Show-Me Showdown: Friday Night Standouts

The Prep Hoops Show Me Showdown got underway on Friday night at the Center of St. Louis Sports. Here is a look at some of the top standouts from the first night of action.   <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/23478F2A-A165-4DD8-BF0F-2BC33D2DEE0A.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1467439" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/23478F2A-A165-4DD8-BF0F-2BC33D2DEE0A-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Darrion Sutton (Hardwood Elite 17U): A slender 6’8" 2024 small forward who was one of the most entertaining players I saw on Friday night. He had some dominant moments as he displayed his versatile skill set and explosiveness. He had five dunks in the second half, including three consecutive possessions on lob passes in transition. He can pitty-pat with the ball with the dribble before dropping off a defender with a burst to get to the basket. His court vision was also excellent as he delivered a few no-look passes to cutting teammates for easy buckets.     <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/111DA1AC-DB14-4F5F-8065-0BAB384D1777.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1467443" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/111DA1AC-DB14-4F5F-8065-0BAB384D1777-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Caden Hawkins (Illinois Bears-Parr 17U): A 5’11" 2023 point guard from Carterville (IL) who can distribute the basketball and get buckets with equal effectiveness. He can create off the dribble with his crafty moves and he moves well without the basketball with his ability to come off screens to get open. He scored on twisting drives in the lane while also knocking down 3-pointers. His pace is good as he has his head up looking to advance the ball in transition.     <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/C8C6781C-AC3F-433E-A108-F02FF1F51178.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1467444" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/C8C6781C-AC3F-433E-A108-F02FF1F51178-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Jordan Richardson (COMO-TNT-White 17U): A 6’0" point guard from Columbia Hickman who displayed good quickness and court vision. He scored 12 points on the evening, but he was unselfish with how he was constantly looking for teammates who had better shots than he did. His handles are slick as he can change speeds and directions while on the move. He also hit a couple of open 3-pointers. He also displayed some quick hands on the defensive end to create steals.     <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/0E4F568A-323C-4D7C-B8D6-025A862EE35F.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1467445" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/0E4F568A-323C-4D7C-B8D6-025A862EE35F-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1164773" first="Quin" last="Blackburn"] (Hardwood Elite 17U): A 6’8" forward from Pacific who was one of the more fundamentally-sound post players that I watched during the night. He had excellent footwork in the low post and he could operate from the high post as he backed down defenders to get where he wanted. He finished well around the basket and he was able to deliver some pinpoint passes.     <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/ED5C4422-7CA9-4A49-ABF7-4EB29F8E2DDE.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1467446" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/ED5C4422-7CA9-4A49-ABF7-4EB29F8E2DDE-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Makar Nemkov (Go Hard-STL 17U): A 6’0" 2023 guard from Gateway Legacy who scored 20 points in his opening game of the weekend. He has a strong body that was built for contact and he used it well when he attacked downhill for buckets and free throws. He compliments his driving ability with some excellent 3-point shooting.     <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/Tyler-Franklin-PHC.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1428501" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/Tyler-Franklin-PHC-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Tyler Franklin (Illinois Bears-Parr 17U): The 6’6" 2023 forward from Cobden (IL) had a strong performance in the late-evening victory over COMO-TNT. He’s a blue-collar performer who doesn’t take a possession off at any time. He’s a strong finisher around the basket with good footwork and the ability to absorb contact and finish. He also had an impressive baseline drive late in the game that resulted in a big dunk. It put the exclamation point on a big performance.     <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/FC18030C-2D4E-4466-BF27-5B0F193E0795.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1467447" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/FC18030C-2D4E-4466-BF27-5B0F193E0795-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1164774" first="Walker" last="Gohring"] (COMO-TNT-Black 17U): A 6’0" 2023 point guard from Fulton who is an impressive two-way performer. When I watched him early in his career, he was an excellent 3-point shooter, but he has evolved over the years into an all-around scorer and playmaker. He can get to his spots on the floor to elevate for mid-range jumpers. His passing skills are good and he was also effective on the defensive end as he stayed in good position and played the angles well in the passing lanes.   Cannon Hale (Tennessee Edge 17U): The 6’4" 2023 guard was the most impressive perimeter shooter that I watched during the evening. He was on fire from 3-point range as he knocked down six triples on the evening. He was hitting transition 3’s and moving without the ball in the half court offense to get himself open.