Breakdown Preseason Fall League Standouts

Breakdown Sports kicked off the boy’s portion of their preseason fall league over the weekend at Hopkins high school, with talent from the metro area and beyond competing. I was there for most of the day, and these are some of the top performers that I saw compete! [player_tooltip player_id="1143878" first="Leo" last="Torbor"] (6’2 2022 PG, Park Center)- Leo backed up the Division One offers he earned over the summer with a strong showing against Lakeville South. Defensively he gets after it on-ball, as he has the quickness to stick with just about any point guard, and he’s constantly fighting to get over screens. Offensively he was a walking highlight, slicing to the rim to put a defender on a poster with a vicious one hand slam, as well as getting out in transition for another high flying dunk. Early in the game he showed that defenders have to guard him beyond the arc as he knocked down a three, and with that he was able to get by his defender with ease to get into the paint and make plays at the rim or finding an open teammate. [player_tooltip player_id="1181049" first="Keyon" last="Broussard"] (6’4 2022 G, Roseville)- Keyon averaged 6.6 ppg last season as a junior, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him nearly triple that average if he’s given the green light this winter. Against Holy Family he was unguardable at times, as his length made it easy to shoot over opposing guards, while the Holy Family size just wasn’t quick enough to stick with him. On multiple occasions he was able to tip the ball free on defense and then leak out into transition for dunks. In the half-court he utilized a step-back to create space and get off jumpers from mid-range or three, of which he connected on a high percentage. Really like his potential for not only this upcoming high school season but also at the next level. [player_tooltip player_id="1139192" first="Dylan" last="Omweno"] (6’1 2023 PG, Eastview)- This was my first time getting to see Dylan play with his new team, and it looks like he’s fitting right in. I think he did a nice job with his shot selection taking open catch-and-shoot threes, or making sure his feet were set and he was balanced before shooting off the dribble. He’s dangerous creating space for his jumper, but that also allowed him to use a quick hesitation move to then blow by his man and get to the rim. Defensively he had some nice moments applying ball pressure, including picking up a key steal late in the game guarding 1v1 on an island. Not only was Dylan one of the leading scorers on the game, but a lot of his buckets came late in the game as his team ended up winning by a basket at the buzzer. [player_tooltip player_id="1189958" first="Isaiah" last="Hagen"] (6’3 2023 G, Orono)- Nothing flashy about Hagen’s performances on Sunday, but he was simply getting the job done. He always appears under control, and does a nice job of maintaining his balance when attacking the basket in traffic. He found ways to split between defenders on his way to the hoop, and did a nice job of going up strong through some contact. When he wasn’t getting to the rim, Isaiah was hitting a high percentage of his open looks from beyond the arc. Orono featured a guard-heavy rotation so opposing defenses were forced to guard everyone beyond the arc which really spread the floor and opened up a lot of opportunities for both Isaiah and his teammates. [player_tooltip player_id="962212" first="Boden" last="Kapke"] (6’11 2023 C, Holy Family)- The mobility and explosiveness that Boden has added over the past few months has been paying dividends this fall. Holy Family went 1-1 on the day, and Boden was a force around the rim as there aren’t many teams in the state that can compete with his size. Even when double/triple teamed Boden was keeping his balance and scoring over the top of defenders with ease. Playing alongside another 6’9-6’10 player, Boden also spent some time roaming the perimeter where teams are still forced to guard him tight as he made them pay with some outside jumpers when given space. He showed flashes of putting the ball on the floor to attack the basket, and had a few thunderous dunks on the day. [player_tooltip player_id="962201" first="Maxsamus" last="Wilson"] (6’4 2023 PG, Hopkins)- Max has been playing some strong basketball this fall, and his game against Eastview was no different. Although his team ultimately ended up losing on a buzzer beater, Max was productive both as a scorer and facilitator. He found his teammates with accurate and timely passes, whether it was hitting cutters from the perimeter or getting into dangerous areas in the paint to make plays. He showed range that extends to the NBA three point line, and is a threat to pull up any time his man goes under a screen. I also thought he looked better attacking downhill and getting his man on his hip to extend and finish at the rim. His game was capped off by an explosive dunk in transition that had his team fired up. [player_tooltip player_id="958680" first="Kyle" last="Hrncir"] (6’5 2022 PF, Farmington)- Was impressed by Kyle’s play against a quick and talented DeLaSalle team. He plays a bit bigger than his size due to his strength down low, which allows him to finish through double-teams with efficiency. His guards did a great job of feeding him the ball on the block after he was able to establish strong position, and from there it was almost a guaranteed two points. Kyle also looked comfortable handling the ball in transition, and is a solid athlete in the open floor who can beat opposing bigs up the floor to the rim. Add in his ability to defend on the block or move his feet on the perimeter, and I think the two-sport standout is in for a big senior season.