River Cities Tip Off: Saturday Forwards

<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1023546" first="Bangot" last="Dak"] - 2023</strong></p> <p>Dak put in work for Lincoln Supreme National 2 on Saturday. He ran the floor hard, and rebounded the basketball well. When he has a runway and space to attack, he can be very dangerous. I watched their game against Team Factory Gold, and Dak finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. One of the best plays of the day came off a [player_tooltip player_id="1023547" first="Connor" last="Hamilton"] transition assist off the backboard, and Dak threw it down with ease.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1019017" first="Logan" last="Wilson"] - 2022 (pictured)</strong></p> <p>I do not have the stats on Wilson’s performance, and I would not be surprised if the numbers were underwhelming. He continues to put together valuable shifts on the court, despite the numbers. I have written about his excellent rim protection before, but he also stepped out and guarded the perimeter well. He can sprint out to contest a three, slide with his man on the drive, and recover out to a shooter when the ball is kicked out. Wilson also crashed the glass hard, leading to some impressive putbacks in traffic.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1023540" first="James" last="Gninefou"] - 2022</strong></p> <p>The Team Factory Gold big was extremely active in his minutes on Saturday. He has the skill to handle the ball a bit and initiate actions. There were several nice drives to the basket where he showcased some of his athleticism and body control. He moved his feet well while defending the paint, rarely fouling, and forced several turnovers with active hands.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1150640" first="Jake" last="Hilkemann"] - 2024</strong></p> <p>Hilkemann is one of the most complete players in the 2024 class. His best skill is his rebounding, but he also knocked down several three pointers for Nebraska Supreme UAA. He can play inside and out. He can score facing up or with his back to the basket. There is a lot to like from the Lincoln North Star youngster.</p> <p><strong style="font-size: 1rem;">Camden Monie - 2024</strong></p> <p>I only caught a few minutes here and there of OSA National Crouch 15U, but Monie stood out more than any other player on that talented team. Monie is strong with the basketball in his hands, and flashed some playmaking ability in the pick and roll on this particular day. He kept his dribble alive, and had some very nice live dribble passes to cutting teammates. What stood out most was that he wasn’t telegraphing his passes, or "pre-passing." He never fully committed to the play until he needed to, able to back out if the option was erased.</p> <p><strong style="font-size: 1rem;">[player_tooltip player_id="1013230" first="Will" last="Cooper"] - 2024</strong></p> <p>Cooper was once again the dominant rebounder for OSA 3SSB 15U. He tracks down the ball like a hound, and has enough awareness of the other nine players on the court to immediately get the ball to the right teammate. His rebounding is nothing new, but it felt like he was crashing the glass extra hard today. On offense, he made some impressive plays as a roll man, finishing in a variety of ways.</p>