Midwest Showdown: Nate’s Friday Standouts from Menasha

Nate Wahl

May 16, 2022 @ 05:22 PM

MENASHA, WI-- It was a very busy scouting weekend but we certainly found plenty of talent across the gyms across the Fox Valley area Friday thru Sunday at the Midwest Showdown. We kick it off with the three games we got to watch on Friday night and six standouts that caught this scouts eyes from start to finish. Darrionn Saffold, Forward | ABC Young Lions Teal 2024 The long forward from Milwaukee King would get my nod for MVP from the first game from Friday night. There is a lot to like about how Saffold executes with his vertical as he is able to unload multiple skillsets with it being well known. He will grab any rebound that comes his way and plays the game with a significantly physical chip on his shoulder. When he gets the opportunity to shoot, he shows a smooth jumper from mid range as well with a strong arch. Saffold also shows a ton of reach in his game, which makes his versatility something to watch in the near future for the Generals. Will Zimmerman, Guard | The Lac 2024 The 5’10 guard from Fond Du Lac, showed a ton of elusiveness when the basketball was in his hands on Friday. What is even more impressive is Will is a 2025 prospect playing up a level and it was easy to see why with just how strong his ball-handling was and watching him make his cuts to get to the bucket. The great bounce this young man showed off in the second game of the evening was also shown defensively, as Will showed open hips and sound physicality with his on ball defense that he showed off consistently in The Lac’s big 30-point win over Wisconsin Blaze Red 2024. Chan Malith, Forward | Minnesota Lace Up 16U Black Talk about a young man making it look easy on the court, that was Chan Malith of Rochester Century and Minnesota Lace Up 16U Black. The 6’2 forward has quite an impressive wingspan (6’9, is what I was told) and he used that wingspan to his full advantage in the passing lanes setting up plenty of fast break opportunities for Minnesota Lace Up which got the way ahead early. Chan doesn’t have the biggest frame on paper, but he showed significant balance inside in keeping his presence known and scoring a significant amount on that low block. Found out Chan plays a little football too, so I am hoping to see how his game lines up on the gridiron in Rochester this fall. [player_tooltip player_id="1289125" first="Hayden" last="Quimby"], Guard | Wisconsin Blaze Inferno 2024 I always scout kids on their skillsets not their stats, but the Appleton Xavier guard put up an impressive 22 points and 8 assists in the last game on Friday night. Hayden shows off an attractive outside shot that shows solid arch and can catch fire well-beyond the three point arch. He also showed precision with his passing to setup the best shot possible for his teammates. His ability to catch & shoot caused some major problems against Team Iowa 2024 Blue. I couldn’t find any high school tape on Hayden as of yet, but he’s sure one to watch for the Xavier Vikings next winter. Liam Kahnert, Guard | Illinois Drive Elite 2024 Liam was the glue to this Illinois Drive Elite 2024 team in the last game I watched on Friday night. The Maine South (IL) prospect showed off a three level scorer that could drive it, pull up from mid-range and caught some fire from outside the 3 point stripe. Liam showed off a guard prospect that is a gamer, that will just keep grinding even if the scoreboard isn’t pretty as a team with A grade character. Fabian Hurndon, Guard | ABC Young Lions Teal 2024 Fabian’s ability to attack the basket was an early look I got in the first game of the weekend from Friday night at The Barn. Maybe it is just because I am a football scout too and pay a lot of attention on footwork, but this kid had some solid footwork on both ends of the court and he showed a quick change of direction with the possession would change the other way. The Milwaukee Lutheran guard played with a ton of finesse on Friday night and strong physicality for his size.