Battle At The Lakes: Minnesota Wing Standouts

Eight of the top Minnesota wing prospects that I saw competing at the Prep Hoops Battle at the Lakes! [player_tooltip player_id="962223" first="Khalif" last="Bettis"] (6’5 2023 SF, Minnesota Chill)- Khalif embraced a high level matchup on Saturday morning against Gain Elite, and put in a solid performance on both ends of the floor. Defensively he moved his feet well to stick with a similar sized wing, and was protecting the rim hard as he came away with a handful of blocks. On the offensive end he showcased his mid-range game that ranks among the best in the state. He can face up out of the high post or take one/two dribbles from the wing to get to his spots and pull-up from 10-15 feet. With his high release point and the elevation he gets on his jumper, there aren’t many defenders who will be able to contest him when he gets to his spots. Abdi Bashir (6’6 2023 SG, D1 Minnesota)- On Sunday it seemed liked Abdi just couldn’t miss against Team 1848. Abdi has a ton of length on the wing and changes direction quickly with the ball in his hands, allowing him to get his defender off balanced going one direction, and take one dribble in the opposite way to get off an open shot. The Minnesota Prep sniper was knocking down shot after shot form beyond the arc, and it led to a couple of "heat check" moments that got his teammates fired up. With so much talent around him Abdi isn’t always needed to carry a heavy scoring load, but he definitely proved he can provide that spark off the bench to help D1 Minnesota win games. [player_tooltip player_id="1220354" first="Soren" last="Richardson"] (6’3 2023 SG, WOTN Bertsch)- There weren’t many shooters better than Soren at Battle at the Lakes. The lefty out of Northfield just connects at a high level from beyond the arc, and doesn’t need many dribbles to be effective. When defenders closed out too hard on him, Soren showed he can blow by to get into the lane and finish with a high arching floater that allows him to score over looming shot blockers. Helped lead his team to a big win on Saturday morning against a tough Minnesota Lightning squad. [player_tooltip player_id="1221144" first="Cham" last="Okey"] (6’4 2023 W, Gain Elite)- Cham was a key player for Gain Elite on Saturday morning, helping lead them to a close win against Minnesota Chill. He has solid positional size with a long frame, and although he’s capable of making things happen off the dribble, he played the role of spot-up shooter to perfection. Cham was constantly relocating to open space on the perimeter, and with a pair of talented passing guards it led to a bunch of kickouts right to Cham in space. Expect a big senior season for him at Austin this winter. [player_tooltip player_id="958647" first="Peyton" last="Newbern"] (6’5 2022 W, Sizzle McDonald)- Peyton was putting on a show on Friday night helping lead Sizzle to a big win. The versatile and explosive wing was a menace in the open floor. At 6’5 he handles the ball so well which allows him to weave in and out of traffic as he flies up the floor and gets to the rim. Whether it was off the dribble or just running his lane in transition, Peyton was getting to the rack where he was finishing with dunks or crafty finishes around defenders. Has great timing on defense to anticipate passes and jump them to pick up steals. Deoviez Gibson (6’2 2024 SG, Minnesota Select Krona)- Playing up at the 17u level, the 2024 wing was instant offense for Select-Krona. After averaging 10.7 ppg as a sophomore at Simley, Deoviez is carrying that success into the spring season. He has a confident shot from beyond the arc that can make defenders pay for giving him too much space. Not afraid to put the ball on the floor and attack the basket either, where he showcased excellent body control to hang in the air and finish in a variety of ways. Had a tough and-one finish where he was falling to the ground and still managed to finish off the lay-up. [player_tooltip player_id="1220406" first="Trey" last="Smith"] (6’7 2023 SF, Northstar Titans Stone)- Now listed at 6’7, Trey is a long and explosive athlete on the wing with skills that are starting to catch up to the physical attributes. That makes for a scary combination as he’s becoming a threat in so many aspects of the game. Against the Minnesota Heat on Saturday morning he stretched the floor with a pair of corner threes, broke his man down off the dribble before getting to the rim for a nice finish, and utilized some off-ball cuts to get into good scoring position down low. I also like how Trey is able to pull in a defensive board and pick his head up looking for the opportunity to throw the ball up the floor to get his team in transition. He also added in one of the highlight plays of the weekend, finishing off a double alley-oop play with a one hand slam down the middle of the lane. [player_tooltip player_id="962203" first="Tommy" last="Humphries"] (6’5 2023 W, D1 Minnesota)- Tommy is such a versatile piece for D1 Minnesota. As a scorer there aren’t many ways he can’t put the ball in the hoop. He was posting up opposing wings, facing up in the high post, finishing in transition, and knocking down threes off the catch. The two games I saw him play were against high level competition, and Tommy was one of the most efficient players on the floor in both games as he just doesn’t make mistakes with the ball. Very poised offensively and then he goes down on the defensive end and has the versatility to guard multiple spots, using his long arms to get up in passing lanes and disrupt the opposing offense. Ryan James had him for 20 points 6 rebounds against P.L.U.T.O Prospects, and 11 points against a tough Mac Irvin Fire EYBL team.