Pentagon Schoolers 17U Daly: Season Review

The Pentagon Schoolers are one of the best programs in the Midwest. The Schoolers put together a great 17U squad this season that was coached by Matt Daly, one of the best in the business. This team had a nice spring/summer and picked up 20 wins. They had a successful campaign and they overcame plenty of adversity. The Schoolers ended the season hot down in Kansas City and these players will look to carry that momentum in their senior seasons. Read below to find out more information on the Pentagon Schoolers 17U Daly. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/PentagonSchoolers.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1168856" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/PentagonSchoolers-300x187.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="187" /></a> <h3>Roster</h3> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1261809" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/Treyb-crop-675x444-1628477843-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="812226" first="Trey" last="Brandt"] (2022) |6-0 G| Beulah - Trey made great strides in improving his mid-range game with his crafty finishes around the rim. He shot the ball extremely well down in Kansas City and had a great end to the summer playing his best basketball of the year. [player_tooltip player_id="968155" first="Brooks" last="Nelson"] (2022) |6-3 F| SF Christian - Brooks really improved his perimeter shooting from years past and really showed his improved athleticism, especially rebounding the basketball and challenging players are the rim. [player_tooltip player_id="812211" first="Rett" last="Osthus"] (2022) |6-0 G| De Smet - Rhett is one of the most laterally quick players on defense I have ever coached. He really did a great job of scoring in transition and improving his confidence in his jump shot by the end of the summer. [player_tooltip player_id="812190" first="Vance" last="Borchers"] (2022) |6-3 G| SF Roosevelt - Vance was our most consistent player, he always gave us a lift defensively, rebounding, and giving us big jump shots at crucial times. [caption id="attachment_1234237" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Kalen-Garry-crop-1341x881-1613418201-crop-640x421-1625958719.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1234237" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Kalen-Garry-crop-1341x881-1613418201-crop-640x421-1625958719-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: DWU Basketball DWU Athletics[/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="812196" first="Kalen" last="Garry"] (2022) |6-2 G| De Smet - Kalen really put on a show in our final tournament, he scored in the high 20’s and low 30’s every game. Kalen didn’t have a lot of weaknesses coming into the season, and he really showed how complete of a player he really is - he is sound defensively, scoring on the block, getting downhill, and his biggest strength of catching and shooting. [player_tooltip player_id="812203" first="Nathan" last="Koole"] (2022) |6-9 C| Sioux Falls Christian - Nathan really improved his perimeter shooting, especially from 15 ft., he really surprised us by how much he improved with his ability to score around the rim and in his rebounding capabilities. He has a huge upside, and I can imagine will get some offers as he progresses through his senior year. [player_tooltip player_id="968156" first="Noah" last="Behrends"] (2022) |6-5 F| Aberdeen Central - Noah sustained an injury in a football game in early June, but up until that point, he was making great strides getting more comfortable scoring at the rim and knocking down big perimeter shots. [player_tooltip player_id="968174" first="Tory" last="Holland"] (2022) |6-3 F| De Smet - Tory has done a great job being our utility man, you could always count on him to play physically, defend guys that were bigger than him, and bring a lot of energy. He really improved his perimeter shooting from previous years. He was really the glue to this team with his attitude and defensive energy and toughness. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1261813" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/Screenshot_20210319-103836_Chrome-crop-965x634-1628478036-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="812212" first="Hayden" last="Ruesink"] (2022) |6-5 F| Sioux Valley- Hayden made great improvements in his ability to score on the block, he was always a defensive and rebounding presence, he also surprised us with his ability to step out and hit from 15 feet plus. Kellen Johnson (2023) |6-5 F| Pipestone (MN) - Kellen had a tall task of playing up at the 17u levels as a 16-year-old. He did a great job stepping in and learning a complex offense and contributed on the defensive and rebounding side of the game. <h3 class="xxxxxxxxmsonormal">Team Comments from coach Matt Daly </h3> "We felt with a 20-win summer we had a good showing, especially with all the injuries we sustained. We were especially happy with the way the season ended with winning all four games down at the Hardwood Classic in Kansas City. There were 60 teams in that 17u pool play tournament - with only seven players, we scored the most points in those three days and had the highest point differential playing in the second-highest division. We were happy with our seed in the final standings of the Pentagon Sports League but were a bit disappointed with not making a deeper run in the tournament. Overall, all of our players improved individually and I was especially happy with how hard our guys played and how well they played together." <h3 class="xxxxxxxxmsonormal">Recognitions </h3> Best Rebounder: [player_tooltip player_id="812190" first="Vance" last="Borchers"] Top Scorer: [player_tooltip player_id="812196" first="Kalen" last="Garry"] Defensive stopper: [player_tooltip player_id="812211" first="Rett" last="Osthus"] Most Improved: [player_tooltip player_id="812212" first="Hayden" last="Ruesink"] Hardest Worker: [player_tooltip player_id="968174" first="Tory" last="Holland"] Most Unselfish: [player_tooltip player_id="812190" first="Vance" last="Borchers"] Mr. Positive: [player_tooltip player_id="812226" first="Trey" last="Brandt"] Mr. Gritt: [player_tooltip player_id="812196" first="Kalen" last="Garry"] Best Rim Protector: [player_tooltip player_id="812203" first="Nathan" last="Koole"]/[player_tooltip player_id="968155" first="Brooks" last="Nelson"] Mr. Creative: [player_tooltip player_id="812226" first="Trey" last="Brandt"] <h3 class="xxxxxxxxmsonormal">Schedule </h3> Pentagon Spring Jam (Sioux Falls, SD) April 24-25 SPTS Omaha (Omaha, NE) May 1-2 SPTS Minneapolis (Minneapolis, MN) May 15-16 Pentagon Hardwood Challenge (Sioux Falls, SD) June 5-6 Great Plains Alliance (St. Cloud, MN) June 24-26 Pentagon Summer Slam (Sioux Falls, SD) July 9-11 Pentagon Summer Classic (Sioux Falls, SD) July 16-18 NIke Hardwood Classic (Kansas City, MO) July 23-25