Crafty Playmakers from MN and ND – 2.0

<p>This is our last look at artful, creative, innovative, and crafty players. We will cover players from Minnesota and North Dakota in this one. Read below to see who we have and what makes them special. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Alphabetically, here are <strong>10</strong> <strong>Crafty Playmakers</strong></span>:</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1144980" first="Braxton" last="Iglehart"] (2024) |6-1 G| Garrison </strong>- He made this list because of his excellent handles and his sweet hesitation move. Opposing teams plan on swatting him when he gets in the lane. Instead, Braxton will drop a dime to a teammate or shoot a floater over their outstretched hand. Iglehart is a big-time assist man who is always setting up his comrades. Braxton is looking good this summer and will be a key cog for the Troopers next season.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1165347" first="Calvin" last="Garmann"] (2025) |6-5 F| Watford City/ND Attack</strong> - He made this list because he is a creative, long, athletic, and versatile forward. This young athlete loves to face up at the elbow and drill the jumper or slash to the iron for buckets. Garmann has been outstanding this spring/summer in AAU hoops. It will be interesting to see what level he plays at in school ball with the Wolves. Calvin is definitely an up-and-coming player to keep your eyes on. </p> <p><strong>Mason Hills (2022) |5-10 G| Moorhead/ECI</strong> - He made this list because he is an artist in the ball-screen game. Mason will use the screen effectively and penetrate until the help stops him. He will hit the floater or find the next open man. Hills can also reject the ball-screen and attack the opposite way. He can split the defense if they hedge him hard. Lastly, this Spud is a smooth lefty that can finish at the rim in a variety of ways. </p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/cook-2-crop-3024x1986-1621908428.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1201238" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/cook-2-crop-3024x1986-1621908428-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a></p> <p><strong>Jacob Cook</strong> <strong>(2022) |6-6 F| Ashby/West Central United</strong> - Cook made this list because he is Mr. Everything and he is a playmaker on both ends of the court. Jacob is a great athlete that will throw it down with force. He has a nice stroke from the 3-point arc. On defense, he will protect the cup and own the boards. He can run like a deer and change the game with offensive rebound buckets. Look out for Cook, I know many college coaches are. </p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/Jeremiah-Sem2.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1224626" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/Jeremiah-Sem2-300x188.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="188" /></a></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1144475" first="Jeremiah" last="Sem"] (2024) |6-3 G| Fargo North/ECI</strong> - He is a D-1 athlete, but that is not why he made the list. Sem made the list because he is crafty with shot fakes, pass fakes, and he often blows by the primary defender with ease. Jerry has a knack at looking to see where the help-side is because he is constantly leaving the on-ball defender in the dust. Sem is masterful at finishing through contact, dunking on the help side defender, and he is great at getting to feet in the paint. He is not just a dude, he is also an artist on the hardwood. big</p> <p><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1229281" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/pieper-crop-929x610-1625365195-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="962264" first="Kaden" last="Pieper"] |6-3 G| BBE/West Central Wildcats</strong> - Pieper made this list because he is a dynamic combo-guard that can put up big points. Kaden is a real-deal shooter that can hit from all over the arc. He does an excellent job of squaring up and doing the work before the ball gets there. Pieper is also great at attacking the basket. His first step is elite, and his leaping ability helps him finish at the rim. Kaden will be tearing it up next year for BBE.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1165392" first="Karter" last="Peterson"] (2025) |6-3 G| Thompson/ND Attack</strong> - He made this list because he has old-school post moves on the block that you do not see very often these days. Peterson can also stretch the floor and hit triples from downtown. When I watched him during the high school season I was very impressed with his strength and toughness. For a youngster, Peterson is already a rim protector. He will be a tough player in Region-2 next year. </p> <p><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1229292" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/kobek-crop-1075x706-1625365967-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1221115" first="Kobe" last="Karels"] (2023) |6-1 G| Cambridge-Isanti/Northstar Titans</strong> - Karels made this list because he is a stud ball-handler and he is masterful at manipulating the defense. I love the way he changes speeds when attacking defenders or coming off screens. He keeps the D off-balance at all times. Kobe does a nice job of switching up the tempo of the game based on the current situation. His fake crossover and hesitation move stood out to me. Karels is a difference-maker and a calm, cool, and collected PG. </p> [caption id="attachment_1144417" align="alignnone" width="200"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/ryanerickson.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1144417" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/ryanerickson-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" /></a> Photo: Jon Jablonski Life-Images[/caption] <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1050245" first="Ryan" last="Erikson"] (2023) |6-8 F| Bismarck Century/ND Phenom </strong>- He made this list because he is an excellent passer out of the post. Everyone loves an unselfish post-player. Ryan is incredibly crafty with his finishing package around the basket. His turn-around baby hook shot is one that stands out for me. I love his soft touch. His 15-foot jumper is also a great asset for him. Erikson is absolutely a crafty big man. </p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Tyler-Kraft-1.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1027287" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Tyler-Kraft-1-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1123122" first="Tyler" last="Kraft"] (2022) |6-3 G| Shanley/Next Level Basketball Academy </strong>- He made this list because he is a crafty and creative shooter. From last November to June, Tyler has improved his game by quite a bit, and his shot has improved a great deal. This summer Kraft has been one of the best 3-point shooters that I have watched. He has great feet, hands, form, and elevation on his jumper from deep. I also really like his pull-up and floater game. I expect Tyler to be a top guard in the EDC next season. </p>