Prep Hoops Live: Big Game Bettis, Freshman Surprise, More!

Prep Hoops Live opened up Friday with action stretching from North Kansas City out to Lawrence!  It was a great first night of action and we break down the games now!

Big Game Bettis

Minnesota Chill opened up their weekend with a 61-36 win over the Florida Suns and it started with Chill’s primary scoring option, Khalif Bettis Khalif Bettis 6'6" | SF Burnsville | 2023 State MN , getting going early.  

To be a quality scorer a player has to produce points in several ways.  Leaning on a jumper, or a constant attack can get your team some numbers but to be a true scorer a player has to produce in many different ways.  That was Bettis last night as he scored early with a back to the basket catch, one power dribble into a fade away mid-lane.  That was followed by a power score to the cup.  Later we saw a mid-range pull-up.  And a three.  Mix that in with some foul shots, a transition score, and everything in between and you have a 21 point night on about ten shots and an early seat enjoying the win. 

Last night Khalif showed us that he is a scorer that is comfortable producing points in many ways.  He’s mixed in his low post youth with his developed skill set in his high school years. The shooting touch looks very pretty and all those college coaches on the baseline likely took note as Bettis continues to develop. 

Brogan Madson Brogan Madson 6'1" | PG Mankato East | 2025 State MN - Who Is This Guy?

When SSA took to twitter after the game and noticed the messages they must have said "that kid was a freshman?"

Brogan Madson Brogan Madson 6'1" | PG Mankato East | 2025 State MN was the point guard this year for the Mankato East Cougars (MN).  East went to the Class AAA state semi-finals led of course by North Dakota signed BJ Omot BJ Omot 6'8" | PF Mankato East | 2022 State #231 Nation MN but there were several players around BJ that were in support.  Madson was one of those players.  And last night Brogan did more than just support. 

With SSA up at the half the great team basketball that Minnesota Rise plays started to chip on the lead.  And then the Rise handed the ax to Madson who did more than just chip at the lead, he tied the game and then gave the Rise the edge scoring in big chunks.  

First it was a three.  Then another three.  Followed by some foul shots.  Then an And1 attacking finish.  Followed by some foul shots, and then another And1 finish in transition.  Next thing you know Brogan had scored EIGHTEEN points in a row for his team.  A 5’’10 guard that still isn’t allowed to get his driver’s permit drove up and down the court earning the Rise an opening night win.  

A performance we won’t be forgetting soon. 

No Sitcom, But a Scoring Sensation 

Britton Dutton Britton Dutton 6'0" | SG Argo Comm | 2023 State KS .  A shooter from Yellowstone? No.  A scorer from Ellinwood, Kansas!

You look at the resume and you see Brit already has two 30+ point per game averages in his career.  Then you notice that he wasn’t just a 40% Club member for the season, at one point in Brit’s career he was up in the elite suite box in the 50% Club with maybe one or two others out there (hitting 50 percent of his threes!). 

When I went to watch Brit play with SSA Hoops I was very interested to see if the resume would follow to the big stage of top independent basketball games and it surely did.  The thing that caught my eye the most was how Brit did a masterful job of crafting out space to get his look at the rim before defenders closed in on his view of the cup.  We saw Dutton incorporate fakes into that small window for the release.  We saw Brit burst off a screen to get those feet set to score.  And we saw the SSA guard sprint the floor ahead of the transition defense to catch and get the early clean look.  

Yes the Dutton family has moved from Montana to Kansas and on the plains, Brit gets Buckets. 

V for Vandervest

Vincent Vandervest Vincent Vandervest 6'4" | SF Bay Port | 2023 State WI doesn’t need a Guy Fawkes makes when showcasing his heroics.  This Bay Port, Wisconsin product continues to produce at a double-double rate for Team 1848 helping the team consistently accumulate wins. 

Vandervest first grabbed my attention with a bounce for a simple rebound and I thought - and the dozen college coaches around me likely did as well - wow, that’s not your normal standing two foot leap.  Then Vandervest sprinted up the floor and moved within that excellent Team 1848 framework to score actively.  Most of his double figure scoring total came on the move and it really grabbed my attention how Vandervest was able to touch in shots on the move.  Great body control but a soft touch moving within the flow.

Friday Night Appreciation Award

What did I appreciate the most on Friday night?  Watching Alan Acevedo Alan Acevedo 6'2" | CG Colorado Prep | 2023 State CO from Colorado Titans compete.  The Titans play with structure and Alan is a symbol of that structure.  He knows the value of spacing, of a cut, of a timed pass, and how to move off a screen.  Acevedo also looked to be a worker who can find the cracks in a defensive effort.  He was the constant trying to beat the transition defense up the floor.  Alan did a great job getting second chance opportunities slicing to the lane between ball watching defenders.  And he certainly won the most loose balls in the Titans vs 1848 game. 

Prep Hoops Live Notes

• Chet Kloss Chet Kloss 6'6" | PF Eastview | 2023 State MN of Minnesota Chill (Eastview) had one of the better games I have seen him play.  Early double figures and a lot of toughness against a Florida team. 
• The Rise also got a nice performance from Isaac Matti Isaac Matti 6'1" | SG Hayfield | 2023 State MN in their win over SSA.  The college coach attendance mixed in the NSIC with several local D1s pushing the total to about a couple dozen teams watching both the Rise and SSA.
• I am a big fan of Zach Anderson Zach Anderson 6'6" | SF Martin County West | 2023 State MN of Martin County West as a prospect.  Shot looks good, he spent his winter playing PG at 6’6 for a top ten team in state, and he is very very comfortable on the perimeter with great size. 
• Looking for a three point shooter?  I give you Silas McCurnin Silas McCurnin 6'2" | PG Poudre | 2023 CO of 24MD Team Daum.  This is a team that just keeps winning games and a key ingredient was the shooting of Silas who scored a combined 40 points in two games.  McCurnin hit six threes in the opener and dished out six assists in the night cap.