Standout Sleeper Performances of the Week

<p>Being sidelined with sickness this week has given me an opportunity to watch back some games across the state and pick up on new names that are showing out in big ways. This list of recent strong performances covers all positions, classes and all types of contributions; let’s get into it!</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="958788" first="Brayden" last="Zimmerman"] (6-4 2022 F, Southwest Christian) - </strong>I’ve always liked Brayden’s lunch pail approach to the game — doesn’t force bad shots, uses his body strength as an advantage in the paint and never quits on the glass. He continues to play simply while adding more skill and versatility to his repertoire. In an 81-68 loss to Hutchinson Monday, Zimmerman posted 24 points on 10-17 shooting and four rebounds, battling a big and physical Tiger frontcourt that he had to work against. It was a very efficient night which is the usual for him. I hope MIAC schools are talking to him because he could be someone in the Troy Diggins Jr (St. Olaf) or Tim Hanson (Bethel) mold in the next few years.</p> <p><strong>Carson Hutton (6-1 2022 G, Hutchinson) - </strong>Hutson’s got length and vision which make him a tough guard defensively, but not as a scoring threat; he’s a pass-first guy that rarely commits turnovers. He had six assists against Southwest Christian and half of those were dimes on baseline out of bounds plays to find the slipping cutter or spotting shooter. He got aggressive late in the game and made six free throws down the stretch to hold the lead in double digits for the Tigers.</p> <p><strong>AJ Howze (6-4 2024 F, Anoka) - </strong>This leaper is a matchup nightmare for opposing bigs. AJ plays an athletic 5 man for Anoka in their run and gun, threes-and-layups offense, and he cleans up everything left over on the boards and underneath. He has an unbelievable second jump ability and his finishing touch is high level for a sophomore big. In Anoka’s exciting 93-90 win over Rogers, Howze was a perfect 7-7 from the field for 14 points and added five rebounds, three assists and two blocks.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="958739" first="Peyton" last="Belka"] (6-1 2022 G, Rogers) - </strong>Rogers runs a lot of great screening actions to get Peyton looks at the arc and curling through the middle for midrange opportunities. It’s what he does with the ball after those actions that makes him special, though. Belka’s gritty physicality for his size and knack for keeping his eyes on the rim make every shot more high-percentage than meets the eye. His 25 points against Anoka were crucial to their near comeback in the second half, and with such a heavy load offensively on him and defenses trying to key on his talent all season, he’s a player that needs to be appreciated more. Will be a very successful college player wherever he lands.</p> <p><strong>Aaron Elliot (6-3 2022 F, Hutchinson) - </strong>A bruising football player and blazing track and field star, all of Aaron’s athletic traits fit what Hutch needs. He’s a physical inside presence with a low-maintenance game and he defends and rebounds at a high rate against other rough-and-tumble teams. In the win over Southwest Christian he tallied nine points and a handful of rebounds while teammate Sam Rensch did the bulk of the scoring. He’s the kind of player I want on my team in the playoffs.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1288736" first="Nick" last="Gleason"] (6-2 2022 G, Rogers) - </strong>The Royals have a bunch of similar players and the biggest shared trait is toughness. Gleason is one of the toughness leaders with how fearless he is to shoot the ball and get to the rim through contact. He’s become a reliable second scorer for Rogers, who have picked up some really nice wins lately in a tough NWSC. He put up 16 points with three treys in the tight loss to Anoka Tuesday.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1288669" first="Jake" last="Berg"] (5-11 2022 G, Southwest Christian) - </strong>The Stars have a lot of firepower in the frontcourt but it’s catalyzed by Berg, a feisty lead guard that doesn’t look to score but rebounds extremely well for his position and slices through gaps to find open teammates. He’s a defensive pest as well and showed his all-around value Monday against Hutchinson, snagging seven rebounds and dishing six assists.</p> <p><strong>Jay Nyamari (6-1 2022 SG, Anoka) - </strong>Jay has been on fire from deep all season. He’ll let it fly from NBA range without hesitation and it’s hardly ever a bad shot. He’s leading the Tornadoes in scoring at 18.6 per game and my educated guess is that’s on at least four three-point makes per game. He drilled seven of them on his way to a game-high 32 for Anoka against Rogers Tuesday, using flare screens and the spacing drives of teammates to get open catch-and-shoot looks. He is as automatic as they come from outside in the class of 2022. High-level jucos, NAIAs and D3s might want to inquire!</p>