Max's Saturday Top Performers

This past Saturday I was able to watch six games, catching five at the Border Battle before heading over to the Southside Showcase to catch Columbia Heights vs Minneapolis South in the final game of the night! These are some of the prospects who stood out throughout the day. [player_tooltip player_id="962236" first="Bailey" last="McDonald"] (6’1 2023 G, Maranatha)- Maranatha got things kicked off with a big win at the Border Battle, and it was [player_tooltip player_id="962236" first="Bailey" last="McDonald"] leading the charge on offense. He finished with a team high 16 points, mixing in some tough jumpers with strong takes to the rim. Bailey has the ability to make tough shots, which makes him a go-to player for this team when they’re in need of a bucket. He showed he can create off the dribble and knock down a pull-up with a hand in his face, or move without the ball to earn some open looks. Has a strong frame that allows him to play through contact, and I liked the effort defensively as Maranatha’s guards were all over the place forcing turnovers and wreaking havoc. [player_tooltip player_id="958679" first="Mitchell" last="January"] (6’ 2022 PG, Richfield)- Against one of the top D1 teams in Wisconsin, [player_tooltip player_id="958679" first="Mitchell" last="January"] put up some impressive scoring numbers. He was matched up with a D2 offered point guard, and the Drake football commit knocked down some tough shots on his way to 24 points. Mitch has a dangerous pull-up jumper as he can stop on a dime and quickly elevate, and that quickness off the floor allows him to get off his shot while his defender is still trying to react. Showed he can create some separation off the dribble for his jumper, or use his speed to get all the way to the rim and either finish or draw some contact. An explosive scorer having a big year for Richfield. [player_tooltip player_id="958742" first="Terrence" last="Brown"] (6’ 2022 PG, Columbia Heights)- In a tough test against Minneapolis South, Terrence put up a game high 35 points to help keep his team undefeated. He was a threat in transition all game long, as he was jumping passing lanes for steals or sprinting up the floor after his bigs got defensive rebounds for long outlet passes. Once at the rim he showed he’s one of the top finishers in the state among guards, going straight at size and finding ways to spin the ball in the hoop. Knocked down a pair of threes in the first half and came up big late in the game by forcing a jump ball with his on-ball defense, as well as fighting over a screen and drawing a charge. Terrence has good passing vision in the pick & roll with the ability to slip the ball through small gaps to his bigs. Averaging 23.7 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.1 steals per game this season. [player_tooltip player_id="958647" first="Peyton" last="Newbern"] (6’4 2022 G, Robbinsdale Armstrong)- Against arguably the best team in Wisconsin, Peyton was aggressive getting to the basket to score, and I thought he handled the ball well under pressure for his team. His long arms allowed him to convert on some tough looks around the basket, including a dunk and an impressive reverse lay-up to avoid length at the rim. Peyton handles the ball really well for his size which allows him to play on or off the ball at the high school level, and create for himself and others off the dribble. That length and mobility also allows him to defend anywhere on the perimeter with effectiveness. Finished with a team high 15 points at the Border Battle. [player_tooltip player_id="1221177" first="Rolyns" last="Aligbe"] (6’8 2023 PF/C, Minnehaha Academy)- It had been about a month since I last saw Minnehaha play, and Rolyns looks to have made some big improvements in that short amount of time. Against Wisconsin Lutheran, the #1 ranked D2 school in Wisconsin, Rolyns took advantage of his size around the basket. He showed had can pin his man on his back and quickly turn over his shoulder to finish with touch inside. Has nice hands to catch the ball on the move rolling towards the basket, and the coordination to keep it up eye and finish in traffic. May not have the explosiveness of his brother Prince, but he’s very light on his feet at 6’8 and that allowed him to get to the basket off the dribble on a few occasions. Also showed some shooting range knocking down a three on his way to 16 points. [player_tooltip player_id="1284106" first="Chiang" last="Ring"] (6’8 2024 PF/C, Minneapolis South)- Once again Chiang showed why he’s arguably the top shot blocker in Minnesota, as he was sending shots back to where the came from all game long against Columbia Heights. At 6’8 with a long wingspan and the ability to quickly get into the air, Chiang has great timing to pick exactly when to jump, allowing him to hit the ball clean out of the air without having to swing too much. Does a nice job with his help-side positioning which allows him to quickly slide over to contest/block a shot when one of his teammates gets beat. Offensively he’s so dangerous in the dunker spot as he can make these quick cuts to the basket, and once he receives the ball he can elevate to dunk or finish on the other side with a reverse lay-up. Had a monster poster dunk towards the end of the game as South was cutting the Heights’ lead to a single possession, and showed he can compete with one of the best teams in the state. Finished with 20 points on the game. [player_tooltip player_id="958666" first="Donnavin" last="Hinsz"] (6’6 2022 F, Columbia Heights)- When it comes to versatile forwards in the 2022 class, there aren’t too many better than [player_tooltip player_id="958666" first="Donnavin" last="Hinsz"]. In the win over Minneapolis South he did a little bit of everything, and I was impressed with some of the passes he made. He used his quickness at 6’6 to beat his man baseline and then delivered an accurate pass to a teammate cutting down the lane. Donnavin was also dangerous in the pick & roll where he attacked the basket hard, going straight into contact for a couple of strong finishes. Super versatile defender who doubles as a shot blocking threat because of his explosiveness. Added a difficult put-back dunk and a block he pinned off the backboard in the win.