Max's Mid-Week Standouts (Week 9)

At the halfway point of the week, I’ll be taking a look at seven of the top performers from the three games I’ve watched! I witnessed Chaska upset Orono, Rosemount take down Lakeville North at the buzzer, and Mounds View defeat Woodbury in overtime. [player_tooltip player_id="1143865" first="Kobe" last="Kirk"] (6’3 2022 SG, Mounds View)- [player_tooltip player_id="1143865" first="Kobe" last="Kirk"] is like a microwave on the basketball court because he can heat up in a hurry. After scoring 10 points in the first half, Kobe quickly put up 10 more in just the first three minutes of the second half. And he’s not just knocking down wide open threes, or easy lay-ups, Kobe is knocking down turnaround jumpers with a hand right in his face and acting like there’s not even a defender there. When it comes to making tough shots, Kobe is among the best in the state because he knows exactly how much space he needs to get off a shot. His range extends to well beyond the arc, he can pull-up from mid-range, and last night Kobe also showed that he can convert on some tough looks through contact on his way to 32 points in a key conference win. [player_tooltip player_id="850714" first="Brady" last="Nicholson"] (6’9 2022 C, Chaska)- Brady may have finished below his season average on Monday, scoring 19 points in an upset win, but he impacted the game in a number of ways. His passing out of the block was high quality, as he remained calm under double and sometimes triple teams, and was able to locate open shooters for good looks from three all game long. Orono knew they couldn’t allow him to go 1v1 on the block, so they were forced to double him, and Brady made them pay. That passing was a key reason that Chaska was able to win. He also managed to get some buckets of his own, throwing down a two hand slam, attacking the basket off the dribble on multiple occasions, and showcasing his smooth left-handed jump shot. Highly skilled offensive player who’s been putting in a lot of work on his athleticism as well. [player_tooltip player_id="796947" first="Caleb" last="Siwek"] (6’2 2022 G, Rosemount)- Caleb showed why Minnesota-Duluth has a big time pickup in the 2022 guard, as he made big plays all game long against state ranked Lakeville North. Really liked the way that Caleb attacked when North went into a zone, forcing guys to rotate with his quick first step, and then swinging the ball around to an open shooter. When North was in a man defense, Caleb was dangerous running off screens with or without the ball and firing off threes. Was really impressed with some of his finishes, as he had an extremely difficult reverse lay-up as well as converting on a drive going straight into contact for the and-one. Siwek also had the biggest bucket of the game, catching the ball with five seconds to go and dribbling off a screen before hitting the game winning three. Finished with 28 points in the big win. [player_tooltip player_id="958684" first="Blake" last="Rohrer"] (6’2 2022 G, Woodbury)- Blake did a little bit of everything last night for Woodbury. Really impressed me with some of his passes, throwing the ball ahead in transition, getting into the paint and delivering some accurate bounce passes to cutters, and even a cross-court chest pass that he zipped with pace and accuracy right into the hands of an open shooter. When it came to scoring, Blake was a physical presence down low that opposing guards found difficult to keep out of the paint, and he also stretched the floor with a few threes. He’s an explosive athlete and he puts that athleticism to use when rebounding the ball. Scored a team high 20 points while competing hard all game long. [player_tooltip player_id="1201801" first="Sam" last="Kuseske"] (6’6 2022 F, Rosemount)- Fresh off of committing Gustavus Adolphus for his college basketball, Sam played a key role in Rosemount’s win. Finishing with 15 points, he was the hard working forward competing for boards, often times leading to second chance buckets for himself on the offensive end. Showed he can knock down some mid-range jumpers, and got the fans out of their seats as he took one dribble and elevated for a high flying dunk in the first half. Matched up against a 6’10 high major offered player, I really like how he played with physicality defensively to try to make things as difficult as possible for him. [player_tooltip player_id="958656" first="Jacob" last="Farrell"] (6’2 2022 SG, Orono)- Jacob does so much for this Orono team. Without a true post presence, he’s relied upon heavily for his rebounding and interior defense. He provides a physical presence inside who does a great job of fighting for position and boxing out for rebounds. Pulled in 13 boards against size on Monday night, then came back down the other way and scored a game high 20 points. Can really stretch the floor with his shooting and does a great job of keeping his eyes at the rim to finish through contact. On a couple of occasions he attacked the basket full speed before stopping on a dime to create separation to finish over length. [player_tooltip player_id="962214" first="Nolan" last="Winter"] (6’10 2023 F, Lakeville North)- At one point Nolan was primarily a shooter, but on Tuesday night I was really impressed with his ability to score with his back to the basket. He doesn’t shy away from contact, and instead was pushing right back to fight his way into low post position before finishing over the top or using his length to extend and finish with either hand. Even now having grown to 6’10, he still possesses that smooth shooting stroke that looks so natural both off the catch or dribble. With his type of length it’s so difficult to contest his shot once he gets a little bit of space. Winter finished the game with 21 points.