Craftiest Playmakers in ND and SD – Part 1

<p>Here is a look at some of the craftiest playmakers in the Dakota’s. A crafty basketball player can make plays by being smart, clever, deceiving, tricky, sly, artful, creative, authentic, unique, masterful, outside-the-box, intelligent, and many more. As a basketball fan, I love watching crafty, gritty, and creative players. Read below to see what it is all about.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Alphabetically, let us look at <strong>10</strong> <strong>Crafty Playmakers</strong></span>:</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1228094" first="Blake" last="Schafer"] (2022) |6-1 G| Wahpeton</strong> - He is on this list because he makes smart basketball plays. Schafer is also a gritty and tough kid. Blake can put the ball on the floor and create his own scoring opportunities. He will also use the dribble to set up his teammates for open shots. Blake will need to create many scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates next season as the Huskies lost most of their scoring due to graduation.  </p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/14IanMotschenbacher.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1077261" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/14IanMotschenbacher-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="812229" first="Ian" last="Motschenbacher"] (2022) |6-1 G| Fargo Davies/ECI</strong> - He made this list because of his masterful footwork. I really notice his footwork when finishing at the basket in transition or in traffic around BIGS. Ian also has a knack for making off-balance shots after contact. I witnessed many circus-type AND-1 finishes last year from Ian. Motschenbacher is an artist when it comes to footwork and finishing. </p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/elliotwhitney-crop-1859x1221-1618414469.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1168917" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/elliotwhitney-crop-1859x1221-1618414469-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="963749" first="Elliot" last="Whitney"] (2023) |6-0 G| Sioux Falls Lincoln/Pentagon Schoolers </strong>- He is a cold-blooded shooter from beyond the 3-point arc. Whitney can light the nets on fire when given space for his jumper. He is smart about how he moves without the ball. Whitney is clever about creating space for his shot and he also has great timing and balance. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="963744" first="Oliver" last="Vincent"] (2023) |6-1 G| Sioux Valley/Pentagon Schoolers</strong> - He uses his body well by looking for contact at the basket. Oliver can make many spectacular acrobatic finishes. He excels at picking up the AND 1. Vincent can turn a 2 into a 3 by using his body smartly and hitting the free-throw to end it.   </p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/pierson.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1218960" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/pierson-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1185116" first="Jacolby" last="Pearson"] (2022) |6-3 G| Four Winds/Minnewaukan</strong> - He made this list because he is a cool customer, is very smooth, and Pearson is a natural scorer. This lefty has a nice stroke from 3-point land. Jacolby can snake his way into the lane and finish in multiple ways with his left hand. Pearson is quickly becoming one of the best on-ball defenders for 4 Winds. He makes the life of an offensive player miserable. Jacolby is contesting a ton of shots and he always seems to be in the passing lanes. He is crafty on both O and D. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="963747" first="Joe" last="Sayler"] (2023) |6-3 G| White River/Pentagon Schoolers</strong> - He is a nifty and creative scorer. Joe can shoot the lights out. This forces the defender to play tight, which enables Sayler to blow by the opposition. He has an amazingly quick first step that he uses to get to the rim. If the defense gives him an inch to breathe, Sayler will drill the 3-ball. He is an SDSU commit. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1228070" first="Parker" last="Wallette"] (2023) |6-3 F| Turtle Mountain</strong> - This Brave has a wicked and crafty spin-move in the post that he sets up very nicely. Parker knows how to find the open spots on the floor, so he can get buckets. Wallette is always around the ball on offense. He can score on all 3-levels. Parker will be a nice addition alongside [player_tooltip player_id="1138808" first="Houston" last="Davis"]. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1185123" first="Sheldon" last="Jones"] (2022) |6-0 F| Four Winds/Minnewaukan</strong> - He is on this list because he does all the little things that make his team better. He keeps balls alive with hard work on the O-boards. When he gets touches in the post, Sheldon always finds open cutters and shooters. Jones is a nice jump-shooter from 10-12 feet. He also has sharp and effective footwork on the offensive block. </p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Treyb.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1166263" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Treyb-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></a></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="812226" first="Trey" last="Brandt"] (2022) |6-1 G| Beulah/Pentagon Schoolers</strong> - He made this list because of his soft and quick floater/runner. Trey is also a maestro when it comes to using and manipulating ball screens. Brandt can also finish with both hands at the rim. He is especially good at finishing with one hand quickly against bigger and long forwards. When finishing, it seems like he is almost better with his left compared to his right. Overall, he is one of the most creative and crafty guards in ND. </p> <p><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1227734" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/eaglestaff-crop-951x625-1625148362-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1046352" first="Treysen" last="Eaglestaff"] (2022) |6-5 F| Bismarck/D1 Minnesota</strong> - He made this list because he is a rare basketball talent. Treysen’s game is a mix of street-ball with old-school. He can do all the fancy ball-skill moves, but he also has old-man footwork. Eaglestaff picks up new moves on the fly and he incorporates them into his game quickly. His vision and passing skills are amazing. Treysen is an efficient and crafty scorer. Treysen is an artist, the basketball is his paintbrush, and the court is his canvas. </p>