Twin Cities Senior Expo Standouts (Forwards)

<p>The inaugural Twin Cities Senior Expo took place last night at Concordia St. Paul, with many of the metro area’s top unsigned seniors competing! I was in attendance to catch the action, and these are some of the post prospects who stood out!</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="850705" first="Blessed" last="Barhayiga"] (6’9 2022 C, Osseo)- </strong>Really liked the patience that Blessed displayed in the post last night. He’s not going to force up any off balanced looks, but instead uses his size and strength to establish low post position, and then catch his balance on two feet so that he’s able to power through contact and finish with efficiency. He does a nice job of getting defenders off their feet, and then times his release to avoid looming shot blockers. Blessed has soft hands to catch on the block or while rolling to the hoop, and he does a nice job of providing a big target for his guards to feed him in the post when he seals his defender on his back.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1143877" first="Jamari" last="Walker"] (6’6 2022 PF, Park of Cottage Grove)- </strong>Jamari showed off his high flying athleticism with a handful of transition dunks in the games I caught. At around 6’6 he runs the floor hard, and is able to get to the rim quicker than most opposing bigs, opening up opportunities for transition dunks. He threw down a 360 as well as an off the backboard alley-oop dunk, while also mixing in a few half-court finishes inside. Has a really strong and agile frame at 6’6 that allows him to defend a bit bigger than his size as well.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="958660" first="Jaden" last="Wollmuth"] (6’5 2022 PF/C, Richfield)- </strong>One of the most physical post presences in the state this season, Jaden plays a lot bigger than his listed height. He’s able to hold his ground on the post and prevents opposing bigs from establishing deep position. Jaden used his long arms to contest around the rim, and showed that he can get off the floor quickly to contest. Offensively he has the hands to receive around the rim and quickly go up to score, but he’s a bit more skilled on the perimeter than people know, able to handle the ball and also step out for perimeter jumpers.</p> <p><strong>Amir Plair (6’4 2022 F, St. Paul Como Park)- </strong>Capable of playing the 3 or the 4, Amir is an explosive athlete with the length to make plays around the rim. Plair showed that he can elevate to grab rebounds, and if given the space he is capable of initiating the break on his own, or he could find an outlet pass and then sprint up the floor to try to get involved in the action. His explosiveness allows him to make plays as a help-side shot blocker, and he also excels with quick cuts from the dunker spot to finish around the rim. Amir had an explosive dunk as well towards the end of the event.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1288847" first="Makieth" last="Deng"] (6’7 2022 F, Coon Rapids)- </strong>Makieth has the size to play the 4 spot, but is also skilled enough to play as a big wing at times. He showed off that versatility last night with his handle in the open floor, soft shooting touch, and also the ability to run rim-to-rim for some transition dunks. He’s an intriguing talent who had a breakout season this past winter for Coon Rapids and helped lead them to a solid record.</p> <p><strong>Cade Lafavor (6’7 2022 PF, Eagle Ridge)- </strong>Cade is a strong and physical prospect who can stand his ground in the post against size. He was a walking double-double during the high school season, and although he wasn’t a big scoring threat last night, I liked the way he defended and rebounded the ball. Cade is the type of player who doesn’t need to touch the ball to make an impact, because he’s going to be a physical presence on the glass and will fight for winning position on the defensive end. </p> <p><strong>Jaylen Cardenas (6’3 2022 F, St. Paul Central)- </strong>Jaylen may be a bit undersized, but he’s a competitor down low who’s going to compete no matter who you throw in front of him. He has a strong frame that allows him to stand his ground down low, and he’s typically going to be quicker than the taller players he’s matched up against. That quickness allows him to attack off one/two dribbles against size, and he has a quick spin move that he utilizes well to finish in the paint. </p>