Breakdown Tip-Off Classic: AAA & AA Breakout Performers

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Breakdown Tip-Off is put together of the top teams in the state, from all classes. Here are my standouts from classes AAA &amp; AA. </span></p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="850709" first="Willie" last="Wilson"] </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">of Minneapolis North (6’2” Guard - 2022) </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You know what you are getting with [player_tooltip player_id="850709" first="Willie" last="Wilson"]. He is a trustworthy point guard who will never turn the ball over, play with confidence, and facilitate for his offense. Willie was a large part of the Polars’ huge statement win over Minnehaha. He was constantly getting around defenders and had some tough finishes at the basket. He is also a lockdown defender who will never back down from the opposing guards he is facing. Willie has been a consistent starter for North since his freshman year, which has led to his extremely high basketball IQ.</span></p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="1284186" first="Mercy" last="Miller"] </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">of Minnehaha (6’4” Guard - 2024) </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I still cannot believe that Mercy is only a sophomore. He shoots the ball with extreme confidence and seems to always make the right decisions. He is always a threat to score with the ball in his hands once he crosses half court. He possesses such a smooth shot, along with nice finishing ability through contact around the rim. Miller is also such a fierce competitor, playing at 100% speed 100% of the time. The fact that he will still have two years left of high school after this season proceeds to amaze me. </span></p> <p><b>Brogan Madson </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">of Mankato East (5’10” Guard - 2025)</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The freshman guard impressed me most with his confidence on Saturday. Rarely do you see a 9th grader handle the ball as much as Brogan did. He played with poise and never seemed to panic when stuck in tough situations. Madson looked like an upperclassman with his decision making after getting around a defender. He used a nice floater on a few occasions and also had some nice assists finding open teammates for good looks. Madson was fun to watch paired up with the senior duo of [player_tooltip player_id="850715" first="BJ" last="Omot"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1268453" first="Puolrah" last="Gong"]. </span></p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="958636" first="Alonzo" last="Dodd"] </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">of South St. Paul (6’2” Guard - 2022) </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alonzo is one of the top uncommitted seniors left in Minnesota. He is a quick and crafty guard who loves to score and get his teammates involved. He was using many different dribble move combinations to get around Mankato East defenders, leading to a plethora of buckets inside. Dodd is also a great rebounder, finishing with a double-double in SSP’s Saturday win. Along with all of that talent, he is a fearless competitor. This resulted in Zo coming away with a game-high 7 steals for the Packers. </span></p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="1143864" first="Devin" last="Newsome"] </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">of South St. Paul (6’1” Guard - 2022)</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Devin is a scoring machine. He was effective from all three levels on his way to a game-high 28 points in the win over Mankato East. The senior guard is very strong and used that strength to attack the basket. He was  finishing through contact and drawing fouls all game. He was also a threat to score from beyond the arc with his smooth jump shot and shot creating ability. South St. Paul is ready to make a deep postseason push behind a solid senior class core. </span></p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="850702" first="Prince" last="Aligbe"] </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">of Minnehaha (6’6” Forward - 2022) </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prince was putting on a show as usual. He was constantly getting the crowd on their feet with highlight dunks and blocks/questionable goaltends. It seemed the Boston College commit was showcasing his strength and athleticism on just about every play. Aligbe finished the game with 27 points, doing most of his scoring inside by out-muscling defenders, while also knocking down a couple jump shots from the perimeter. It has been so fun to watch Prince go from a raw 8th grade prospect to an unstoppable force as a senior. </span></p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="850715" first="BJ" last="Omot"] </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">of Mankato East (6’7” Wing - 2022) </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">BJ is a matchup nightmare for opponents. Despite the loss, BJ was a problem for South St. Paul, truly playing positions 1-4. He is such a rare talent, with his combination of height and length mixed with his shiftiness and ball handling. Omot had some crazy blocks where he was rising up well above the rim. He did the majority of his scoring from the inside, either driving past defenders or grabbing offensive rebounds. BJ finished the game with a team-high 19 points and a handful of blocks. </span></p>