11 Freshman To Follow: ND

<p>It is fun every year to see the young talent emerge at the high school level. North Dakota is full of freshmen ballers. In this article, we will look at 9th graders who should have an impact at the varsity level. </p> <h3><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Freshman To Follow</strong></span></h3> [caption id="attachment_1173626" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/klabo.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1173626" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/04/klabo-300x198.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="198" /></a> Photo: Kristi Ulrich Kristi Ulrich Photography[/caption] <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1169136" first="Mason" last="Klabo"] |6-0 G| Fargo Davies/Team Tyus</strong></p> <p>He stood out in the EDC last season as an 8th grader and you should expect more of the same this season. Klabo is a skilled and gifted athlete. He is a 5-tool player that can do it all. Davies has many scoring options so opposing teams should not be able to double-team him. Look for Klabo to put up impressive scoring numbers this season and to also handle the rock with care. He is also a precision passer. Make sure you get to Davies once the season starts and watch him play. </p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/braaten.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1220662" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/braaten-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1169145" first="Walker" last="Braaten"] |6-0 G| Westhope-Newburg/ECI</strong></p> <p>He put up monster numbers last year as an 8th grader. Walker should come into the season bigger/stronger. After a spring/summer of AAU hoops, he should have a few new tricks up his sleeve. Braaten is more than just a scoring machine, he has great ball skills and a good head on his shoulders. Walker is also a cunning and sneaky defender. He will most likely lead the freshmen class in scoring this year. Braaten needs to be on your "must-watch-list" this winter.  </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1169135" first="Pearce" last="Parks"] |6-0 G| Grand Forks Red River/ECI</strong></p> <p>He is a great athlete that plays physically. Parks is the type of athlete that can compete with the upperclassmen in the EDC. He may not get varsity minutes early in the season. However, I will not be surprised if he breaks into the Rough Rider rotation in the second half of the season. It would be fun to watch Pearce get varsity minutes alongside his older brother [player_tooltip player_id="812222" first="Paine" last="Parks"]. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1145544" first="Jake" last="Starcevic"] |6-1 G| Thompson/ECI</strong></p> <p>He is a star athlete that will be an impact player for the Tommies this year. Jake will be a stat stuffer and an all-around player. Starcevic will make many highlight-reel plays in the coming season.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1185243" first="Wyatt" last="Kuhn"] |6-4 F| New Salem-Almont</strong></p> <p>He may have the best spin-move on this list. Kuhn is a force in the paint and a tough frontcourt kid. He is a long player that can score at the hoop or from the mid-range. Watch out for Wyatt and his big brother [player_tooltip player_id="1125691" first="Weston" last="Kuhn"]. They will have NSA ready to fight for a top spot in Region-5.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1169147" first="Noah" last="Meissner"] |5-11 G| Jamestown/ECI</strong></p> <p>It does not happen very often that a freshman gets varsity minutes in the WDA. Meissner could be one of them! He is a nice athlete that fights for everything. He competes with an edge and rises to the occasion. Noah has an all-around scoring game. Keep your eyes open for this Blue Jay. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1165355" first="Grant" last="Cosley"] |5-9 G| North Border/ND Attack</strong></p> <p>Look for this youngster to get a large number of varsity minutes for a great team in Region-2. The Eagles will be a Top-Ten team to start the season, not many freshmen get an opportunity like this. Grant will get a chance to play next with his older brother [player_tooltip player_id="1050261" first="TJ" last="Cosley"]. Grant is a skilled ballhandler and a smart player. If the older studs draw a double-team look for the young Cosley to provide a scoring punch for the Eagles. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1144603" first="Gentry" last="Richter"] |6-1 G| Linton-HMB</strong></p> <p>He saw varsity minutes last season for the Lions. Linton lost a large amount of scoring to graduation. Look for Gentry to step up this season and to do a good amount of scoring. [player_tooltip player_id="1146180" first="Jace" last="Jochim"] and Richter will be a tough scoring backcourt for the Lions. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1165392" first="Karter" last="Peterson"] |6-3 G| Thompson/ND Attack</strong></p> <p>A supreme athlete that can throw-it-down in the blink of an eye. Karter has some "classic" post moves from the block. He can also step outside and hit the open jumper. Expect big things from this Tommie. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1189430" first="Carter" last="Baasch"] |5-6 G| Maple Valley/ECI</strong></p> <p>He played a good amount of varsity minutes last season and he did a nice job of handling the rock. Carter is an effective 3-point shooter that can score in a hurry. Baasch keeps defenders off balance by changing speeds and by using his quickness. Look for him to be one of the best freshmen in a difficult Region-1. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1165348" first="Drew" last="Passa"] |5-3 G| Dayton-Valley-Edinburg/ND Attack</strong></p> <p>He has the potential to be a showtime shooter from beyond the arc. Teams will not want to give Passa much room this season or he will make them pay. </p>