Jack’s Holiday Event Uncommitted Standouts

I was able to attend over 10 games on Wednesday and Thursday. Here are the seven uncommitted prospects that really caught my eye! [player_tooltip player_id="962211" first="Alex" last="Mattes"] of East Ridge (6’3” Guard - 2023) Alex and East Ridge got a statement win over the reigning AAA champion Minnehaha Academy on Wednesday. Alex was scoring from everywhere, finishing the game with 25 points. Mattes started the game off hot and never seemed to cool down, he was unstoppable all night. He was knocking down threes, attacking the basket, and scoring in transition. One of those transition baskets being a fast break dunk getting everyone on their feet. The duo of [player_tooltip player_id="962211" first="Alex" last="Mattes"] and [player_tooltip player_id="850708" first="Kendall" last="Blue"] has been very fun to watch so far this season. Alex is still one of the most underrated prospects in this 2023 class in my opinion. [player_tooltip player_id="958675" first="Hakeem" last="Ford"] of Minneapolis Southwest (6’5” Forward - 2022) Almost getting the upset over #6 Hopkins, Hakeem and Mpls Southwest showed out! Ford was a main factor in his team’s success, finishing the game with a team-high 15 points. He really got to showcase his guard skills on Thursday, handling the ball and stretching the floor knocking down three 3-pointers, two of those coming late in the second half in a tight game. Hakeem also did a great job using his size and athleticism to get to the rim and finish over defenders. I got to watch Ford play a couple times this past summer and he looks much improved on his perimeter game, always being a threat to score. Donavhan Cain of Cretin-Derham Hall (6’4” Guard - 2022) Donavhan has continued to solidify himself as the top newcomer to the Minnesota high school basketball scene. Cain is an incredible athlete and can jump out of the gym, combine that with his size and also being a threat to score from anywhere on the floor, you have a pretty scary player with a very high ceiling. He finished Wednesday’s win over Lakeville South with 17 points, scoring those from beyond the arc and with second chance opportunities off of offensive rebounds. CDH has gotten off to somewhat of a slow start, but I believe Donavhan and [player_tooltip player_id="850701" first="Tre" last="Holloman"] will be playing their best basketball come March. [player_tooltip player_id="958658" first="Tyrell" last="Sappington"] of Hopkins (5’11” Guard - 2022) There are two givens whenever Tyrell plays. He is going to play lockdown defense and he is always going to play hard. He did both of those things in Hopkins’ overtime win over Mpls Southwest in the Championship of the Augsburg Holiday Tournament. This was also the best game I have seen Tyrell score the ball. He did a great job driving to the rim and finishing through contact. He also knocked down a three-pointer to give his team the lead in the overtime period and finished the game with 11 points. Thursday was the best game I have seen Sappington play all year! [player_tooltip player_id="1284155" first="Jayden" last="Daisy"] of Benilde-St. Margaret’s (6’2” Guard - 2024) BSM needed someone to step up on Wednesday, being down two of their starting guards for a matchup with Holy Angels. [player_tooltip player_id="1284155" first="Jayden" last="Daisy"] filled that role and impressed me a lot. He finished the game tied with a team-high 12 points and handled a large portion of the facilitating role for the Red Knights. Daisy was scoring the ball in many different ways, he was finding success running in transition leading to easy baskets. The sophomore guard was also creating some shots for himself off the dribble and knocking a pair of three-pointers in the catch-and-shoot. BSM is very deep this season with backcourt scorers, but Jayden was able to showcase what he can be capable of in the future. [player_tooltip player_id="1144111" first="Jack" last="Eberhart"] of Mound Westonka (6’3” Guard - 2022) Jack was not missing from beyond the arc on Wednesday. In a matchup with St. Paul Central, the senior captain finished the victory with a game-high 24 points. He connected with 6 three-pointers, some being created by himself and some coming in the catch-and-shoot. Eberhart was also getting to the rim in the second half and finishing through contact. Any D2, D3, or NAIA schools looking for a guard with size that can score from all three levels should get familiar with Jack. [player_tooltip player_id="1296148" first="Marley" last="Baa-Yeboah"] of Lakeville South (6’4” Wing - 2024) This was my first time seeing Marley play and I was very impressed. The sophomore guard/wing has great size and athleticism. He also showed flashes of what he can do with the ball in his hands in Wednesday’s matchup with Cretin-Derham Hall, attacking the basket and finishing with touch on his way to 8 points. Other than Marley, Lakeville South’s top four scorers are all seniors, so we could see him step into a main scoring role in his junior season with the Cougars.