rim against contact.  He’s deliberate and confident in what he does. Think the flashes he’s showing are consistent enough to make him a scholarship level talent as Wells’ best days are likely still ahead of him. </p>