Winterset Shootout: Saturday Morning Standouts
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Winterset High School is hosting 31 teams from around the state on Friday and Saturday for some top-notch summer competition. Below are some of the standout performers from the 8:00 am to 11:00 am time slot on Saturday in Husky…
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Continue ReadingWinterset High School is hosting 31 teams from around the state on Friday and Saturday for some top-notch summer competition. Below are some of the standout performers from the 8:00 am to 11:00 am time slot on Saturday in Husky Gym.
2022 SG Victor Hatungimana (Des Moines Lincoln)
Hatungimana was solid when we watched the Railsplitters yesterday as well. He knocked down three first half 3s in the win over Winterset, showing a quick, clean release off the catch. He can be a streaky shooter, but when he gets it going, he can fill it up in a hurry. He moves his feet well laterally and can be a pest playing on-ball defense with his quick hands and feet.
2024 PF Ja’Vion Bell Ja’Vion Bell 6'4" | PF Roosevelt | 2024 State IA (Des Moines Lincoln)
An athletic young forward, Bell runs the floor really well and has great hands. He does a good job rebounding in and out of his area, and finishes well around the bucket. As he continues to develop, he should add some more range to his game. He’s a switchable defender who can protect the rim or hold his own on the perimeter against some quicker guards.
2022 PF Nathan Avery Nathan Avery 6'3" | SF Winterset | 2022 State IA (Winterset)
Avery was really solid in the second half for the Huskies, scoring 11 of his team-high 15 points in the final 20 minutes. A 6-4 big who runs the floor hard, he does a good job cutting the bucket off the ball and getting easy looks from his talented guard teammates. He also showed the ability to stretch out to the high school line and knock down some jumpers.
2023 PG Nathaniel Winter (Boone)
A lengthy lead guard at 6-3/6-4, Winter has excellent size for his position, and he uses it to his advantage on the defensive end, getting his hands in passing lanes and contesting shots around the rim. He handles the ball well and has a good looking jumper that he gets great rotation on. He got off to a shaky shooting start, but started getting hot midway through the first half and ended up netting 13 of his 19 points in the first half. He’s a long strider who covers a lot of ground on both ends of the floor, and he’s a good passer.
2022 CG Caden Kelling Caden Kelling 5'10" | SG Centennial | 2022 State IA (Centennial)
Kelling’s offensive output was largely limited to transition buckets in the Jaguars dominant win over Norwalk, but that’s not why he’s on this list. He was stellar on the defensive end of the floor, making life really difficult for Norwalk’s standout scorer Redek Born Redek Born 6'3" | PG Norwalk | 2024 State IA . Born didn’t score when Kelling was the primary defender. The quick 5-11 guard does a great job moving his feet laterally, and he has quick hands that he used to swipe the ball away a few times. He can turn his defense into quick offense on the other end, as he runs the floor hard and is a good finisher at the rim.
2024 F Reece Robinson Reece Robinson 6'7" | PF Saint Ignatius | 2024 State OH (Centennial)
This 6-7 sophomore-to-be is brimming with potential. He has great size and length, and is a versatile defender who can protect the rim or switch onto smaller guards and not be lost. He showed good touch around the rim, and as he continues to mature physically and become more assertive, some of the layups off of the drop-off passes will turn into powerful dunks. He showed soft touch on his jumper out to about 15 feet as well.
2022 PG Darrell Matchem (Earlham)
Matchem is small at 5-7, but he’s fearless. A quick lead guard, he got into the paint at will in the Cardinals win over Albia, scoring, facilitating and getting to the free throw line at a high clip. He’s a good ball-handler who values possessions and doesn’t turn it over often, and he can be a pest when playing on-ball defense with his quick hands and feet.