Buckets In The Big Red: Saturday Prospect Standouts

<p>Prospect standouts from Saturday at Buckets In The Big Red: </p> <p><strong>Deacon Courtney -- PF -- OSA Crusaders -- 2025 </strong></p> <p>Courtney is a prospect that has so much potential. The power forward has a 6-foot-6 frame, which he uses to rebound on both ends and protect the paint on defense. He also showed an ability to step outside and knock down long range shots. In a blowout win for OSA Crusaders, the PF showed a lot of impressive skills. He is a prospect that scouts should keep an eye on. </p> <p><strong>Amari Rahaman -- G -- OSA Crusaders -- 2025</strong></p> <p>In a blowout win for OSA Crusaders, Rahaman’s fingerprints were all over the game. I thought that he did a nice job of converting on difficult layups. He slashed to the rim multiple times and was able to find unique ways to get shots to fall. In the victory, he was able to put up an efficient ten points. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1284143" first="Isaiah" last="Johnson"] -- F -- Northstar Titans -- 2024</strong></p> <p>Johnson wasted no time on Saturday morning. He was playing at his best from the opening tip. He threw down two impressive dunks and then dished out a slick assist to an open teammate in transition in the opening minutes. Johnson has positional size, athleticism, and a lot of skill. When he gets downhill and attacks the rim, opposing defenders don’t have a chance of stopping him from scoring. He was no doubt one of the best prospects in the gym on Saturday. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1288705" first="Micah" last="Strand"] -- SG -- Northstar Titans -- 2024</strong></p> <p>Sometimes shooters just have those days where it seems like they can’t miss. On Saturday, Strand certainly had one of those days. The Northstar Titans shooting guard was draining threes from way downtown. I thought that he was very good about getting to his spots and making shots. Strand isn’t just a shooter, though. He showed some promise as a slasher too. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1288742" first="Myles" last="Thomsen"] -- G -- Northstar Titans -- 2024</strong></p> <p>Thomsen is a dynamic scorer who knows how to get buckets off the dribble. He is very shifty and quick in isolation. He uses his speed and ball handling skills to break down opposing defenders and get to the rim. Once he gets to the rim, the guard does a nice job of avoiding contact to convert on layups. Thomsen was very impressive in a blowout win for the Northstar Titans on Saturday morning.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1288859" first="Caiden" last="Gourley"] -- F -- Team Iowa -- 2023 </strong></p> <p>Gourley was really impressive as a slasher for Team Iowa on Saturday evening. He has a quick first step and is very strong. When attacking the rim, Gourley doesn’t avoid contact -- he seeks it out. He did a great job of using his 6-foot-5 frame to finish tough layups despite contact. Gourley was definitely a major stock riser from Saturday’s action. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1288926" first="Tashaun" last="Donaldson"] -- G -- Team Iowa -- 2023</strong></p> <p>In a win for Team Iowa over World Hoops Elite, Donaldson was fantastic. The guard was able to put up an efficient 14 points. I liked how the guard didn’t make things too difficult. He simply took what the defense was giving him. I thought that he was very steady in the winning effort. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1297886" first="Fitz" last="Freeman"] -- PF -- Minnesota Chill -- 2024</strong></p> <p>Freeman is a strong, physical post prospect who has the ability to dominate in the paint. He stands at 6-foot-5 with a strong build, which he uses to find success around the hoop. On Saturday afternoon in a close loss for Minnesota Chill, I thought that Freeman did a great job of rebounding on both ends and finishing tough layups on offense. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="958693" first="Carmello" last="McNeal"] -- G -- Minnesota Chill -- 2022 </strong></p> <p>I like what McNeal showed on both ends of the court for Minnesota Chill on Saturday. The guard was very impressive as a slasher on offense. He was able to use his speed to drive to the cup and finish layups. On the other side of the court, he played aggressive defense and didn’t give up any easy shots. Overall, I was impressed by the two-way performance of McNeal. </p>