Max’s Weekend Prospect Standouts

<p>Seven of the top performers I saw over Friday night and Saturday!</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1284139" first="Grayson" last="Okoronkwo"] (6’1 2024 G, Blake)- </strong>Grayson was on fire from the jump against rivals Breck on Friday night. The sophomore guard started off with some transition finishes, and knocked down a tough step-back jumper at the buzzer to head into halftime with a lead. During the second half he further flashed that ability to create separation off the dribble, while also showing he can get to the rim off the bounce. He’s been one of the most productive sophomores in the state this year, and it showed as he put up a game high 28 points in a win.</p> <p><strong>Zashon Rich (6’2 2024 G, Minneapolis North)- </strong>Speaking of productive sophomores, Rich had a huge game for Minneapolis North in La Crosse on Saturday. Zashon plays hard on both ends of the floor, and that effort leads to a ton of good looks around the rim, whether it’s from sprinting up the floor in transition, fighting for offensive boards, or cutting hard to the basket. His off ball movement puts himself in the right place at the right time, and once he gets the ball in his hands he’s a high percentage finisher. Rich was constantly getting to the basket against Carmen Northwest, and it led to an impressive 28 point performance. Defensively he has the athleticism and solid size that allows him to guard the 1-3, and he has good hands to jump passing lanes or poke the ball free from his man.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="754315" first="Eli" last="King"] (6’2 2022 G, Caledonia)- </strong>The Iowa State commit couldn’t find his shot in the first half, but still managed to contribute in so many ways. He was able to get into the lane to draw over extra defenders, and make some difficult passes look easy as he was finding the open man. Waunakee often had two 6’7 players on the floor at the same time, and [player_tooltip player_id="754315" first="Eli" last="King"] was out-rebounding that size on the other end of the floor with ease, as he competes for position and can elevate with the best of them. In the second half he got into attack mode as he was creating steals for transition dunks, attacking off the dribble, and he also knocked down a three on his way to a productive game.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="958671" first="Theo" last="Liu"] (6’5 2022 W, Blake)- </strong>Against rivals Breck, Theo came out and immediately knocked down two mid-range jumpers to give his team an early lead. At 6’5 he’s a difficult matchup because he moves so well on the wing, and not a lot of teams have the size and mobility to matchup with him. If Theo gets into the mid-range off the dribble, his pull-up jumper from that distance ranks among the best in the state. Liu also showed off a dangerous turnaround jumper, that with his length and release point is difficult to contest. That size and skill level, combined with high academics, make him a promising prospect at the next level. He finished with 18 points in the win.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1301062" first="Will" last="Walker"] III (6’1 2023 G, Breck)- </strong>Will was a bright spot in the loss for Breck. Going up against one of the top teams in Class AA, Will scored a team high 22 points, doing so in a variety of ways. He showed the ability to put up points on or off the ball, as he was dangerous sprinting the baseline or curling off screens to get some solid looks beyond the arc. Will also was able to get to the rim off the dribble from the wing, or flying up the court in transition. Soft finishing touch inside combined with a smooth looking jumper. Listed at 6’1 but has a pretty long frame which allows him to defend either guard spot.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="850709" first="Willie" last="Wilson"] (6’2 2022 G, Minneapolis North)- </strong>Willie is one of those players who just makes things look easy, and produces at a high level without doing anything overly flashy. He just goes out and plays, and at the end of the game you’ll check the box score and see he has 20+ points to help his team win. Against Carmen NW, North fell behind early to the fast paced team out of Milwaukee. Willie helped get the tempo going in North’s favor, and once they got the lead they never looked back. Wilson can get to the rim with ease and doesn’t miss much from inside, and he also showed range shooting from the NBA line on the court. He’s a competitive defender and tough rebounder as a guard, and knows when to push the ball ahead or when to slow things down. Willie finished with 22 points in a win for the Polars.</p> <p><strong>Kristian Baker (5’8 2025 PG, Blake)- </strong>Couldn’t find a height listed so I’m estimating at about 5’8. The freshman guard was electric in Blake’s win on Friday, as defenders just couldn’t keep him in front of them. He has such a shifty handle and plays with great change of speed to shake off his initial defender. He showed that he can score on his own whether it’s with a jumper or getting all the way to the basket, but he’s also a talented passer. The freshman finished with five assists, using his quickness to get into the lane and locate an open teammate for a high percentage look. Not only did he have five assists, but he also scored 16 points.</p>