OSA Summer League Notes: Week 3

<p>There were some terrific matchups at UBT this week, including a State Championship rematch between Millard North and Bellevue West that lived up to the billing. Here are a few standouts from week 3:</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1018807" first="Zion" last="Bang"] | Omaha Central (pictured)</strong></p> <p>Nobody matched the energy and effort that the senior forward brought to the court Monday night. He sprinted the floor, provided great help defense, and was a monster on the glass. One play in particular against Omaha South summarized his play-style perfectly. He was pressuring the ball in the backcourt, but got beat by a crossover. The ball-handler passed it ahead and sprinted to the rim because he had a few steps on his aggressive defender. Bang sprinted hard, navigated some traffic in the lane, and pinned the eventual shot attempt against the backboard despite him starting the play deep in the backcourt. Sure, he got beat, but he made up for it with his athleticism and effort. </p> <p><strong>Nick Dolezal | Millard North</strong></p> <p>I have written previously about Dolezal’s activity on both ends, and Monday was no different. I need to highlight his skill development, though, because he is more than just a high-energy bench guy. His mix of size and speed allows him to play inside and out. He flashed some playmaking ability as a secondary creator, and it is clear he has worked on his moves in the post on offense. Even when he is not creating plays for others he is providing solid connective passing, cleaning up the glass, and moving his feet on defense.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="787647" first="Jasen" last="Green"] | Millard North</strong></p> <p>The #2 player in the 2022 class showed off his complete skill set against Bellevue West. I tallied 5 blocks for Green in the game before I stopped keeping track. Whether he was guarding face-ups, chasing down a guy in transition, or coming over from the weakside, he showed a knack for swatting the ball. He cleaned up the glass, brought the ball up the court, provided terrific rim running, and finished at a high level through contact. And this was all against a very solid opponent in [player_tooltip player_id="1018806" first="William" last="Kyle"].</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1031436" first="Evan" last="Inselman"] | Bellevue West</strong></p> <p>Inselman was largely a spot-up shooter for Bellevue West last season, and a very good one at that. His feel for the game is starting to show more, and he will certainly have more of a role in his senior season. He had several terrific basket cuts that were rewarded by his teammates, creating easy offense for the Thunderbirds. He shot well, but all his work prior to the shot stood out. He lifted and slid into the ball-handlers line of vision at the right times and in the right locations. His footwork was clean, and his base was set and ready to attack with a pass, shot, or dribble before he ever got the ball.</p> <p><strong>Isaiah McMorris | Millard North</strong></p> <p>McMorris won battles on the glass far more often than he should he have, despite being the smallest player on the court for most of his minutes. The 2024 combo guard is a terrific athlete and a crafty finisher. When he grabs the rebound or receives a quick outlet, he looks to beat the defense with his end-to-end speed. He put pressure on defenses in transition and in the half-court, and when they converged on him, he adeptly found shooters on the perimeter.</p>