Week One: Top 2023 Players Tony Saw
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Taydem Arguello HEIGHT 6'2" POS PG CLASS 2023 Taydem Arguello School: Bettendorf Club: Iowa Barnstormers Arguello didn’t play varsity ball at Bettendorf last year, but had a really productive summer with the Barnstormers so I was excited to get a…
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Continue ReadingTaydem Arguello
Taydem Arguello
Arguello didn’t play varsity ball at Bettendorf last year, but had a really productive summer with the Barnstormers so I was excited to get a look at him and he didn’t disappoint in the Bulldogs’ narrow loss to Linn-Mar, going for 11 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals. A 6-2 lead guard with length, he’s a great athlete who looks to constantly put pressure on opposing defenses with his quickness and aggressive style of play. He’s a confident shooter with good form on his jumper and plenty of range, but he’s certainly at his best when he’s using that athleticism to get to the rim. He has good footwork and is a strong finisher around the bucket. Defensively he moves his feet well and does a good job utilizing his length to his benefit, getting into passing lanes and seizing the opportunity to turn defense into offense.
Skinner had a huge game in the Crusaders’ win over Treynor, scoring 23 points on 6-13 shooting (4-6 3P, 7-10 FT) to go with 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal. He’s a small guard who moves well without the ball in his hands, finding spaces in the defense to get his shot off with a quick release off the catch. When he does have the ball in his hands, he showed flashes as a strong secondary ball-handling option and playmaker who can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim on occasion.
Kuehl (cover photo) was excellent as a distributor in Heelan’s road win at Treynor last week, dishing out 10 assists (against just 3 turnovers) to go with 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. I’ve seen Kuehl play a few times before and he always played a bit more off the ball than on it in previous viewings, so it was a pleasant surprise to see him displaying improved ball-handling and confidence as a playmaker for his teammates. He did a great job passing into his teammate’s shooting pocket, putting them in position to quickly score. He displayed a few nice hesitation moves that he used to temporarily freeze the defender and get into the paint, where he showed a strong floater game. He’s a capable perimeter shooting threat and if this improved handle and decision-making is for real, Heelan will be dangerous in 3A.
I saw DMC play in their season opener against Carlisle, and while Theis didn’t have a great night shooting the ball (3-13 FG), he found other ways to impact the game and allow his teammates to carry the offensive burden. A 6-1/6-2 guard who can handle it a bit, he crashed the offensive glass hard, pulling down four offensive rebounds, and he’s an active defender who can guard multiple positions. He’s a disciplined player on both ends of the floor who doesn’t force anything and will find ways to contribute to winning.
Dickerson is an intriguing prospect because of his size (6-8) and mobility. He covers a lot of ground on the defensive end and is a fantastic rim protector with good timing and instincts as a shot blocker. He recovers well when asked to hedge in ball screen action, quickly getting back to his man and contesting shots, and he also does a great job keeping his blocked shots inbounds and allowing for his team to get out in transition as a result of his big defensive plays. Offensively he’s still a work in progress, but he has good hands and soft touch around the bucket, the next step is just continuing to smoothen out his post moves and work on finishing with either hand around the rim. But with his size, mobility, and defensive prowess, he’ll be a really strong player for an NAIA or Division III program to pick up and continue to mold.