Hard Work Region Finals: Saturday Standouts

MINNEAPOLIS -- Breaking down Saturday’s top individual performances from the Prep Hoops Hard Work Region Finals...   [player_tooltip player_id="988697" first="Gabe" last="Ascher"] - 2022 - PG - Wisconsin Blizzard Ivory Ascher had plenty of good moments on Saturday. The undersized guard has always delivered consistently on the AAU circuit. At 5-foot-10, Ascher is stocky, strong, and quick with the ball. He’s got good burst and a quick first step. Off the ball, Ascher frees himself nicely for 3-pointers with good, hard cuts and sells where he wants the defender to think he’s going very well. A high academic prospect who puts up big numbers at Wautoma, Ascher can fill it up in a hurry offensively and could be a small school gem at the next level. [player_tooltip player_id="985203" first="Michael" last="Asman"] - 2023 - SF - Wisconsin Crusaders Select<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/435k7r.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1255455" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/435k7r-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a> Asman had 13 points in an easy victory over Pride Roc. The 6-foot-7 wing/forward isn’t a widely known name yet, but could definitely help out a strong Kimberly program in the future. A potential late bloomer, Asman’s older brother plays at Lipscomb. Asman is an athletic, versatile prospect with some budding skill. He operated out of the high post very well, able to catch in the 12-16 foot range and either slash or shoot off the catch. Asman can score with a jump hook or a floater in traffic. He’s also got the tools to be a good rebounder/defender with how quickly he gets off the floor and can move laterally. [player_tooltip player_id="1254286" first="Kenyon" last="Davis"] - 2023 - PG - Chapman Basketball Academy New name that jumped out, Davis played a lot of minutes against the Minnesota Magic and didn’t come off the floor much. CBA was very reliant on his playmaking ability on the ball. The 5-foot-10 lead guard has break-you-down ability and is a good decision maker in traffic. Davis created a lot of easy offense with his drive-and-dish play. Davis is a little undersized, but fearless when he goes to the rim. The Port Washington guard took some tough hits and finished through contact. In a game that CBA put away early, Davis finished with 15 points. [player_tooltip player_id="1022499" first="Bennett" last="Fried"] - 2023 - SF - Coulee Country Fried and Coulee Country had a tough, grind-it-out game against Minnesota Chill. Wasn’t his best performance, but Fried continues to show a lot of flashes. Also a talented baseball player, Fried has missed a lot of summer hoops. Still, this is a D2 level talent that could develop rapidly over the next several year. Fried is a long, lanky, 6-foot-6 wing that can shoot off the catch and off the dribble. He’s got some skill as a ball handler and if he tightens that up and grows into his body, Fried can be a big matchup problem. Also intriguing, Fried is a guy that can take you down into the post and score with his back to the basket. The La Crosse Central standout is still just scratching the surface and is probably at least another year away from really taking off. [player_tooltip player_id="1138440" first="Caleb" last="Glaser"] - 2023 - F - Wisconsin Crusaders Glaser had one of his best games of the summer in a win over WOTN. The 6-foot-6 combo forward provided constant energy/effort with second chance points, rim protection, and hustle plays. Now that his offense is beginning to catch up, Glaser is developing into a top 50 potential talent. Glaser plays really strong in the post and can muscle home buckets. He’s also got some versatility as a face-up slasher from the mid-range. Really liked his ability to ignite the fast break by getting a clean box out/rebound and knowing where his outlet was before he even secured the basketball. [player_tooltip player_id="1089756" first="Jack" last="Jorgensen"] - 2022 - SG - Wisconsin Crusaders If you’re waiting for Jorgensen to have an off game...it’s going to be a while. Every time Jorgensen steps on the floor, it seems like 20-point games and a handful of 3-pointers are just routine. The De Pere sniper went off again in an opening round win over The Work, dropping a game-high 25 points, including five triples. One of the most accurate sharpshooters in the state, Jorgensen plays his role extremely well. He’s active without the ball, gives his teammates an easy target, and stays in a shooting rhythm. Jorgensen also did a great job of taking advantage of defenders who flew out at him, countering with a pump-fake and hitting wide open driving lanes that you could drive a truck through. [player_tooltip player_id="1142118" first="Amari" last="McCottry"] - 2024 - SF - Team Haliburton<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/20210731_094658.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1255456" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/20210731_094658-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a> McCottry was dominant in a 16U win over the Illinois Hoopstars. He left some points on the board with finishes he’d like to have back, but the 6-foot-5 sophomore was just impossible to keep away from the rim. McCottry is a scoring point forward that gets the ball and goes right to work. A top five prospect in Wisconsin’s 2024 class, McCottry has the tools to be a high major level talent. He’s big, physical, can handle the ball, and shows flashes as a shooter. Needs to be consistent with it, but McCottry is also an outstanding defender when engaged and makes it tough for people to even get the ball across halfcourt. Adding to his upside, McCotry shows flashes of being a big time shot maker in the halfcourt and a creative passer in the open floor. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> 2024 SF [player_tooltip player_id="1142118" first="Amari" last="McCottry"] got right to work this morning at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PHHardWorkRegionFinals?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PHHardWorkRegionFinals</a>. The sophomore dominated a 16U level game for Team Haliburton.<a href="https://twitter.com/AmariKame?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AmariKame</a> <a href="https://t.co/SDKvzQz17b">pic.twitter.com/SDKvzQz17b</a> — Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) <a href="https://twitter.com/Evan_Flood/status/1421490876476440583?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 31, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> [player_tooltip player_id="981150" first="Seth" last="Miron"] - 2023 - SF - Team 1848 Miron came off the bench and flashed for Team 1848 in a solid win over Minnesota Bounce. The Kimberly product scored 10 points in a rather quick manner as Team 1848 jumped out to a big lead. Like the shot making ability of Miron. He’s a legit 6-foot-5 with some length. Has the ability to create rhythm jumpers even after he picks up his dribble with shot fakes and crafty footwork. Playing for a loaded Kimberly squad, Miron may not make a ton of noise during his junior season, but he’s definitely a guy who could develop into one of the top scorers in the Fox Valley Association by his senior year. There have already been a few D2 programs sniffing around here early. [player_tooltip player_id="1134926" first="Luke" last="Pautz"] - 2022 - G/W - Wisconsin Blizzard Not sure what Pautz is at the next level, but I know he’s got a ton of value. Kind of see Pautz being a swiss army knife someone that can play a big role even in a conference like the WIAC. The 6-foot-4 senior plays a lot of point guard for the Blizzard and is an excellent decision maker. He gets the ball up the floor in a hurry and picks apart defenses like a surgeon in the halfcourt. Pautz can run the floor in transition as well and is an above the rim athlete. He’s also got 3-and-D potential as someone who can space the floor as a shooter and is willing to shut down the other team’s best player if asked. Pautz finished with 16 points and a handful of assists in a win over Gallo Sports Center. Might not generate a lot of headlines of excitement in this state, but I’m ready to consider Pautz a top 50 prospect with just all the things he brings to the table. [player_tooltip player_id="1203240" first="Carson" last="Pendleton"] - 2024 - G/W - Team 1848 Kimberly has another good one in the pipeline. Pendleton had 18 points in Saturday’s opening win and followed that up with 22 points in the nightcap against Closed Gyms. The 6-foot-2 sophomore has some quality size and positional versatility. Pendleton finished really well in transition and attacks the rim hard at top end speed. He’s an instinctual defender that gets in the passing lanes and turns defense into offense. Thought Pendleton gave Closed Gyms a lot of problems defensively with his ability to shut off drives, contest shots, and create turnovers. [player_tooltip player_id="1254288" first="Jack" last="Riley"] - 2023 - SG - Chapman Basketball Academy<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/20210731_085336.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1255458" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/20210731_085336-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a> Catholic Memorial has a lot of pieces returning, but think Riley can help the Crusaders next season. Riley has really good size at 6-foot-3 and shoots it well from deep. Riley creates some matchup problems with his shot making and ability to play with his back to the basket. Riley is long and has positional versatility on both ends of the floor. He made his biggest contributions as a spot-up shooter, but showed some flashes as a playmaker on the ball and being able to defend multiple spots on the floor. In a blowout win over the Minnesota Magic, Riley contributed 10 points.