Alex’s prospect notes from the TC Senior Expo (Part 1)
Alex Conover
In this article:
<p>Hello, everyone. Last Tuesday was the inaugural Twin Cities Senior Expo, a no-cost opportunity for uncommitted seniors from Minneapolis, St. Paul and the immediate area to connect with college coaches. The guys ran competitive games and networked with coaches afterwards. Here are my comprehensive notes on my observations and tidbits gathered during the event.</p>
<p><strong>Amir Plair, Como Park —</strong> Great athlete who paired with [player_tooltip player_id="1184630" first="Donavan" last="Clinton"] at Como Park to create a dynamic dunking duo. Amir carries a 2.8 GPA and can go four-year or juco. <a href="https://twitter.com/FreshCoastHoops/status/1480991539690184706?s=20&t=0A72zZMY-7CEwt9ScB_X_w">Fresh Coast Hoops highlights</a></p>
<p><span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"[player_tooltip player_id=" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":16897,"3":{"1":0},"12":0,"17":1}"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="958729" first="Ayouba" last="Berthe"], Park Center —</strong> Recent state champion who was part of a loaded rotation. Three D1-level guards pushed Ayouba back as a scoring option. But colleges need to know about this 6-4 versatile forward who can shoot the ball, scrap down low and defend at a high level. <a href="https://twitter.com/FreshCoastHoops/status/1470434022836871174?s=20&t=0A72zZMY-7CEwt9ScB_X_w">Fresh Coast Hoops highlights</a></span></p>
<p><span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Benard nyaberi Omooria "}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":16897,"3":{"1":0},"12":0,"17":1}"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="850721" first="Benard" last="Omooria"], Osseo —</strong> Benard’s shooting was on full display at the expo (<a href="https://twitter.com/FreshCoastHoops/status/1509588409630797837?s=20&t=0A72zZMY-7CEwt9ScB_X_w">Fresh Coast video</a>). He tore it up from 3-pt range in the first session, earning player of the game honors. Some of the Dakota NAIAs are offering and hosting him on visits this month, as well as hearing from "many jucos/post grads from all over the country." </span></p>
<p><span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"[player_tooltip player_id=" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":16897,"3":{"1":0},"12":0,"17":1}"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="850705" first="Blessed" last="Barhayiga"], Osseo —</strong> Blessed is a somewhat old school 6-foot-9 post who is comfortable with his back to the hoop. His footwork and soft touch impressed me on Tuesday night (<a href="https://twitter.com/FreshCoastHoops/status/1509606572686778377?s=20&t=0A72zZMY-7CEwt9ScB_X_w">Fresh Coast video</a>). He has had NAIAs and junior colleges in pursuit; he can qualify for four-year play right away with a 2.8 GPA.</span></p>
<p><span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Bryant hollowell"}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":16897,"3":{"1":0},"12":0,"17":1}"><strong>Bryant (BJ) Hollowell, Cristo Rey —</strong> BJ is a tough, dynamic 5-8 guard who I would trust with the rock any time. Cristo Rey coach Stan Clay said of BJ, "<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-b88u0q r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0">BJ</span><span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0"> was our leader on and off the court, showing great leadership as a captain." </span></span></p>
<p><span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Cade LaFavor"}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":16897,"3":{"1":0},"12":0,"17":1}"><strong>Cade LaFavor, Eagle Ridge —</strong> Cade is a big-time sleeper, averaging 16 PPG and 10 RPG for a smaller charter school in Eden Prairie. He is 6-foot-7 and filled out, looking college-ready at first glance. He has a few WIACs interested, but I'm surprised there isn't more recruiting attention for a kid with his size and production.</span></p>
<p><strong>Carmello and [player_tooltip player_id="958730" first="Carrington" last="McNeal"], Twin Cities Academy —</strong> These identical twins were very hard for me to distinguish on Tuesday as they both wore the same color shirt, had the same hair and height and play very similarly. They’ve grown to 6-foot-3 and are much stronger, confidently shooting and scoring the ball. I believe they are young for their grade, meaning there could be even more growth ahead. Carmello’s coach noted that he was especially scoring the ball during the first game with poise, earning player of the game honors. </p>
<p><span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"[player_tooltip player_id=" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":16897,"3":{"1":0},"12":0,"17":1}"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1143864" first="Devin" last="Newsome"], South St. Paul —</strong> Devin was one of the names I was most looking forward to seeing play at the expo. He didn’t disappoint, showing his steady scoring ability in front of coaches. He won’t rise up and dunk on top of anyone, but he has a lateral shiftiness to him where he uses skilled moves in space to get to the hoop. My thoughts on Devin were that this is the kind of kid who will unfortunately lose scholarship opportunities (this year, specifically) due to the transfer portal craziness and extra COVID eligibility. D2 rosters are either jammed or primarily focused on the portal activity, leaving much fewer options for talented high school kids. I believe Devin is open to many options at this point, including high-level juco and prep school.</span></p>
<p><span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"[player_tooltip player_id=" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":16897,"3":{"1":0},"12":0,"17":1}"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1184630" first="Donavan" last="Clinton"], Como Park —</strong> Donavan was the other high-flying player on Como Park, along with Amir Plair. Watch Donavan’s senior highlight tape (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6OKELLCdYg">Fresh Coast Hoops link</a>) for an idea of how athletic and assertive he can be. I’ve heard that he’s playing spring AAU, so you will probably see more video highlights and coverage of Clinton before he makes a decision on his next step.</span></p>
<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1288761" first="Ellis" last="Todd"], DeLaSalle —</strong> Ellis is an interesting story. He suffered injuries earlier in his career that kept him sidelined, and he was dismissed from the DeLaSalle varsity this winter after an incident that, after I looked into it, didn’t seem that bad. After talking with Ellis on the phone, I decided that he is someone who could really benefit from a second chance, and he showed it on Tuesday with shooting ability and hungry, scrappy play. College coaches should <a href="https://twitter.com/FreshCoastHoops/status/1510240420495826953?s=20&t=0A72zZMY-7CEwt9ScB_X_w">check out his highlights from the expo</a> and consider this 6-3, energetic wing as a possible fit.</p>
<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="958675" first="Hakeem" last="Ford"], Mpls Southwest —</strong> Hakeem is a 6-foot-4 wing who is a personal favorite of mine. Really nice kid, plays hard, and probably would have been offered some D2 scholarships if not for the weird roster situations this year (see also: [player_tooltip player_id="1143864" first="Devin" last="Newsome"]). He won the Mint Moving Grinder Award after showing great effort all night at the expo. Hakeem was part of a resurgence at Mpls Southwest <a href="https://twitter.com/FreshCoastHoops/status/1491496866416001027?s=20&t=0A72zZMY-7CEwt9ScB_X_w">that was fun to watch</a>. His recruiting sounds mostly centered in the MIAC and WIAC conferences. </p>
<p><strong>Jake Butler, Mpls North —</strong> When I was asked for a kid that the news station could interview, Jake was one of my picks. He is a social, funny kid who deserves a great opportunity. He’s 6-foot-5 with a good shooting stroke and has been brought up in a great program (North). Jucos like Lake Region and DCTC reached out to him last week, and he did a campus visit to North Central that he said he really enjoyed. </p>
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