15 Scintillating Sunday Players: Battle At The Lakes

It was Mothers Day but the basketball games still went on! It was neat to see so many moms in the gym cheering on their sons. After the tourney, Twitter was flooded with team pictures of moms posing with their kids/sons. Many families, teams, and players made special memories this past weekend. Speaking of special, I watched many special players on Sunday. Read below to see who stood out on Mothers Day. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2018/10/Battle-at-the-Lakes.png"><img class="alignnone wp-image-592620" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2018/10/Battle-at-the-Lakes-300x144.png" alt="" width="185" height="89" /></a> <h3>15 Scintillating Sunday Players</h3> [player_tooltip player_id="958730" first="Carrington" last="McNeal"] |6’3 G| MN Chill Elite 2023 He helped his team pick up a nice win on Sunday evening with a 62-55 win over a previously undefeated Pentagon Schoolers team. McNeal is an explosive guard and a 2-way player. I would not want to play against this kid. Carrington looks to be an annoying on-ball defender that is always in the way. I like how he moves his feet, cuts off the ballhandler, and walls up. It was great how he battled for rebounds. In the first half, Carrington scored with an O-board putback in the middle of outstretched arms from the Schoolers. He is a dangerous slasher with a sweet floater/runner game. Henry Bethel |5’8 G| West Central United 2025 He was the best player that I watched on early Sunday morning. This young guard stood out right away because of his quickness, lateral movement, and quick change of directions. I thought his crossover was tough and Bethel was great at breaking down the defense off the bounce. When attacking, Bethel showed excellent court vision when kicking out to 3-point shooters. He was also good at moving the ball and making the extra pass. Henry can also shoot it. He showed an impressive pull-up 3-point jumper from college range. The future looks very bright for this young Otter from Fergus Falls. [player_tooltip player_id="1111175" first="Isaiah" last="Schafer"] |6’1 G| D1 Minnesota 2024 2SSB "Schafer the Shooter" helped his talented squad go 4-0 this weekend. He stood out to me as a ubiquitous communicator, especially on defense. You could see Schafer constantly talking his game, pointing, and directing traffic. Everyone loves a great communicator on the hardwood. Schafer is a lights-out shooter with an extended range. He knocks down shots off the dribble and when catching-n-shooting. He is also an efficient finisher in transition. Shafer is a high-IQ player that continues to improve. Isaiah is looking like a big-time prospect. [player_tooltip player_id="1145107" first="Landon" last="Moser"] |6’1 G| ND Attack 16U Black He was the best guard on the court for ND Attack who went 4-0 this weekend. This Jaguar is a serious shooting threat from beyond the arc. Landon shoots it with great mechanics & confidence. Moser is a player that opposing teams should not leave alone. He is a skilled guard with refind handles and excellent passing skills. I liked the looks of his one-handed passes off the dribble. In the last game of the day, Moser was pressured and hounded all game. He helped break the pressure and deliver the win. Moser really impressed me when finishing in transition and by scoring when his team really needed it. He looks to be a better athlete than I realized and Landon showed that he is a gamer. [player_tooltip player_id="1145108" first="Luke" last="Martinson"] |6’4 F| ND Attack 16U Black He was a standout for this undefeated ND Attack team. This was the first time I saw Martinson make three-pointers and his shot looked smooth and true to the mark. Martinson dominated on the glass all weekend. I liked the looks of his passing, Luke was finding cutters and delivering nice passes to teammates. In transition, Martinson was aggressive and he was efficient when finishing. I was really impressed with Luke’s cutting. Many times he cut across his defender’s face, caught, and finished at the cup. Martinson did not let the defense bump him, he finished his cut and scored after contact. It was an overall great weekend for Martinson and an excellent Sunday. [player_tooltip player_id="1145406" first="Max" last="Musland"] |6’3 G| ND Attack 16U Black He is a long athlete and he brings State Tourney experience into the AAU season. Musland showed out as a shooter. The long and lanky LLM kid has a great pull-up jumper. As a big guard, Musland can shoot over smaller defenders. On Sunday I witnessed multiple mid-range and 3-point point pull-up makes from Max. When he gets going, Look out! Musland can put up points in a hurry. [player_tooltip player_id="1164786" first="Tony" last="Leal"] |6’4 F| ND Attack 16U Black This West Fargo Packer had a great showing on Sunday. Leal’s stock really went up after his performance at Battle At The Lakes. Tony was a beast on the boards. He really stuck out on the offensive glass. He grabbed many O-boards and he scored multiple buckets off putbacks. Leal showed off his athleticism with a quick tip-in basket as well. On defense, Tony showed excellent hustle which helped him create TO’s. Leal is a very strong player! He was cutting and scoring at will in the game I watched. He showed a great turnaround jumper from the block. Tony also showcased a crafty fadeaway jumper from 10-feet. His cutting and physical finishing really impressed me. Keep your eyes on this Packer! [player_tooltip player_id="1339196" first="Aeron" last="Stevens"] |6’6 F| MN Lightning 2023 Ellerbusch He is a long and mobile player. In the game that I was watching, Stevens showed a nice-looking shot from the corner when he was knocking down a 3-pointer. He scored many more points around the basket. Aeron showed impressive body control when he put in a heavily contested layup vs. the Schoolers. On defense, Stevens blocked multiple shots and he grabbed many offensive rebounds. In transition defense, Aeron picked off a pass like he was a safety in football. He showed great reaction time. Stevens is a very nice 2-way player. [player_tooltip player_id="962256" first="Buay" last="Koak"] |6’4 G/F| MN Lightning 2023 Ellerbusch He is an impressive athlete that can finish above the rim and hammer it! Koak is long and athletic. He showed a slick finger-roll finish. I remember him being a powerful dunker last summer. His finger-roll finish showed finesse and a soft touch. Koak ran the floor hard and scored in transition. He snagged offensive rebounds and he played straight-up post defense. I like how he altered shots without fouling. [player_tooltip player_id="962224" first="Will" last="Opsahl"] |6’7 F| MN Lightning 2023 Ellerbusch He showed a very nice turnaround spin-move jump shot. Will must have great coordination and body control to make a move like that. I really liked his cutting against the Schooler zone defense. Throughout the game, I thought Will showed a consistent and accurate jumper. He was buttery smooth from mid-range. [player_tooltip player_id="963742" first="Isaac" last="Bruns"] |6’4 SG| SD Attack 17U This Dakota Valley kid is a star! Bruns already has a D1 offer and on Sunday he played the part of a Division 1 player. He had many clutch baskets in the game vs. WOTN and Bruns helped Attack get the 58-57 win. Bruns was impressive when coming off screens. He manipulates the defender and comes off the screen ready to shoot. Bruns is a savant when it comes to reading/coming off screens. He is one of the top shooters in the Midwest. Bruns is also very crafty inside the arc with his pull-up game. Isaac plays with a high hoops IQ and he is a winner. [player_tooltip player_id="1227965" first="AJ" last="Akot"] |6’4 SF| Pentagon Schoolers 2023 Walker He was wildly successful rebounding the basketball on Sunday. AJ crushed it on the O-bards and he scored many points off putbacks. He was very aggressive and I liked how he attacked the basketball. Akot showed a marvelous spin move after grabbing an O-board and he finished with his left hand. He also created TO’s. His best play may have been when AJ went up for an O-board, he got 1-hand on it and he passed it to a shooter while he was still in the air. Talk about a playmaker! In the Schoolers first game on Sunday, AJ scored a big transition bucket to help seal the victory. I was very impressed with Akot on Sunday. [player_tooltip player_id="963746" first="Matt" last="Eng"] |6’2 PG| Pentagon Schoolers 2023 Walker I watched him make many pull-ups and catch-n-shoot 3’s over the weekend. On Sunday, I saw Matt hit an impressive steb-back triple. The "Sniper from Sioux Falls" impresses me more and more every game. Eng has amazingly quick feet and a smooth shooting release. He needs very little room to get his shot off. Opposing teams should be face-guarding Eng all game long. He knocked down 6 or 7 three-pointers in the first game on Sunday. He was hitting them so often that I lost track. Matt also showed impressive hustle with an offensive rebound and a score amongst the trees from the Lightning. College coaches better have this kid on their watchlist. He is a big-time difference maker. [player_tooltip player_id="1295267" first="Gavin" last="Muirhead"] |6’7 PF| Pentagon Schoolers 2023 Walker He has been standing out with big dunks and alley-oops but I really liked his crisp outlet passes after a defensive rebound. He gets the ball out to the guard very fast and accurately. Gavin also does a nice job of passing the ball when he has it on the block. On defense, Muirhead showed great hustle when recovering on defense which led to him blocking a shot from behind. He altered many other shots throughout the game. Gavin showed a great backdoor cut and he tried posterizing the defender but he was fouled on the attempt and he went to the line. This kid is fearless! Muirhead also looked good in the pick-n-roll game. He scored off a classic roll to the rim where the guard came off the pick and dumped the ball down to Gavin for a layup. Muirhead also had a nice alley-oop finish on the backside of the zone defense. Gavin had another great weekend, I cant wait to watch him in Nebraska at Buckets in the Big-Red. Deidrick Taylor |5’9 G| N.E. Mpls. Hawks 2024 Early on in the game that I watched, Taylor picked off a pass and took it the other way for 2-points. It was an AND1 finish and Taylor knocked the FT for a 3-point play. Deidrick is a very fast athlete that can beat opposing players in a foot race. Taylor can also shoot the 3-ball. He has an easy-looking shot, Taylor’s shot looks the same from the FT-line as it does from beyond the arc. His handles are smooth and I liked the looks of his crossover. Taylor is a shifty guard that can weave through traffic as if it is standing still. He is an entertaining and exciting basketball player.