Hard Work Region Finals: Minnesota Wing Standouts
In this article:
Seven of the top wing prospects I saw at the Prep Hoops Hard Work Region Finals! Ater Manyuon Ater Manyuon 6'4" | SF Austin | 2023 State MN (6’4 2023 SG, MN Lightning Dahl)- Ater was a walking highlight for…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingSeven of the top wing prospects I saw at the Prep Hoops Hard Work Region Finals!
Ater Manyuon Ater Manyuon 6'4" | SF Austin | 2023 State MN (6’4 2023 SG, MN Lightning Dahl)- Ater was a walking highlight for Minnesota Lightning over the weekend! He’s a high flyer in the open floor, and threw down an impressive windmill dunk in the game I saw. Outside of the dunks he’s excellent creating off the dribble because of how much separation he can get for a jumper, but also because of his hesitation move that stalls his defender and allows him to blow by to get to the rim. Such a creative handler who can break his man down in a variety of ways. Uses his athleticism to hang in the air and finish acrobatically as well.
Micah Young Micah Young 6'3" | SF Minneapolis Edison | 2023 State MN (6’3 2023 W, Minnesota Heat PVR)- Micah is such a composed finisher inside, and is one of the best I saw all weekend at playing off two feet around the rim. He has above the rim athleticism off of one foot, but when there isn’t a clear lane to take off he’s so good at jump stopping and gathering his balance to go up and score. This allows him to power through contact while also getting defenders in the air with a quick head fake before he finishes. Defensively he spends a lot of time guarding bigger players for a team without a true post, and I really like how he competes when facing taller opponents down low.
Charlie Theis Charlie Theis 6'5" | PF East Ridge | 2024 State MN (6’4 2024 SF, Minnesota Fury)- Charlie’s first half in the 16u title game was absolutely dominant. Just in the first half alone he was already closing in on 20 points and the scoring came in an efficient manner. He has size on the wing, a strong build, and a composed play style that allows him to pick the right moments to attack the basket and finish at a high percentage. Really liked the energy he was bringing on both ends of the floor, as he was getting his team fired up after big baskets while embracing the challenge of defending talented players on the other end. Strong rebounder as well.
Kayden Wells Kayden Wells 6'6" | PF Minnetonka | 2024 State MN (6’5 2024 SF, Minnesota Select)- Yet another up-and-coming prospect out of BSM, Kayden played some of the best basketball I’ve seen from him over the weekend. He was always active off the ball, and his hard cuts led to countless finishing opportunities around the basket. With his size at 6’5 combined with good body control, he was scoring on just about every paint touch he got even through contact. He plays alongside a couple of talented facilitators, and whenever they drove he knew exactly where to move to put himself into position to catch and finish. Defensively he was able to hold his own on the block while also moving his feet on the perimeter well at his size. Blocked a few shots around the rim in the two games I watched.
Joshua Ofori Joshua Ofori 6'7" | PF Prior Lake | 2023 State MN (6’7 2023 SF, Minnesota Heat MacDonald)- You won’t find many guys who play as hard as Ofori does. With his size and explosive burst he’s a major threat on the glass on both ends of the floor. He works hard finding a body to box out after a shot goes up, and he’s aggressive crashing the offensive glass which leads to a couple second chance buckets just about every game I watch. Ofori runs the floor hard in transition, capable of running his lane or even handling the ball on his own in the open floor. Really good at stopping on two feet and just putting up a soft floater over the top of the defense to score with efficiency. Has the ability to step out and knock down open threes as well.
Ali Axmed Ali Axmed 6'4" | SF Lakeville North | 2023 State MN (6’4 2023 W, Minnesota Select Krona)- Yes, there’s even more talent coming up in the ranks at Lakeville North. At around 6’4 Ali is a smooth athlete on the wing who can do a variety of things for his team. He handles the ball well at his size, and showed the ability to drive the lane where he had a few nice dump off passes in the game I saw. Also showed he’s not afraid to play physical as he got into the paint, bumped his defender off of him, and then finished with touch with his left hand. Off the ball he does well to float into space and keeps his hands ready to catch and shoot from three when the ball comes his way.
Kairee Gadson Kairee Gadson 6'2" | PG Rochester Mayo | 2023 MN (6’2 2023 W, Minnesota Lightning Dunham)- Kairee just has a nose for the rim, and even when defenders know he wants to attack, he still seems to find ways to work his way into the paint. Changes his directions well to maneuver his way into the lane and is so explosive off of two feet which allows him to go up and finish over taller players. Defends bigger than his size because of his strong frame and mobility, and high points rebounds off the rim. Showed he can knock down a pull-up jumper from mid-range as well when his defender sags off too much.