Battle at the Lakes: 17U Pool A Storyboard

Ryan James May 9, 2022 @ 04:14 PM

D1 Minnesota battled by Mac Irvin for a three score win and then defeated Team 1848 from Wisconsin, Q6 All Stars, and Pluto Prospects in double figure victories. It was an excellent weekend of team basketball for D1 Minnesota and several pieces played well earning wins despite Chiddi Obiazor Chiddi Obiazor 6'5" | PF Eden Prairie | 2023 MN and Patrick Bath Patrick Bath 6'9" | C Totino Grace | 2023 State MN not able to bang in the post for this talented team.

Taison Chatman Taison Chatman 6'4" | PG Totino Grace | 2023 State #35 Nation MN continued his 5-star level play this weekend with another set of victories highlighted by his combination of scoring and playmaking for others. Taison has always had the highest of high level skill, what we are seeing now is a guard talent that has hit a high level of consistency mixed with decision making between creations for others and his own scores that are hitting at a very high rate. When it comes to conversion rate possession by possession, Chatman has taken his game to a level that few can reach, and that is why Kansas, Virginia, and UConn have recently joined the dozens of others who have offered.

I think the player that made the biggest impression from D1 Minnesota was Jack Janicki Jack Janicki 6'4" | SG White Bear Lake | 2023 State #277 Nation MN . Is Jack a shooter? Yes. Confident? Of course! Productive? Almost always. But what we are seeing now from Janicki is different. He is everything we described but more. Defensively we are seeing a Jack Janicki Jack Janicki 6'4" | SG White Bear Lake | 2023 State #277 Nation MN that is making explosive defensive plays in help as a shot blocker, shot contesting defender, passing lane jumper, and crowd rebounder. He’s also scored on the move more this weekend than he did catching and shooting. Just a shooter? No way.

And speaking of consistency, Tommy Humphries Tommy Humphries 6'5" | SF Totino-Grace | 2023 State #283 Nation MN was another consistent scoring threat and in two of the games, Humphries mixed the jumper with rim buckets getting D1 Minnesota a quick lead. On a team of stars Humphries more than carried his wait as did Boden Kapke Boden Kapke 6'11" | C Holy Family | 2023 State #153 Nation MN . The Holy Family skilled big was strong again. The 14 point, 10 rebound double-double against two high major frontcourt players was quite noteworthy as was the 10 point, 7 rebound effort versus Mac Irvin Fire. Pryce Sandfort shot the ball well, Terrence Brown Terrence Brown 6'0" | PG Columbia Heights | 2022 State MN was an attacking threat, all in all, D1 Minnesota had a great weekend.

Mac Irvin Earns Three W

Mac Irvin arrived into town early Saturday morning, got off the flight, battled D1 Minnesota in a close game, and then went out and defeated Q6 All Stars, PLUTO Prospects, and the Iowa Barnstormers in double figure wins. And guard Darrin Ames Darrin Ames 6'1" | PG Kenwood | 2023 State #99 Nation IL played every bit like the top 50 level guard he has been built up to be. Ames is a 6’1 2023 guard that got everywhere he needed to all weekend with a quickness with the ball that is nearly unmatched. And once that quickness got to space, Ames has the touch to finish at each of the levels. Ames continues to travel the country and prove his play at each spot.

There are a load of 2022s playing this spring and Rasheed Jones Rasheed Jones 6'6" | SF Arsenal Tech | 2022 State IN - a 6’6 wing out of Indiana - is maybe the best one I’ve seen yet. Standing 6’6 he was not only productive this weekend but also shot the ball really well with good form. And athletically, agility wise, he crosses those boxes too. Definitely a scoring wing that can help a team next year.

Betts is Best

Kadyn Betts Kadyn Betts 6'7" | PF Huntington Prep | 2023 #90 Nation CO had a fulfilling weekend: he saw local family, took a visit to Minnesota and received an offer, put together a couple strong games including 23 points on 8 of 12 shooting (four threes made) against D1 Minnesota. It was another step forward as this high major offered talent continues to prove his top 100 level projection that we had for him coming into the year. Betts is a fierce rebouder, a 7’2 wingspan defender with good feet, and now he’s looking more and more like a stretch forward.