Max's September Stock Risers

As the month of September comes to a close, I’ll be taking a look back at seven players I saw over the past month who rose their stock with strong performances! [player_tooltip player_id="962212" first="Boden" last="Kapke"] (6’10 2023 C, Holy Family)- When it comes to 2023’s raising their stock at the Division One level, Boden may be the biggest riser over the past month. He’s come into his junior year of high school with improved mobility and explosiveness, a trait that will make him even more dangerous on the floor. At Hardwood Elite’s "The League" he showed he can now put the ball on the floor and attack from the wing, using his new explosiveness to elevate off one or two feet to finish with power above the rim. Those types of finishes are something that he wasn’t pulling off as little as two months ago. Add in to that his touch from beyond the arc at 6’10, and you have a prospect picking up interest from high majors across the Midwest. [player_tooltip player_id="958709" first="Patrick" last="Ebeling"] (6’9 2022 C, Totino-Grace)- Although he may not receive as many minutes at Totino-Grace as he would at most other schools due to the talent around him, the 6’9-6’10 [player_tooltip player_id="1288655" first="PJ" last="Ebeling"] has proven this month that he’s a prospect schools should be looking at. At the Top 250 Expo PJ put in a strong performance in the game I watched, as he finished around the rim with both hands, and was impressive catching and finishing in a fluid motion during pick & rolls. At his size he was able to dominate on the glass, but didn’t just rely on his size as he was constantly searching for a body to box out before attacking the ball off the rim. Ramone Walker (6’3 2022 F, Bloomington Kennedy)- Ramone averaged just 4.7 ppg as a junior last year, but in a running clock fall league game I witnessed him put up 36 points on field goals alone (can’t remember how many free throws he had). The senior forward came out of nowhere and simply dominated around the rim with his high motor and quick burst off the floor. Even against a 6’8 opponent Ramone was pulling in every rebound on both ends of the floor, and the offensive boards were immediately turned into two points with his quick second leap. Showed a little bit of skill either facing up at the free throw line or putting the ball on the floor and attacking from the wing to get to the hoop, and also knocked down multiple threes on the day. If this effort and production translates over into the regular season, he could be in for a breakout year. Matthew Kallman (5’8 2022 PG, Chaska)- Matthew Kallman is another player who looks ready to have a breakout senior season after putting in some strong fall league performances. Against a loaded Hopkins backcourt, Matthew didn’t shy away from the competition and instead showed what he can do as both a scorer and facilitator. He’s so quick and keeps his handle tight making it hard to pick his pocket, and he comes off ball screens tight to shake his defender. Kallman showed that his range extends to well beyond the arc, but he can also attack the paint and find an open shooter when the help defender slides over. Jaden Olson (6’1 2023 PG, Eastview)- Jaden is part of a deep 2023 class at Eastview, and had a breakout performance at the Top 250 Expo earlier this month. He was one of the best passers I saw at the event, able to thread the needle to hit his teammates in traffic, or deliver the simple and accurate pass to hit open shooters. The lefty guard has a smooth shot from beyond the arc, and plays with a lot of poise when handling the ball. You won’t find him making too many mistakes which could make him a trusted ball handler down the road for this Eastview program. [player_tooltip player_id="1288657" first="Stephen" last="Kesti"] (6’8 2022 C, Spring Lake Park)- During the last week of the Concordia St. Paul fall league, Stephen put in a pair of strong performances down low. SLP had a size advantage in both games, so they were looking for Stephen early and often, which led to a lot of isolated looks on the block that he converted at a high rate. He’s at his best finishing with the right, but showed a bit of touch scoring with his left hand as well. More than just a post scorer, Stephen knocked down two threes in one game on his way to 17 first half points. Also showed that he’s a better shot blocker than I initially thought, swatting multiple shots in both games as he moved his feet well to get into good help-side position. Marley Baah-Yeboah (6’3 2024 W, Lakeville South)- Really like the potential of Marley moving forward. This year at Lakeville South he’ll be able to learn from an experienced and talented senior class which could benefit him in his upperclassmen years. At Hardwood Elite’s "The League", he’s shown some high flying athleticism that allows him to finish above the rim with ease in transition. He’s one of the most explosive 2024 prospects I’ve seen at this point, but has some game outside of that athleticism. Marley sees the floor well in transition which allows him to hit his teammates sprinting up the floor for easy buckets, and he also has the handle to get to the rim from the wing. I like how he crashes the glass hard to pick up some second chance points for his team as well.