Hard Work Region 15U Finals: Top performing lead guards
With tons of talent at the 15U level this past weekend at the Hard Work Region Finals in Minneapolis, there was a great selection of tough, skilled point guards. These five prospects are the point guards that I thought had…
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Continue ReadingWith tons of talent at the 15U level this past weekend at the Hard Work Region Finals in Minneapolis, there was a great selection of tough, skilled point guards. These five prospects are the point guards that I thought had the best performances this weekend.
Henry Stang– 5’11” guard- MN Fury Zurn/Maple Grove
Henry is a small, undersized basketball player. However, that does not stop him from being one of the toughest players on the court. He rebounds the ball, he takes hits on drives, he fights over hard screens, and not once does he ever complain. Then, when you give him a few inches of space, he is stepping into a catch and is letting the ball fly. His pretty left-handed release was so consistent this past weekend for his team as he hit multiple threes in each game that I watched. His handle is not the most shifty but he uses it well to get his team into the offense without any turnovers. Henry’s biggest weakness right now is his size and strength, but that will come with age. I like his game and there is always space in the game of basketball for tough players who can shoot and play defense.
Will Strandemo– 6’0″ guard- MN Heat Bohrer/Delano
Delano has had a string of high-quality guards since Calvin Wishart graduated in 2018. Will shares a bit of the crafty scoring ability that made Wishart a special player to watch. He can play with the ball on a string and is good at using pick-and-rolls to attack downhill into the teeth of the defense. He’s good with both hands around the rim and has soft touch on his floaters and runners. He’s also an excellent passer once he gets into the lane since he does a good job of attacking with his head on a swivel. I want to see him develop more confidence and consistency in his jumpshot since it will give him more options to look to when teams are taking away the drive. Other than that, he’s very skilled for a guard his age and he should only get better with more experience and practice.
Luke Dobbs– 6’0″ guard- MN Select Altenhofen/St. Thomas Academy
Luke is a fun player to watch. Plenty of players are skilled enough to try moves out in pick-up games or open gyms, but Luke uses those moves in games. He’s really good at attacking downhill with both moves and he showed a ton of different finishes including different floaters, euro-steps, and switch-hands finishes. He’s also a great passer when playing downhill. He showed a high-quality sense of when defenders were going to step up and help so he was constantly finding teammates for open looks on drop-off and kick-out passes. He shot the ball well and had multiple 15-20 point games throughout the tournament. He was a tad careless with the ball through some stretches, but that can be a very quick fix. The more consistent his touch becomes from three, the more likely it is that he will develop into a high-level scoring guard.
Pierce Arenz– 5’8″ guard- WI Blizzard/Kiel
Pierce is another undersized guard. He can shoot the ball pretty well when he’s given the space to get his shot off. What I liked about Pierce was how he’d get the ball up the court and initiate the offense, then cut hard to wherever his next spot was. By doing little things like this, he helped his team keep a good rhythm on offense. He does a good job of controlling the pace and knowing when to push the ball or not. On defense, he plays like a pest. He does his best to stay in front and he’s constantly at the right spot to help. He won Blizzard the game in the semis with a huge charge on what would have been the game-winning layup. He’s a tough kid who plays the game the right way. If he grows a bit and gets stronger, he’ll be pretty good.
Dupree Fletcher– 5’11” guard- Kevon Looney Power Five
Dupree is a really strong, really quick scoring guard. His end-to-end speed allows him to beat people off the dribble downhill and he’s good at creating for himself. When he gets to the rim, he’s very strong as he absorbed tons of contact and found ways to finish while drawing a good amount of fouls. He shot well from the line and knocked down a couple of open threes in the game that I watched. His handle is very twitchy and quick which suits him well when added with his speed and strength. He’s not afraid of opposing defenses pressing up on him as he can make one move and be gone. Defensively, he’s very aggressive and physical, forcing opposing guards to work hard to get the ball up the floor. His biggest thing to work on is his mentality. He got frustrated and down on himself when he made a mistake and that would take him out of his rhythm. Overall, he’s a very athletic scorer that people should keep an eye on as he gets older.