Mid-Week Prospect Standouts (Week 12)

<p>The regular season is quickly coming to a close as we’ve reached the mid-way point of one of the last full weeks of the season. Here are seven prospects who have stood out in the three games I’ve watched this week!</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1180206" first="Payton" last="Thomsen"] (6’2 2022 G, Spring Lake Park)- </strong>SLP and Maple Grove were battling for most of the game before Payton caught fire from beyond the arc. Even when stepping back a few more feet, his shooting form stayed consistent allowing him to knock down shots consistently from well beyond the arc. Did a nice job of moving without the ball to put himself in positions to catch and shoot, and also had a couple of nice passes hitting cutting teammates to the hoop. Really liked the patience he displayed as a primary ball handler, as he wouldn’t get sped up by opposing ball pressure, and was comfortable handling in traffic. Finished with 26 points in a win.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1284139" first="Grayson" last="Okoronkwo"] (6’1 2024 G, Blake)- </strong>The sophomore got off to a slow start in the first half as he hit just two field goals, but took over in the second half against a tough Twin Cities Academy team. His shooting has made a jump since last season, as he’s now a major threat from beyond the arc. Did a nice job of getting his body squared up quickly off the catch to elevate and fire off shots from deep. Connected on a high percentage of his looks and then utilized the threat of him shooting to put the ball on the floor and attack the closeout. Converted on some tough looks through contact and really competed on the offensive glass on his way to 27 points in a win.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1139741" first="Logan" last="Kinsey"] (6’6 2022 SF, Spring Lake Park)- </strong>Also delivering a huge second half for SLP was the MSU-Moorhead committed [player_tooltip player_id="1139741" first="Logan" last="Kinsey"]. He started to take his smaller defender into the post more often, and was able to use a strong drop-step move to get into deep position and finish over the top. Logan also showcased his versatility, mixing in a tough step-back jumper, a pick &amp; roll finish, two explosive dunks, and a three on his way to 24 points. Such a difficult matchup because of his ability to post up smaller players, while also being able to take bigger forwards off the dribble with his perimeter skillset.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="958650" first="Jon" last="Haakenson"] (6’1 2022 G, Maple Grove)- </strong>Jon just does a little bit of everything for this Maple Grove team. Defensively he’s a vocal leader and willing to guard the opposing team’s best player no matter their position. Haakenson was fighting through screens and scrapping for loose balls/rebounds all game long. Got off to a slow start scoring the ball but in the second half he connected on a few jumpers and got to the rim for an and-one finish. Does a nice job of locating open shooters off the dribble, and puts good pace on his passes to zip them right into his teammates’ hands. Finished with a well-rounded 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals on Monday night.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1226375" first="JT" last="Thornton"] (6’4 2023 W, Lakeville North)- </strong>Neither team could get much going in this one as Lakeville North took on Eagan. It was a low scoring and close game at halftime, and I thought JT played a key role as his team pulled away in the second half. Lakeville North started pressing to speed the game up, and JT’s length mixed with athleticism allows him to make plays jumping/disrupting passing lanes. Once he got the ball in the open floor he was tough to stop as he can handle it well at his size, and didn’t get out of control despite moving fast. Worked his way into the lane for three tough finishes in the second half.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="958671" first="Theo" last="Liu"] (6’5 2022 W, Blake)- </strong>Despite not shooting the ball well, Theo used his size to impact the game in a big way. Blake dominated on the offensive glass as they were often able to get 2-3 shots in a possession, and Theo’s ability to scrap inside and tip the ball out was huge for them. Once he realized his mid-range shot wasn’t falling, he made it a priority to get inside to score. At 6’5 he’s a solid athlete and can handle the ball in the open floor, allowing him to take a defensive rebound or steal and immediately go the other way to score in transition. Finished with 20 points in the win for Blake.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="958693" first="Carmello" last="McNeal"] (6’2 2022 G, Twin Cities Academy)- </strong>Despite scoring right off of the opening tip, Carmella and TCA struggled to get much going in the first half. That all changed in the second as they went into a zone press to speed things up, and Carmello was able to get to the rim at will. He has excellent body control to finish in traffic, as he’ll hang in the air while keeping his eyes on the rim to convert through fouls. He also hit a deep three towards the end of the game on his way to 28 points. Defensively he just gets after it, as his motor never stops whether it’s hustling for loose balls or pressuring opposing ball handlers. Dangerous two-way guard who’s having a big senior season.</p>