The Last Dance: Max’s Day 2 Standouts
Seven of the top performers I saw on Saturday at Prep Hoops’ The Last Dance! Joshua Ofori Joshua Ofori 6'7" | PF Prior Lake | 2023 State MN (6’7 2023 F, Minnesota Heat MacDonald)- You just won’t find many players…
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Continue ReadingSeven of the top performers I saw on Saturday at Prep Hoops’ The Last Dance!
Joshua Ofori Joshua Ofori 6'7" | PF Prior Lake | 2023 State MN (6’7 2023 F, Minnesota Heat MacDonald)- You just won’t find many players who work as hard as Ofori does. When you combine that work rate with his height and athletic abilities, it combines for constant production on both ends of the floor. He was chasing guards from beyond to poke the ball free for steals, diving across the floor for loose balls, sprinting all over the place to tip passes, and was a monster on the offensive glass. It seemed like every other possession Joe was getting a hand on one of his teammates’ missed shots to either control it himself or tip it back out to a teammate and get back in the offense. He had a couple of explosive dunks in the games I saw, and was finishing at a high level off the drive. Really like his improved ability to post up smaller wings/forwards and go to work on the block.
Buay Koak Buay Koak 6'4" | SG Lyle-Pacelli | 2023 State MN (6’4 2023 SG, MN Lightning)- Buay had the best game that I’ve seen out of him this spring/summer yesterday, and a large part of it was due to his activity off the ball. Early in the game he had a couple of hard cuts to put himself in position to score, and also elevated for an offensive board to keep a possession alive for his team. Throughout the game he just found ways to get to the rim and finish for his 16 points, while also being dominant on the glass. Even as a guard he managed to pull in 9 rebounds while also moving his feet to defend smaller players on that end of the floor.
Chet Kloss Chet Kloss 6'6" | PF Eastview | 2023 State MN (6’6 2023 PF, Minnesota Chill)- The trend of dominant rebounders appearing on this list continues, because Chet is as tough as they come inside. With a strong 6’6 frame he’s relentless in the paint, and always finds a body to box out as soon as a shot goes up. Does a nice job of grabbing the ball at his peak, and once he gets two hands on it he’s not giving it up as Chet is going to chin the ball and rip it before finding an outlet pass to get his team going. Offensively he sets a hard screen and has good hands to receive and finish all in one motion while rolling to the hoop, but he can also use his strength to back his man down and score from the block.
Caden Wilkins Caden Wilkins 6'7" | SF Bettendorf | 2024 State #196 Nation IA (6’6 2024 W, Iowa Barnstormers)- Caden goes out and plays the game like a college veteran. He’s just so poised, never gets sped up, and is always under control. He had some moments of dominance on the offensive end, as there wasn’t much he couldn’t do. Wilkins was knocking down threes, using his strong frame to drive to the basket, showcasing some footwork on the block, and knocking down turnaround jumpers with a hand right in his face. You don’t find a lot of 6’6 guys with the frame that Caden has, let alone players that are so skilled with the ball at that size. Also did a nice job of finding the open man when the defense began to double team him, and used his frame to compete on the glass.
Emiliano Barrantes Emiliano Barrantes 6'9" | PF Grand View Christian | 2025 State IA (6’9 2025 PF/C, Minnesota Spartans)- The up-and-coming big man from Iowa showed his potential playing at the 16u level with Minnesota Spartans. He has a very long frame but you can tell he has some lean muscle on him allowing him to compete in the post and take some bumps on defense. Does a nice job of walling up and using his height to alter shots even when he doesn’t get a hand on them. Moves well at his height to get up and down the floor in transition, and showed he can get off the floor quickly with a two hand slam on the baseline. Offensively he has soft touch to score around the basket, and also knocked down a clutch jumper with under a minute to go to pretty much seal the win for his team.
James Jewell (6’6 2023 W, Kentucky Vision Elite)- I hadn’t seen James play before this weekend, but he definitely made an impression on me in Saturday’s game. He’s incredibly long on the wing with his 6’6 frame, but his ability to handle the ball at that size is what’s really impressive. James was creating his own shots off the dribble in a way that you’ll rarely see from guys 4-5 inches shorter than him with some impressive fluidity. Has the change of direction to get by his man and extend to finish at the rim, but can also create separation and knock down some outside jumpers. Had an impressive finish in the second half elevating over the top of a defender and throwing it down. I believe he will be doing a prep year at Southern California Academy this upcoming season.
Myles Dillon-Parks (6’3 2023 W, Sizzle Simmons 17u)- Myles was unstoppable in transition yesterday, as he just kept finding ways to get out into the open floor. Whether it was picking his man’s pocket off the dribble, using his instincts to jump passing lanes, or just sprinting up the sidelines after his team got a rebound, transition opportunities were abundant for Myles. Once at the rim he’s an explosive athlete who can just hang in the air and adjust his body in whatever way necessary to finish. He wasn’t just a scorer though as he was reading the floor and making smart passes when his team had a numbers advantage to pick up a few assists. Saw some success beating his man off the dribble to get into the lane and score or facilitate in the half-court.