Max's Mid-Week Standouts (Week 2)

This is the first full week of games during the boy’s high school season in Minnesota, and I’ve been able to catch a game each of the past two nights! I watched as Irondale knocked off Anoka, and Apple Valley defeated Stillwater, and these are seven prospects who stood out in those two games. Derrick Anthony (6’5 2022 W, Irondale)- He was the top scorer on Monday night, and he showed why he’s one of the more under-the-radar prospects in the SEC this season. At around 6’4-6’5 he provides length on the wing, and has some explosiveness when attacking the basket. He’s more than just those physical attributes though. Against Anoka he knocked down four triples, hitting a mix of shots off the dribble and catch. DJ showed that he can hit from college range with ease, and once his defender started guarding him further out he was able to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. He finished with 19 points in a nice win for Irondale. Michael Kang (6’5 2023 W, Apple Valley)- Michael was listed as a senior on the roster, but has himself as a 2023 in his Twitter bio so that’s what I’ll put him as. Kang impressed as the leading offensive option for Apple Valley last night, as he has a nice blend of length and athleticism on the wing. He hit a handful of threes and also took the ball strong to the rim on a few occasions, using his athleticism to hang in the air and finish with touch off the glass. Stillwater just didn’t have the type of length to contest his shots inside, so he was able to comfortably float the ball over the top. What also stood out was his defense on [player_tooltip player_id="962206" first="Max" last="Shikenjanski"]. I know Max wasn’t hitting the percentage of shots that he usually does, but some of that was because of Michael’s performance shadowing him all over the floor. He has the length to disrupt guys, and is also agile enough to move with smaller players as he showed last night. Finished with 19 points in a win. Jay Nyamari (6’1 2022 G, Anoka)- Anoka wasn’t able to come up with the win, but I liked the versatility that Jay showcased. He burst onto the scene over the summer as I remember him having a huge game at the NHR State Tournament, and that form has carried over into the winter. Jay is a composed ball handler who plays with the change of pace to get by his initial defender and get into the paint. His decision making brought him success in reading defenders, as he was able to either get to the rim and score, or quickly locate and open shooter if a second defender stepped in on him. Defensively he does a nice job of jumping passing lanes to get some transition opportunities the other way. Knocked down a pair of late threes as his team tried to close the gap, and also rebounded the ball well for a player his size. Finished with a well-rounded 17 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals. [player_tooltip player_id="1140496" first="Eli" last="Ocharo"] (6’1 2023 G, Apple Valley)- Eli is another player taking a step forward for Apple Valley after losing a lot of talent to graduation/transfers. Last night against Stillwater he put together some nice moments in the second half, getting in the lane before dishing it down low to an open forward, hitting a three, and pulling up for a tough mid-range jumper. Eli gets nice elevation on his jumper, which makes it hard to contest even with a defender nearby. He showed some composure handling the ball, and was working hard to make plays as a defender, sitting deep in a stance and working to move his feet. He put up 10 points in the win. [player_tooltip player_id="962206" first="Max" last="Shikenjanski"] (6’2 2023 CG, Stillwater)- Max didn’t have the type of shooting performance that he usually does, as he just couldn’t seem to get the jumper going. Despite that, he was still making some big plays on both ends of the floor. Shikenjanski showed his ability to put the ball on the floor and get to the basket, using his change of pace to get by the initial defender, and then going into contact to finish at the rim. He’s not afraid to go up against size, as he can either float the ball over the top or go straight into the defender to draw a foul. Max was so tough to stop in transition because of his ability to keep his balance going full speed around the rim, and also his decision making to dish it at the last second to a sprinting teammate if he has a better look. I also liked his defensive effort on the ball, and he showed quick hands to poke the ball free if his man had it on the floor or was just being lazy and wasn’t gripping it tight enough. Finished with a game high 21 points. Cooper O’Brien (6’5 2022 F, Irondale)- Cooper came in off the bench and made a couple of sloppy plays early, but quickly got into the flow of the game and was really productive in the second half. Finished with 14 points mixing in a couple of strong drives with some offensive rebounds leading to finishes. Worked hard to muscle through contact around the rim, and was fighting for every missed shot on both ends of the floor. He provides Irondale with some size on the defensive end, and someone who can come off the bench and provide a handful of buckets each game. [player_tooltip player_id="1284084" first="Anthony" last="Howze"] (6’4 2024 W, Anoka)- AJ looks to be one of the most explosive players in the 2024 class, and that showed in one sequence on Monday night as he swatted a shot off the backboard, then sprinted down the floor before throwing down a putback dunk over a defender to get the crowd out of their seats. It’s those high flying plays that will grab your attention, and it’s his off ball movement getting into gaps around the rim that fill up the stat sheet. He won’t do a lot with the ball, but does well to make quick cuts toward the basket when his guards get into the paint, so that he’s able to catch and elevate to finish in the paint. Howze scores with efficiency, and then goes back the other way and can defend a variety of spots. He finished with 16 points against Irondale.