Breakdown Fall League Week 1: Breakout Performers

<p>Hopkins was the venue for the opening week of the Breakdown Fall League. Here are the top performers that caught my eye. </p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="958757" first="Cody" last="Pennebaker"] </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">of Park Center (6’5” Wing - 2022) Cody was jumping out of the gym this past Sunday. The 6’5” wing was dunking everything and got everyone out of their seat with a windmill slam versus Minneapolis South. Pennebaker hit multiple catch and shoot threes on kick outs from PC’s elite backcourt. Cody will see a lot of those looks with the likes of [player_tooltip player_id="850710" first="Braeden" last="Carrington"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1143878" first="Leo" last="Torbor"] drawing the defense in with their driving abilities. Cody and Park Center are the AAAA favorites and have proven just that so far this fall with huge wins over solid programs in Eastview and Minneapolis South. The Pirates will be must see basketball this upcoming season.</span></p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="958742" first="Terrence" last="Brown"] </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">of Columbia Heights (6’1” Guard - 2022) [player_tooltip player_id="958742" first="Terrence" last="Brown"] is a point guard I would want to have on my team and have in my starting lineup. The 6’1” guard showed out in Heights’ second game of the day vs Cretin-Derham Hall. Terrence was always hustling around and playing elite defense where he would sometimes pick up full-court. Not only that, Brown possesses elite court vision alongside a tight handle. That results in a large amount of assists and easy baskets for the Hylanders. Mixed with his maximum energy and his flashy jaw-dropping passes, Terrence and Columbia Heights will be very fun to watch and a contender in AAA.  </span></p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="1293963" first="Mekhi" last="Edwards"] </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">of Cretin-Derham Hall (6’5” Forward - 2024) Mekhi looked much improved from the last time I saw him play back in May. The 6’5” sophomore was pushing the ball up the court and making smart decisions with his passes and shots. Edwards also plays great defense even when he is challenged with older and bigger competition. I am very intrigued to see how CDH will utilize Mekhi and Brandon Melchoir in the same lineups. Mekhi really reminds me of Park Center alum [player_tooltip player_id="846104" first="Dain" last="Dainja"] with his versatility, especially if he can grow a couple more inches. </span></p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="962202" first="JJ" last="Ware"] </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">of Park Center (6’5” Forward - 2023) JJ looks much improved from last season. He displayed a new level of confidence shooting the ball. Ware was finding a lot of success shooting the mid range and three ball off the dribble and in catch and shoot scenarios. He will not need to be a 15-20 PPG scorer on a stacked Park Center squad with scorers all around, but I believe that he will play his role very well and be a key contributor to a state champion caliber team. I will not be surprised if the 6’5” forward has a couple of big breakout games. </span></p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="1288770" first="JJ" last="Sullivan"] </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">of Eden Prairie (5’11” Guard - 2025) Every time I see JJ play he scores the ball with ease. I watched him dominate all summer and now it is carrying into the fall season. Sullivan has a lightning quick jumper along with a smooth handle and passing vision. He does a great job finishing at the rim over and around bigger and taller defenders. Eden Prairie will be an underrated team in the Lake Conference and I am intrigued to see how much JJ will contribute in this upcoming season. </span></p> <p><b>Poet Davis </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">of Minneapolis South (6’0” Guard - 2024) Sunday was my first time seeing Poet play and I was very impressed. The 6’ guard can pretty much do it all and took on most of the ball handling duties alongside D’Mari Larkins with [player_tooltip player_id="1284157" first="Jerome" last="Williams Jr"]. out this weekend. This Minneapolis South team is still very young with loads of potential, they have five players in the top 35 of the new 2024 rankings beside Poet.</span></p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="958648" first="Hassan" last="Kamara"] </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">of Columbia Heights (6’4” Wing - 2022) [player_tooltip player_id="958648" first="Hassan" last="Kamara"] is one of the toughest defenders in the state. Hassan loves picking up full court, pick pocketing ball handlers, and taking charges. Kamara plays very physical and with a lot of energy. The 6’4” wing is the full package and was hitting deep and contested threes all game in their second matchup of the day versus Cretin-Derham Hall. He plays with extreme confidence and will be a key returner for AAA contender Columbia Heights.</span></p>