Under Armour Finals: Thursday Notebook
CHICAGO — News and notes from Thursday’s action at the Under Armour Finals from Wintrust Sports Complex… Tosa West Duo Dominates Looking to bounce back from a loss to a loaded Canada Elite squad Wednesday night, Wisconsin Playground Club 15U…
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Continue ReadingCHICAGO — News and notes from Thursday’s action at the Under Armour Finals from Wintrust Sports Complex…
Tosa West Duo Dominates
Looking to bounce back from a loss to a loaded Canada Elite squad Wednesday night, Wisconsin Playground Club 15U had a quick turnaround with an 8 a.m. contest versus B Maze Elite Thursday morning. The Wauwatosa West duo of Jake Hansen Jake Hansen 6'1" | SG Wauwatosa West | 2025 State #331 Nation and Kai Rogers Kai Rogers 6'10" | C Wauwatosa West | 2025 State #41 Nation came to play.
Hansen led all scorers with 25 points, putting together a strong second half that included 12 points. Hansen’s pull-up game looked strong. The 6-foot-1 guard can stop on a dime and rise up without hesitation. Able to score over size and length, Hansen does a great job of not tipping his hand, selling the drive, and keeping his eyes down before going into his shooting motion.
Rogers flirted with a triple-double, posting 25 points, eight rebounds, and eight blocks. The 6-foot-10 sophomore handled multiple defenders crowding the paint well — catching high and keeping high. Defensively, B Maze tried to isolate him on the perimeter and make Rogers play on an island. Rogers, who’s dropped 40 pounds since last season, was able to stay in front and protect the rim against dribble drives.
Guard Isiah robinson Isiah robinson 5'10" | PG Racine Park | 2025 State (Racine Park) also gave PGC some strong minutes. Robinson cashed in with 10 points and forced a few key turnovers that resulted in points.
Rogers Ascending Nationally
You’re going to be hard-pressed to find few better post prospects nationally than Rogers. In his second outing, Rogers was absolutely dominant, going for 29 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks in a win over the Houston Defenders.
Aside from his athleticism for a 6-foot-10 big, Rogers can do some advanced things on the block for his age. His 1-on-1 catches are rare, but Rogers can score over either shoulder and shows some fantastic patience. He’s able to get defenders going one way and then come back another.
Defensively, Rogers is a force. He’s going to get every rebound in his vicinity, protect the rim and force opponents to play from the outside, and when he’s caught up on a switch, Rogers can defend in space on the perimeter.
Holding early offers from Illinois, Iowa, Texas, Ole Miss, Georgetown, and Wisconsin, look for Rogers to be a blueblood and national recruit by the time his junior year rolls around.
Playground 16U Drops a Pair of Games
PGC fell in their opener to a very good West Coast Elite squad 77-72. Trailing by double digits to start the fourth quarter, PGC rallied behind strong spurts from Cole Hansen Cole Hansen 6'4" | SG Legacy Early College | 2024 State (Wauwatosa West) and Stevie Clark Stevie Clark 6'6" | SF Oshkosh North | 2024 State #322 Nation (Oshkosh North).
Clark had a big fourth quarter, scoring 12 of his 25 points in the final period. Hansen finished with 21, including a couple of late 3-pointers to make it interesting.
In the nightcap against WER1, Playground suffered a 58-51 loss. PGC did get a lot of quality minutes from guard Willie Williams Willie Williams 6'0" Racine Park | 2024 (Racine Park). In a game that was a dog fight, Williams brought the energy and effort defensively, picking up opponents for 94 feet and causing havoc. Williams also blew by his man offensively a few times for a couple of nice drives to the cup.
Seven Footer Alert
Always like trying to evaluate and find sleepers in my down time. Center Gabriel Dynes Gabriel Dynes 7'3" | C Simon Kenton | 2023 State (Independence, K.Y.) of Griffin Elite grabbed my attention Thursday afternoon.
You can’t teach seven feet. Seven-footers with coordination are even harder to find. Dynes, who holds an offer from Youngstown State, is a project, but shows good basketball instincts. He’s mobile enough to play in an uptempo, spread out game. Dynes also seems have some basic fundamental post footwork down and showed off a nice jump hook with both hands.
Dynes is very lanky right now, which allows him to be late or out of position at times defensively, but makes him very raw physically. Get him in a collegiate strength and conditioning program, add some muscle to his frame, and I’d be very interested to see what type of player he turns into.
Elijah Griffin Elijah Griffin 6'1" | PG Westosha Central | 2025 State #352 Nation Belongs in the Top 25
Was thinking it after the Prep Hoops Summer Challenge. This week has confirmed it. Elijah Griffin Elijah Griffin 6'1" | PG Westosha Central | 2025 State #352 Nation should have been in the top 25 player rankings for 2025.
Highlights
The Westosha Central point guard needs to cut down on his turnovers and just make the simple play at times, but Griffin can absolutely dish the rock. Think you live with some of the mistakes regardless. There’s a trade off as Griffin just sees things most point guards cannot.
In a win over the Houston Defenders, Griffin dished out about 6-7 assists while facing constant pressure by the opposition. Rogers is a tremendous prospect, but a lot of what he gets comes from the creation of Griffin. The 6-foot-1 rising sophomore doesn’t always take a ton of shots, but he’s a guy that can go get himself a bucket and has a surprisingly good ability to knock down 3-pointers under durress.
Right now, I see Griffin in the 15-22 range in what’s a loaded 2025 class in Wisconsin that’s going to be very competitive for spots.