Max's Weekend Prospect Standouts

Who were some of the top performers from the games I saw over the weekend? I’ll be running through eight of the best from the four games I watched on Friday night and Saturday! [player_tooltip player_id="1220360" first="Chiddi" last="Obiazor"] (6’6 2023 F, Eden Prairie)- The 6’6 junior started off the game a bit slow by his standards, but turned it on in the second to help his team pull out a key win over Minnetonka. At 6’6 and 220 pounds, he was simply too tall and too strong for anyone on Minnetonka to defend on the block. He did a great job of establishing position on the block, and once he got the ball he was able to back his man down until he was right under the basket, going up for easy finishes from a foot away. Chiddi was able to score just about any time Minnetonka defended him 1v1, and when they threw a double team he had the patience and vision to find the open man for a high percentage shot. One of the most dominant low post players in the state. [player_tooltip player_id="962220" first="Alex" last="Jones"] (6’2 2023 G, Minnetonka)- After missing a long time with an injury, Alex returned for his junior year and has consistently been improving as the season goes alone. On Friday night against Eden Prairie, he was a consistent scoring threat throughout the game. He’s a strong guard at 6’2 with crafty finishing ability at the rim. Was beating his man to the basket both off the dribble and with some hard cuts, and once in the paint he was able to finish in a variety of ways even through contact. Alex added in a couple of perimeter jumpers on his way to 15 points. With so much backcourt talent around him, Jones did a good job of making the most of his chances with the ball. [player_tooltip player_id="1143876" first="Nick" last="Burke"] (6’5 2022 F, Southwest Christian)- In an exciting matchup with Hutchinson, [player_tooltip player_id="1143876" first="Nick" last="Burke"] put in a strong second half performance to help his team to a win. Finishing with 26 points, Nick was dangerous from beyond the arc or in the mid-range where his height allows him to get a shot off over an outstretched hand. Showcased some nice footwork and jab steps that he utilized to get by his man with limited dribbles. Once he had his man on his hip he was able to accelerate forward before pulling up to shoot. Added in a few tough finishes inside through contact, and blocked a shot that could have tied the game up with seconds to play. [player_tooltip player_id="958788" first="Brayden" last="Zimmerman"] (6’5 2022 F, Southwest Christian)- Brayden was just too strong to be contained in the paint on Saturday night. Hutch didn’t have anyone who could seem to stop him from getting touches inside, and he just fought to power through traffic to finish every time he caught the ball in the paint. Whether it was floating around the dunker spot for quick cuts in, elevating for offensive rebounds, or catching on the block, Brayden found ways to get low-post touches, and once he did he just wasn’t missing. Zimmerman added in a pull-up jumper on his way to a game high 29 points in a win. [player_tooltip player_id="1184630" first="Donavan" last="Clinton"] (6’4 2022 W, St. Paul Como Park)- In a blowout win, Donavan made a handful of highlight plays. He’s such an explosive athlete with length, allowing him to beat other players his size up the floor for transition dunks. Clinton also showed the ability to take guys off the dribble and get to the lane, where he can rise up to slam it in, or use his touch to finish with a lay-up. Didn’t need to do a whole lot in the half-court as Como Park was consistently able to get out in transition, but he did showcase some nice passing vision. Was able to get in the lane and kick it out to an open shooter, or use his vision and size on the perimeter to spot openings across the court and find his man. Finished with 32 points in the big win. Amir Plair (6’4 2022 SF, St. Paul Como Park)- Like his already mentioned teammate, Amir is an explosive athlete with plenty of length, making him an exciting player in transition. Amir was able to jump passing lanes, hedge screens hard, or block shots to get his team out in the open floor. His length defensively allows him to make plays on that end, and then his speed up the floor leads to plenty of open dunks. In the half-court he did show some touch on his jumper, but was able to get whatever he wanted around the basket. Finished with 19 points in a win. [player_tooltip player_id="850701" first="Tre" last="Holloman"] (6’2 2022 PG, Cretin-Derham Hall)- After coming up one assist shy against Park, Tre finished with a triple double against East Ridge. After a relatively quiet first half, Tre took over in the second with his ability to get into dangerous spots on the floor and create for his teammates. It’s rare to see a high schooler put up a triple double, but even more rare to see them have less points than rebounds and assists. When Tre turns it on, he’s so tough to contain off the dribble as he’s now a more confident shooter from three, is a tough finisher inside, and has the vision to find open teammates that not many other players in the state could find. The Michigan State commit finished with 13 points, 14 rebounds, and 15 assists in the win. [player_tooltip player_id="796948" first="Brandon" last="Melchior"] (6’9 2022 C, Cretin-Derham Hall)- Brandon stepped up in the first half when CDH wasn’t getting much scoring from their star players. He stretched out the floor by knocking down a three, was scrapping for rebounds inside, and had a great move in the post to get his man in the air before stepping through to finish. In the second half he had a couple of nice rolls to the basket leading to easy finished inside, including a dunk that got his team fired up. A lot of times Brandon is in their to scrap down low for rebounds and compete on defense, but on Saturday he showed that he can step up and score when needed. Finished with 13 points and 9 rebounds while shooting 6-9 from the field.