Max's Weekend Prospect Standouts

Eight of the top performers from the games I watched on Friday and Saturday! I saw South St. Paul defeat Simley, Minneapolis North hold off Hopkins, and Minneapolis South take down St. Cloud Tech. [player_tooltip player_id="958670" first="De’Meiko" last="Anderson"] (6’ 2022 G, Minneapolis North)- In a matchup of two of the top basketball programs in the state, Meiko put in a huge performance to help lead his team to a win. The 6’ senior is a microwave from beyond the arc because he can heat up in a hurry and knock down a handful of jumpers in quick succession. That’s exactly what he did, as he hit some deep threes as well as some mid-range pull-ups to put up big numbers in the second half. He’s a fearless shot maker who coaches can trust with the ball in a close game. Not just a shooter, Anderson is so quick getting into the paint to make plays finishing or distributing. Defensively he may not have a lot of size, but his athleticism makes him a pest on the ball and he positions himself well to make plays off the ball. Finished with a team high 26 points in a win. Poet Davis (6’ 2024 G, Minneapolis South)- Beginning to establish himself as one of the top shooters in the 2024 class, Poet showed that he’s more than just a three point specialist on Saturday night. Against St. Cloud Tech he was getting to the rim consistently by sprinting ahead in transition, cutting to the basket, or even taking his man off the dribble. The threat of him as a shooter forces defenders to close out hard on him, and that opens up the opportunity for Poet to put the ball on the floor and get into the lane. Showed some explosiveness with a transition dunk while also showcasing his smooth stroke from beyond the arc on his way to 21 points in a win. Shawn West (6’2 2022 SG, South St. Paul)- Shawn was the spark off the bench that his team needed against Simley on Friday. With Simley mounting a comeback in the second half, Shawn took over knocking down a handful of threes in quick succession to give his team all of the momentum to close out the win. He’s a wiry 6’2 guard with some length and athleticism, and is so good at relocating on the perimeter to get open looks off the ball. Shawn possesses a quick release and is an accurate shooter from deep, but also has crafty finishing ability inside with his ability to hang in the air and convert through contact. West put up 17 points and 4 rebounds off the bench in the win. [player_tooltip player_id="850704" first="Elvis" last="Nnaji"] (6’7 2022 PF, Hopkins)- Elvis continues to impress this winter, as the unsigned senior put up 29 points for Hopkins on Saturday. Nnaji is so quick off the floor, and that allows him to dunk everything around the rim, which makes it so difficult to contest him because his hands are always on the ball when he’s going up. Not only that, but there’s no one in the state his size that works as hard to get up the floor, or is fast enough to stick with him up the floor, which leads to a handful of easy buckets at the rim. Defensively he’s a difference maker with his ability to quickly slide into position to block/contest shots, and he can also pick up steals by jumping passing lanes or even with his on-ball defense at 6’7. Against North Elvis also flashed his improved jumper, knocking down a three and a mid-range with confidence. [player_tooltip player_id="1284214" first="Tameron" last="Ferguson"] (6’ 2024 PG, St. Cloud Tech)- Among 2024 prospects, Tameron’s feel for the game ranks with the best. He’s so smooth and composed off the dribble, and has an elite floater to score over size in the paint. Time after time Tameron was able to beat his man off the dribble going left, and catch the defense off guard by putting up a quick floater with his right hand before they could react. He gets enough arc on it to score over length, as South possesses a 6’8 shot blocker, and he rarely missed with the floater. Ferguson was dangerous in the pick & roll because of his passing vision, and he does a nice job of putting passes where only his man can get to them around the rim. Tameron finished with an efficient 20 points and a few assists for Tech. [player_tooltip player_id="958773" first="Ramontay" last="Harmon"] (5’10 2022 G, South St. Paul)- Ramontay plays such a strong role for South St. Paul on both ends of the floor. Defensively he’s a pest on the ball, and is willing to pick up full court every possession and just tire guys out. When there was a loose ball, Ramontay was always the first player getting on the floor for it, and his ball pressure helped force multiple turnovers throughout the game. Offensively he was hitting his shots playing in the role of a spot up shooter. South St. Paul plays with four guards, and with the talent around him he doesn’t need to dribble much, if it all. Instead, Harmon does a great job of floating into space when his teammates drive, and it resulted in a handful of open threes with 4 makes on his way to 12 points. [player_tooltip player_id="962235" first="Jaheim" last="Houts"] (6’6 2023 SF, Minneapolis South)- Jaheim came up big in the first half for South as his team built up a lead and never looked back against St. Cloud Tech. At 6’6 with plenty of length and mobility, Tech just didn’t have a guy who could match up with him. This resulted in Jaheim constantly getting good looks around the basket, stepping in from the dunker spot, pulling in offensive boards, and even putting the ball on the floor and attacking by himself. Houts is a really intriguing long term prospect because of his physical attributes at 6’6, but also because of how he handles the ball and finishes at his size. Scored 14 points in a win. RJ Jioklow (6’2 2022 PG, Simley)- RJ is a tough as nails point guard who can facilitate or score the ball. Despite missing time with foul trouble in the first half, RJ came back strong in the second and made the game close for most of the second half. He’s so tough to stop when he attacks down hill, as he has a strong frame to bump defenders off of him on the way to the basket. Does a great job of finishing in traffic, but also has the vision to slip a pass through defenders when the help comes. Towards the end of the game he was able to get out in transition more, and was excellent with his quick decision making. Scored 18 points against an undefeated team.