Prep Hoops Live ATL: Minnesota Wing Standouts
In this article:
The Prep Hoops Live ATL event hosted teams from across the country, with some of Minnesota’s top prospects and programs competing. These are some of the Minnesota wings who stood out in the games I caught! Jinup Dubuol (6’7 2024…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe Prep Hoops Live ATL event hosted teams from across the country, with some of Minnesota’s top prospects and programs competing. These are some of the Minnesota wings who stood out in the games I caught!
Jinup Dubuol (6’7 2024 W, Fab SoElite)- Since I last saw him in the winter Jinup has made big strides in his game, and now looks a bit taller and stronger than he did as a sophomore. Now listed at 6’7, Jinup has plenty of length on the wing and is a threat from beyond the arc who gets his shot off quickly to beat closeouts. Capable of shooting off the catch or breaking his man down off the dribble and creating his own shot, Jinup has to be accounted for at all times. He’s also added some explosiveness and threw down a two hand slam in one of the games I saw. Defensively he works hard moving his feet against smaller wings and can double as a rim protecting threat with his long arms. Has the handle to grab a defensive rebound and initiate the break going the other way. All of this was done while playing up at the 17u level.
Will Opsahl Will Opsahl 6'8" | SF Goodhue | 2023 State MN (6’8 2023 W, Minnesota Lightning)- There’s some real fluidity to Will that you don’t often see in 6’8 players. It’s that type of mobility combined with a solid handle that allows him to play just about anywhere at the high school level, and he’ll often mix in some point guard play with reps on the wing for this Minnesota Lightning team. Against 24MD on Saturday Will knocked down a corner three coupled with a few nice finishes at the rim which he earned with his movement off the ball. Will also had one of the best passes of the weekend, zipping in a one handed pass from outside the arc through a tight window to his teammate around the basket.
Khalif Bettis Khalif Bettis 6'6" | SF Burnsville | 2023 State MN (6’5 2023 W, Minnesota Chill Elite)- Minnesota Chill took down Wisconsin Crusaders and nearly completed a huge comeback against Team 1848. A huge reason why Chill was able to get back into that game was because of Khalif aggressively attacking the basket. He’s become known for his smooth pull-up jumper, but over the weekend he was making a statement by putting the ball on the floor and getting to the rim. Even when he wasn’t able to finish, he was taking the ball up strong and almost forcing the defenders to foul him in order to stop him. That led to plenty of trips to the free throw line where Khalif was completing at a high rate. Bettis has no fear taking shots in crunch time as he’s very confident in his offensive skillset at 6’5.
Jonathan Mekonnen Jonathan Mekonnen 6'8" | PF Eastview | 2024 State #201 Nation MN (6’7 2024 SF, Minnesota Heat PBJ)- Jonathan Mekonnen Jonathan Mekonnen 6'8" | PF Eastview | 2024 State #201 Nation MN has a little Josh Ola-Joseph to his game as someone who can excel on the wing, but also has the size and work ethic to excel as more of a power forward. Whatever role Heat PBJ plays him in, Mekonnen provides consistent production. He just finds ways to get the ball around the rim, whether it’s off the dribble, posting up, fighting for offensive rebounds, or getting out in transition. One thing that really stands out in Jonathan is his quick second leap that allows him to take his or a teammate’s missed shot and immediately go right back up for two points. Defensively he can play a lot stronger than he looks down low while covering a lot of ground in his stride to defend on the wing. Seems to block one or two shots in every game I watch.
Kamryn Mestas (6’5 2024 W, Fab SoElite)- One of the new names who caught my attention this past weekend was Kamryn Mestas. He’s an explosive wing with some size who was a force in the open floor. One play saw him go right up over the top of a defender for a huge dunk and he also added in an impressive alley-oop slam showcasing impressive coordination to catch and finish in one smooth motion. On the perimeter he has a nice left handed stroke from three that forces the defense to come out and guard him. Really like his competitive edge on the defensive end as he’s not afraid to get physical against size while his athleticism makes him a threat to jump passes and get out in transition.
Liam Farniok Liam Farniok 6'3" | SG Minneapolis Southwest | 2024 State MN (6’3 2024 W, Minnesota Heat PBJ)- Liam’s effort alone is enough to catch your eye when watching this team play. He just gives 100% for every minute he’s on the floor, and it shows with his ability to effectively guard a variety of spots. Liam has no problem getting physical with bigger players when switching onto the post and he’s going to get on the floor for every single loose ball in his area. Someone that can come in and give his team a big momentum boost with plays that don’t show up on the box score. Offensively he added in a few tough finishes through contact in the games that I watched.
Micah Young Micah Young 6'3" | SF Minneapolis Edison | 2023 State MN (6’3 2023 W, Minnesota Heat PVR)- Playing alongside a number of talented guards, Micah feasts off of their ability to get into the paint and draw in a help defender. He’s so good at timing his cuts to the rim and it allows him to catch a pass in stride, and then elevate off two feet around the rim. Micah showcased the body control to finish with touch off the glass, while also having the explosiveness to go up and finish above the rim. He threw down two dunks in the game I saw, including one where he drove down the lane and effortlessly glided to the rim for a dunk. In addition he’s a threat from the three point line which forces defenders to step out and defend him on the perimeter.