The Minnesota Top 250 Expo: The Top Performers

The best of the best that I saw in the gym on Saturday. The guys that I watched played at a highest of levels against their peers. The Top Performers.   [player_tooltip player_id='1296148' first='Marley' last='Baah-Yeboah'] of Lakeville South (6'3 wing, 2024). Based on what we have seen form Marley in the past half year, we think big things are coming for him his junior year. The biggest thing that caught my eye this weekend was how he was beating players with his first dribble from the perimeter. Marley was blowing by guys with his first move and when he gets a dribble or two to the rim and the help isn't there, it's a highlight reel. And obviously at an expo the help defense isn't going to be good, so we got a 20 point per game highlight reel.   [player_tooltip player_id='1288713' first='Trey' last='Borchers'] of Anoka (6'1 PG, 2025). Anoka has had some struggles but they have some sophomores and juniors that are showing promise. The biggest name for me? [player_tooltip player_id='1288713' first='Trey' last='Borchers']. Everything about Trey's game is clean and guys seemed to love running up the floor with him because they knew that Trey was going to reward them with a nice feed for a jumper or a score around the basket. He made a great pair with [player_tooltip player_id='1288816' first='Dawson' last='Bunke'] and when Borchers quickly released his jumpers, they fell through the net with a pretty swish. So steady, so precise, so tough, and so fundamentally sound, [player_tooltip player_id='1288713' first='Trey' last='Borchers'] delivered everything with perfect timing. Keep an eye on this young man, big things seem to be on the way.   [player_tooltip player_id='1284143' first='Isaiah' last='Johnson'] of Totino-Grace (6'7 wing, 2024). Johnson has been the hottest name of the fall recruiting wise (four D1 offers in September) and this weekend we caught a good glimpse of why. Physically Johnson looks exactly like a high major Big Ten talent. He's got broad shoulders with muscle to them, he's quick off his feet to make plays in the paint, and he gets up and down the floor very well. What's even more impressive is that Johnson was getting up and down the floor pushing the basketball with success regularly and doing that at 6'7 really grabs your attention. What I really liked was the rate at which he finished and how aggressive he was producing scores. In the past we've seen the perimeter comfort as a passer, using the dribble, but seeing him score regularly was another step forward. High major offers coming? I would say without a doubt.   [player_tooltip player_id='1617685' first='Bailey' last='Mcdonald'] of Maranatha Christian Academy (6'2 2023). This was some of the best basketball I have seen Bailey play and I think it had a lot to do with the fact that Bailey was comfortable, confident, and aggressive. We saw him hit multiple threes in a couple games, we saw him attack the basket not just with that skill, but with the mature size of a senior using both skill and size to create space for himself. McDonald did a nice job of finishing from mid-range and taking contact going towards the rim plus Bailey still handled and got others involved. The son of former Gopher Ariel McDonald has certainly taken a step forward as a player.   Johnathan Mekonnen of Eastview (6'7 forward, 2024). The young man just plays so hard and when you do that at this size, it pushes you to the front of the line. Mekonnen is one of the most explosive players in the state of Minnesota and we've seen that when he boards, finishes, and blocks shots. What makes him more special than others is that Mekonnen works hard so we see more dunks, boards, and blocks than others that are similar to him in size and agility. When he caught and used a dribble Jonathan was excellent. When he beat the opposition to the angle for a post touch he was dominant.   [player_tooltip player_id='1161947' first='Joshua' last='Ofori'] of Prior Lake (6'7 forward, 2023). There were D3, NAIA, and junior college coaches all over the place yesterday plus a nice selection from the NSIC. And most of them are likely talking about Ofori in their meetings today. Why? Because he's one of the biggest and strongest at the event plus one of the most explosive players there. You take that combination and put it into 27 point and 24 point games with double digit boards you will have people talking. Love how hard he played throughout every single game. And remember, he was a JV sophomore at Shakopee two years ago, sat out because of transfer last year, and is playing his first varsity basketball this winter. There is a lot to come still from Ofori.   [player_tooltip player_id='1288770' first='JJ' last='Sullivan'] of Eden Prairie (6'2 guard, 2025). My opinion of [player_tooltip player_id='1288770' first='JJ' last='Sullivan'] went from high to very very high after yesterday. First of all, if I am putting my life on the line and somebody has to take a shot, I'm trusting Sullivan with it (when it comes to high school basketball players of course). When Sullivan has his feet set and catches on balance in any space, we are talking 60 to 70 percent reliability here. But what I loved was the combination of fluidity and quickness that Sullivan played with pushing the ball up the floor and scoring at the cup. His variety of small window paint finishes was incredible and he passed the ball very well. Sullivan is starting to physically mature and with it has come an even more impressive prospect.   [player_tooltip player_id='1484016' first='Brady' last='Wooley'] of Orono (6'9 big/forward, 2025). As Brady continues to get more and more comfortable, the more and more people will see the special upside he has. This weekend he had a putback on the move where he finished with a reverse that is simply rare for guys his size and his age. We saw him weave through traffic pushing the ball in transition, we saw Brady use a fake on the move to then finish a lay-up, and we saw him use two dribbles and get into a pull-up with great footwork. Even more important, he fits that stretch four category because his shooting touch is high quality with really good form. And as well as he is playing, Brady hasn't even hit 5 percent of his potential yet.

The best of the best that I saw in the gym on Saturday. The guys that I watched played at a highest of levels against their peers. The Top Performers.