ND Phenom 2025’s
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This group is off to a fast start in AAU ball. North Dakota Phenom has played in two tournaments so far and they have a 6-2 record. Phenom started the season in Kansas City at Prep Hoops LIVE and last…
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Continue ReadingThis group is off to a fast start in AAU ball. North Dakota Phenom has played in two tournaments so far and they have a 6-2 record. Phenom started the season in Kansas City at Prep Hoops LIVE and last weekend they played in Minneapolis at SPTS #1. Up next Phenom is at SPTS #2 in St. Cloud on May 14-15.
I watched ND Phenom’s game on Sunday vs MN Comets Elite. Further below, look to see player comments from the Phenom 59-57 thrilling win over the Comets.
SPTS #1 (3-1)
L 71-61 vs. MN Select Ohnstad
W 68-40 Pentagon Schoolers
W 63-42 MN Rise
W 59-57 MN Comets Elite
It was a wild comeback by Phenom on Sunday. Phenom was down 8-9 points for the majority of the game but they kept it within striking distance. Around the 7:00 mark, the comeback was on by ND Phenom! It was a dog fight down the stretch but Phenom made 1 more play when it mattered. Drew Kempel Drew Kempel 6'4" | PG Bismarck Century | 2025 State ND and Walker Braaten Walker Braaten 6'4" | CG Westhope/Newburg | 2025 State #278 Nation ND were clutch performers while making big play after big play. Caden Englund Caden Englund 6'2" | CG Shiloh Christian | 2025 State ND may have had the biggest play of the game with an offensive rebound putback with under 10 seconds left in the contest. Englund scored to put Phenom up by 2-points. They closed the contest out with a defensive stop. WILD GAME!! That was a high-quality win by ND Phenom.
Player Comments from Sundays 59-57 WIN over Comets
Caden Englund Caden Englund 6'2" | CG Shiloh Christian | 2025 State ND |6-1 G| Shiloh Christian
10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 4-4 FT’s. In the first half, Caden had an athletic transition finish in traffic. I liked his fancy footwork and his backhand finish. When rebounding, Englund attacks the ball off the rim to grab rebounds. I loved his post-up up off a BLOB. He finished strongly from the block. Caden looks to be a confident FT-shooter. He had great hustle when diving on the floor for 50/50 balls. In the second half, Englund picked off a Comet pass, led the break, and dropped a dime to Kempel for 2pts. Let’s not forget his game-winning O-rebound putback! It was a perfectly timed play in a crazy game!
Walker Braaten Walker Braaten 6'4" | CG Westhope/Newburg | 2025 State #278 Nation ND |6-2 G| Westhope/Newburg
18 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 4-4 FT’s, two 3-pointers. In the first half, I really liked how Braaten made the extra pass to a teammate instead of settling. He received the pass, could have shot it, instead made one more pass, and Phenom hit a 3-ball. It was a very unselfish play. I was impressed by the way Walker high-points rebounds. In the first half, Braaten looked like a DB when picking off a pass. I was impressed by how he tracked and closed on the ball. After the pick, he finished on the other end with a breakaway AND1 finish. Later in the second half, Braaten started to take over. It began with a drive across the lane and a left-handed floater. I am not sure how it was not and AND1, it looked like the defender was mugging him. A bit later, Braaten hit a big 3-pointer with 4:15 left in the game. Kempel hit him in a catch-n-shoot situation, Braaten drained it and was fouled. He cashed the FT to make it a 4-point play. This possession cut the lead down to 2 points. On the next possession, Walker attacked from the wing, got into the lane, turned on the spin-cycle, and scored a layup. On the next possession, Kempel zipped a 2-handed overhead pass to Braaten, and he hit the bottom of the net from the right-wing. In three straight possessions, Braaten scored 9 points. He was not done yet and Phenom needed more points to pull it out. Later in the game, Walker attacked from the left-wing. He made it into the paint but the defender cut him off. Walker fooled him with a hesitation move, the D slightly slowed up, and Walker slipped by for an easy 2-points. It was a masterful finish for the fab freshman!
Drew Kempel Drew Kempel 6'4" | PG Bismarck Century | 2025 State ND |6’3 G| Bismarck Century
6 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, took 1 charge. He showed sneaky hands on one of the first possessions of the game. It was 1on1 going to the rim and Drew snatched the ball away as the Comet went for a layup. I loved how Kempel used his outside hand to deflect passes. Throughout the game, Drew penetrated and kicked to open teammates for good looks. It did not happen a few times, Drew did it early and often. He really shined in the second half during the Phenom comeback. He gets two feet in the paint, demands attention from the help D, and Kempel zips a pass to another red & black teammate. This showed great eyes, court awareness, and athletic ability to always be getting in the lane. Early in the game, Drew caught a quick outlet, showed off his open court speed, and finished a coast-to-coast layup. He showed impressive ball skills with 1-handed L & R passes off the dribble. He made hustle plays by diving on the floor for loose balls. Kempel made many unselfish passes and he had many nice “hockey assists”. When the comeback was on, Drew showed excellent hustle sprinting down the court after an Englund TO. Drew ran wide and Englund dished for an easy bucket. Kempel also sacrificed his body while taking a charge and stealing a possession from the Comets. He scored another layup late in the game when he had a Comet hanging on his arm. Kempel is strong and he plays with great determination. I did not realize Drew was such a good passer and creator for others. What a game for Kempel and ND Phenom!
Jenner Smude Jenner Smude 6'4" | SG Century | 2025 State ND |6’3 G| Bismarck
6 points, two 3-pointers. He has a quick pull-up jumper from beyond the arc with a hair-trigger and a high release. In the first half, Smude showed a perfect catch-n-shoot in-rhythm jump shot. He cashed in the triple with a hand in his face. I like his confidence and how Jenner always catches ready to shoot with hands/feet engaged. I thought Smude did a nice job of closing out with a high hand. I was impressed with his help-side defense. A Phenom teammate was fronting in the post, and Smude came across the lane to help deter the pass. This showed smart court awareness. This young Demon has a ton of potential.
Parker Falcon Parker Falcon 6'6" | SG Bismarck Legacy | 2025 State ND |6’4 SG| Bismarck Legacy
12 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1-2 FT’s, three 3-pointers. I thought his 15-foot jumper early in the game looked effortless. Falcon makes cashing in a J as easy as tying your shoes. Later in the game, Parker flashed into the middle of the zone, caught, turned, and hit a beautiful jumper. On a BLOB, Falcon showed his deep shooting ability when cashing in a 3. Phenom was swinging the ball, Parker stepped into the pass and knocked it down. He is a fluid player with proper mechanics. In the second half, Falcon drilled his 3rd triple from the coffin corner. Kempel slashed to the cup, Falcon’s defender helped, Falcon drifted corner, Kempel hit Falcon’s hands. The 6’4 Saber drained the triple! Parker has a very high ceiling.
Karson Ouse Karson Ouse 6'8" | SF Kindred | 2025 State #283 Nation ND |6-5 F| Kindred
7 points, 9 rebounds, 1-3 FT’s. He covers a lot of ground off the bounce, Ouse has a long first step. I really liked his quick outlets after grabbing O-rebounds. On defense, Karson contested and altered shots. He also had multiple blocked shots. Ouse can play in and out. I liked the looks of his deep and physical post-up in the first half. He missed the bunny lay-up but Ouse stayed with it and scored a putback bucket. Wow, this Viking has long arms! He was snagging rebounds over opponents’ heads all game. I would like to know what his wingspan is! In the second half, Karson had a wild-circus AND1 basket. I’m not sure how he got it to fall, but it was a big basket during the Phenom comeback. Karson also showed a smooth lefty finish vs. a double team at the rim. This kid from Kindred is a budding star.