The Last Dance: Max’s Wisconsin Standouts
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Seven Wisconsin prospects who impressed over the weekend at The Last Dance! Caleb Glaser Caleb Glaser 6'6" | SF Appleton East | 2023 State WI (6’7 2023 PF, Wisconsin Crusaders Premier)- One thing that always stands out with Caleb is…
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Continue ReadingSeven Wisconsin prospects who impressed over the weekend at The Last Dance!
Caleb Glaser Caleb Glaser 6'6" | SF Appleton East | 2023 State WI (6’7 2023 PF, Wisconsin Crusaders Premier)- One thing that always stands out with Caleb is his workrate. He’s always running the floor hard, setting good screens, and competing for rebounds on both ends of the floor. Glaser could go a whole game without scoring and still make a big impact because of how hard and physical he plays. In the two games I saw Caleb was highly effective rolling to the hoop where he showed good hands to catch in traffic before powering up and finishing. He has no problem scoring through contact, and even threw down a powerful two handed dunk on Sunday morning. Defensively he can be effective guarding taller players because he embraces a physical matchup down low and is going to fight to make entry passes on the block difficult.
Jayden Hackett (6’4 2023 W, WSM 48ers)- Jayden put himself on my radar with a nice performance on Saturday for WSM 48ers. On the opening possession of the game he caught the whole gym off guard cutting backdoor and elevating for an alley-oop dunk to get his team started off strong. Throughout the game he spent time as a wing scorer while also manning the point during stretches. He handles the ball well at his size and used that handle to get a lot of touches in the paint where he showed he can finish in a variety of ways. Has touch around the rim but isn’t afraid to go up and try to dunk on you either. Hackett also showed he hit the outside shot when given too much space as he hit multiple threes throughout the game. Will be one to keep an eye on at Bay Port this winter.
Carson Koepnick Carson Koepnick 6'2" | SG West Salem | 2023 State WI (6’1 2023 G, Coulee Country)- Carson put together a really strong campaign with Coulee Country over the spring/summer, and capped it off with some impressive showings at The Last Dance. In the game I saw Carson put up 30 points to help lead his team to an overtime victory. He doesn’t force much and is so smart seeing the floor and making the correct reads based on what the defense is giving him. Is an outside shooting threat but also has the quickness and crafty finishing ability to get to the rack and score inside. Showed he can operate on or off the ball at a high level.
Mikail Harmison Mikail Harmison 6'0" | SF Appleton West | 2023 State WI (6’3 2023 W, Team 1848 )- In an exciting matchup against Chicago Lockdown on Friday, Mikail busted the game open with his outside shooting. He was just in a different zone and was locked in on the rim. Converting on just about every shot he took, Mikail drained six 3’s and had two and-one finishes on his way to 23 points in the win. Harmison has the look of a college athlete at 6’3 with a strong frame, and he uses that to his advantage around the rim as he can take some bumps and still finish at a high level. Over the past two weekends I’ve seen him dominate games both inside and out on offense, while also showing he can lock down defensively on the wing.
John Kinzler (6’1 2023 G, Ignite Hoops)- One of the reasons while Westosha Central will once again be very good this winter is the return of John Kinzler. He was running with Ignite Hoops out of Illinois, and showed off his crafty playstyle that will make him dangerous during the high school season. His pull-up jumper from mid-range ranks among the best in Southeast Wisconsin as he can quickly step into his shot and get squared up on the move, elevating to get his shot off even over longer defenders. Showed he can get into the paint and get players into the air with his footwork and shot fakes before finishing. Just plays with composure and never seemed to get sped up in the game I saw.
Ethan Heck Ethan Heck 6'5" | SG West Depere | 2023 State WI (6’5 2023 W, Wisconsin Crusaders )- The Wisconsin Crusaders just have so many players who can hurt you on any given day, and on Sunday morning it was Ethan Heck Ethan Heck 6'5" | SG West Depere | 2023 State WI who came out firing. It took just four minutes for Ethan to break into double-figures as he was not only showing off his catch-and-shoot three, but also getting into the mid-range and scoring off one or two dribbles. It just looks like the game is moving in slow motion for Ethan as he can read a defender’s close out perfectly to determine if he should shoot the three, swing the ball, or if he’ll be able to take one dribble and attack. Ethan is one of the top shooters in the state, and has the positional size at 6’5 to make him a promising prospect.
Hunter Thiel Hunter Thiel 6'5" | SF Little Chute | 2023 State WI (6’5 2023 SF, Wisconsin Crusaders Elite)- Hunter excelled with his off-ball movement on Saturday, resulting in plenty of high percentage looks around the basket. With his strong frame at 6’5, once he caught the ball around the rim there weren’t many players who were going to stand in his way. He was cutting hard and was able to catch and finish on the move multiple times, but also had the footwork to stop, pivot, and finish off two feet when the immediate space wasn’t there. Really liked how he wasn’t just forcing up shots in traffic just because he was close to the rim, but instead remained patient and waited for the best opportunities to shoot or kick it out to the open man. Also showed defensive versatility to be able to guard on the wing or in the post with his size.