Inspired Athletics 15U: Season Review

This IA squad is filled with talented players from the Fargo-Moorhead Area. They played a solid schedule and there are multiple prospects that you will want to hear about. Read below for an in-depth look at Inspired Athletes 15U.   Inspired Athletics 15U played in 4 Prep Hoops tournaments this year. They finished with a 9-7 record on the Prep Hoops Circuit while going up against high-quality competition.   Comments on the events below are from Coach Nate West   Madness in the Midwest 4-0. "What I remember most about this tournament was that vs. Wisconsin Academy Thompson we were down double digits probably half of the game but came back to win late in the game with a comeback led by [player_tooltip player_id=’1167613’ first=’Eric’ last=’DeBoer’] who ran of 12 straight points at one point. The great thing about that stretch for Eric was that he was doing it on both ends of the court."   Bash in the Desert 3-1. "This was a big tournament for us. Being a team from Fargo, ND we stepped out of our comfort area of the Midwest and traveled down to the desert. We didn’t know what to expect in this tournament but my team came ready to play. Our best game came against the AZ Gremlins where Carsten Hoff, [player_tooltip player_id=’1167614’ first=’Xavier’ last=’Ames’], and [player_tooltip player_id=’1167611’ first=’Tony’ last=’Daniel Loria’] easily had their best games of the tournament. Xavier played a great game hitting several 3’s and scoring in the paint. Loria had one of his best games of the season doing a little bit of everything scoring from 3 as well as taking guys off the dribble and scoring in the paint and he also played great defense. Carsten likely had one of his better shooting games as he was shooting lights out from way behind the 3-point arc."   Battle of the Lakes 0-4. "This was one of our tougher tournaments where we just couldn’t put together a complete game. Our best game was against SD Attack which came down to the last minutes, but outside of that game this was a really tough tournament for us but it was a growing moment for us as a team as well."   Hard Work Region Finals 2-2. "This tournament didn’t end as we had hoped especially after starting 2-0 but this team showed a willingness to compete. After a bit of a letdown game vs our 3rd opponent, they could’ve gone into the 4th game with not much effort but after a little bit of a rough start, they fought back from a double-digit deficit and took the lead late. The last minutes of the game were a back and forth effort with the lead constantly changing which ultimately ended in our defeat. But my team showed toughness to fight until the end. As a coach, I couldn’t be prouder."   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/07/inspiredathletics.png"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/07/inspiredathletics.png" alt="" class="wp-image-1525061" width="177" height="177"/></a></figure>   Player Comments are from Coach Nate West   Inspired Athletics 15U   [player_tooltip player_id=’1509954’ first=’Justin’ last=’Ajeo’] |5’10 G| Shanley   "Justin is an athletic guard who really excelled this season on the defensive end. He was also a big contributor on the offensive side of the ball. He hit timely 3pt shots and was able to get to the basket and finish in traffic."   [player_tooltip player_id=’1525281’ first=’Holden’ last=’Witte’] |6’4 F| Fargo Davies   "Holden is a high-energy player that makes plays on the defensive end. He also rebounds at a high rate."   [player_tooltip player_id=’1525282’ first=’Victor’ last=’Busanga’] |5’10 G| Fargo North   "Victor is a crafty and talented PG. As the year went on, he became more comfortable and started to make more plays whether it was getting his own shot or getting a good look for another player."   [player_tooltip player_id=’1189438’ first=’Carson’ last=’Busek’] |5’9 G| Shanley   "Carson is relentless when he’s on the court. He plays tough physical defense and isn’t scared of who he guards. Being a smaller guard, it doesn’t matter if he matches up vs. someone of similar size or someone bigger, he just wants to compete. On offense, Carson showed that he can shoot it from deep and that he can put the ball down and take his defender off the dribble."   [player_tooltip player_id=’1525283’ first=’Reece’ last=’Carlson’] |6’2 G/F| Fargo North   "Reece showed this year that he could be a good defender. He also showed the ability to shoot the ball well from the perimeter. Carlson was also able to put the ball on the floor and finish in traffic."   [player_tooltip player_id=’1167614’ first=’Xavier’ last=’Ames’] |6’6 W/F| Fargo Davies   "Xavier is a stretch BIG for us. He has excellent shooting touch from 3pt-land and is also able to put the ball down and take his defender off the dribble. Xavier has had flashes this season of being a great defender and one of our best rebounders on both ends of the court."   [player_tooltip player_id=’1167613’ first=’Eric’ last=’DeBoer’] |6’4 W/F| Fargo North   "Eric is arguably the best shooter in his age group for the area in my opinion. He and Carsten are 1A and 1B when it comes to top shooters. Eric is a spectacular shooter and he was also one of the better passers on our team. He consistently showed the ability to push it in transition and thread the needle to an open teammate for an easy layup or shot. Eric showed a big improvement in his defense. He got better at guarding BIGs in the paint and guarding ball handlers on the wing."   Carsten Hoff |5’10 G| Moorhead   "Carsten has always been a great shooter but this year he’s taking his shot to a new level extending his range but also adding to his repertoire with a lovely midrange dribble pull-up. Last year, Carsten showed that he was more than just a shooter but this year he took it to another level. Hoff not only showed of his 3pt shot but was more aggressive this year off the dribble, setting up his 3 ball or looking to get to the paint for a layup or floater."   [player_tooltip player_id=’1167609’ first=’Sullivan’ last=’Ihry’] |5’10 G| West Fargo Sheyenne   "In the 3 years, I’ve been coaching him he has always been someone I’ve leaned on as a player. Since day 1 Ihry has shown me that he is a leader on and off the court. But what makes Sullivan special is his work ethic, there are not many players his age in the area that I’d say have a better drive to be great than Sullivan. You can see on the court that he’s put in the work. Sullivan has an all-around game where he can do just about everything. On offense, he can score from anywhere and it doesn’t matter if it’s a catch and shoot or taking his defender off the dribble. He scores with layups and jump shots. On defense, he never shies away from competition and is always willing to take the other team’s best player."   [player_tooltip player_id=’1167611’ first=’Tony’ last=’Daniel Loria’] |6’5 W/F| West Fargo   "Loria is a very athletic W/F who uses his athleticism on offense and defense. Over the last several years Bonfas has developed into an all-around player who is continuing to get better. On defense, Bonfas can guard 1-5. He is a gifted rim protector, he can be tenacious in passing lanes, and is able to get steals or deflections. On offense this year he has shown that he can take defenders off the dribble to get a layup but he’s also relentless on the offensive glass and is able to get our team several second chance opportunities."   Q & A with coach Nate West   PHD: What is your best memory from this AAU season?   Coach West: "I’d have to say my best memory would have to be our trip to PHX to play in the Bash in the Desert tournament. We went 3-1 that tournament. What sticks out to me the most in that tournament was the team bonding that went on. Everyone always ate together, watched a movie, and went to an NBA game together. They also went back to where one of the players was staying to play a game of basketball in the pool together."   PHD: Who were a few of your hardest workers and what did they do to stick out?   Coach West: "Ihry & Busek were easily two of my hardest workers on the team. They always give me 100% effort whether it’s in practice or in a game. They’re kids I never have to worry about taking a play or rep off."   PHD: Can you talk about a few of your best defenders?   Coach West: "Ajeo, was probably our best defender this year. He was the guy I would almost always put on the other team’s main ball handler and he would pick them up full court and pressure them the whole time. Another top defender for us this season was Loria. He was able to show that he could guard the 1-5. With his length, he was able to get in passing lanes as well as be a rim protector for us."   PHD: Who was your best rebounder and why?   Coach West: "Loria was easily our best rebounder, he is just relentless when it comes to getting a rebound whether it’s on offense or defense."   PHD: Can you talk about your best shooter and what makes them so effective?   Coach West: "Our best shooter on the team is a tie between Deboer and Hoff. They both have a nice touch from anywhere on the court whether it’s a floater/midrange jumper to way out behind the 3PT line. One thing that stands out for both of them is that neither of them lacks any confidence when it comes to their shot, they expect every time the ball leaves their hand that it is going in."   PHD: Who improved the most over the AAU season?   Coach West: "This was a tough one but I’d have to say [player_tooltip player_id=’1525282’ first=’Victor’ last=’Busanga’] improved the most. By the end of the year, he became a do-it-all guard. He showed me that he could be a great defender as well as control the flow on offense. He also became a great rebounder for his size who really helped us out on the boards down the stretch."   PHD: When you needed a big bucket, who was your "go-to" player?   Coach West: "When we needed a bucket, I knew I could always count on our PG Sully Ihry to get us a bucket whether our offense was in a slump or it was crunch time."   <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/07/inspiredathletics-1.png"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/07/inspiredathletics-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-1525226" width="152" height="152"/></a></figure>

This IA squad is filled with talented players from the Fargo-Moorhead Area. They played a solid schedule and there are multiple prospects that you will want to hear about. Read below for an in-depth look at Inspired Athletes 15U.