Max’s Granite City Classic Standouts
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Seven prospects who impressed me at St. Cloud State on Friday for the Granite City Classic! Grayson Grove MN #7 PF #2 HEIGHT 6'9" POS PF CLASS 2024 View Profile Grayson Grove Twitter State: Minnesota School: Alexandria Area Club: D1…
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Continue ReadingSeven prospects who impressed me at St. Cloud State on Friday for the Granite City Classic!
Grayson was my MVP of the day as he went off for 31 points against a pair of 6’10 D1 signed bigs. Even giving up weight and a little bit of height, he made things incredibly difficult for both of them on the block. He stood his ground and was contesting straight up to limit their buckets in the paint. On the offensive end his ability to move on the perimeter and knock down threes proved to be too much for the Holy Family defense. Any time he got a bit of space it was a quick and confident release out of his hands and most of the time that resulted in three points. While most of his scoring came on jumpers, he wasn’t afraid to put the ball down and score around the paint via drives, post ups, or quick off ball cuts. Skilled and agile big in the 2024 class.
The last time I saw Hudson was at the same event last year, and he’s grown a bit both physically and as a player. He looks much more confident with the ball in his hands, and good things were happening when he looked to attack. Has a quick burst with the length to extend and finish at the rim, but he also kept his eyes scanning the floor so he knew where the open man was when the defense collapsed. Hudson picked up two early fouls but showed a lot of maturity with his ability to still play hard defense while not taking risks to avoid putting himself into further foul trouble. Had a strong game leading his team to a win over Spring Lake Park.
Highlights
Mikey Say
Mikey Say
I really liked the way that Mikey ran Spring Lake Park’s offense. Nothing flashy about his game, but he’s an extremely unselfish player with excellent court vision. If any of his teammates get an inch of space, you can bet that Mikey will find them and hit them with an accurate and timely pass. Can also stretch the floor and knock down threes if you leave him with too much space. Say is a high effort defender who’s going to pressure the ball hard, fight over screens, and get on the floor for loose balls.
Max was a true floor general in New Life Academy’s win over Cherry. He just makes smart plays with the ball, is able to get into dangerous areas, and delivers accurate passes in a variety of ways. Threw lobs over the top of the defense to hit his bigs rolling to the hoop, launched deep passes up the floor to hit his teammates sprinting to the rim, and drove into the paint before kicking it out to his open shooters. Max has a quickness with the ball that makes it hard to keep in front of him, and he’s someone that doesn’t need to take shots to make an impact on the game.
Isaak was probably the most intriguing prospect I saw all day. I hadn’t heard of him coming in, but when he entered the game off the bench for Rockford, he brought an immediate spark to the game. At 6’6 he’s extremely long with solid mobility and a good handle to match. He was able to create off the dribble while also handling the ball in the open floor. Looks really smooth handling the ball and pulling up for shots off the dribble. Gets solid elevation and also possesses the poise and footwork to go to work around the basket. Defensively he uses his length well to create steals and get up in passing lanes. Will be interesting to watch how he progresses as a prospect over the next year.
Highlights
At 6’3 John Pecarich John Pecarich 6’2″ | SG Brainerd | 2023 State MN is very quick with the ball in his hands. He was flying up the floor in transition for soft finishes off the glass, and able to use his handle to create his own shots in the half-court. Though he’s normally a high percentage shooter, the shots weren’t falling quite as much as usual on Friday. Instead, John made it a priority to get to the basket where he was able to finish and also earn trips to the free throw line. Has good defensive instincts with jumping passes and positioning himself off the ball to force turnovers and pick up stops. Helped lead Brainerd to a win over Centennial.
Highlights
Isaiah Asuma Isaiah Asuma 5'11" | SG Cherry | 2027 State MN
Isaiah Asuma Isaiah Asuma 5'11" | SG Cherry | 2027 State MN
I thought Isaiah made some big plays to keep Cherry in the game on Friday afternoon. With Isaac Asuma Isaac Asuma 6’3″ | PG Cherry | 2024 State #102 Nation MN handling the ball, Isaiah was very active off the ball to get open looks. Whether he was cutting back door in the half-court or flying up the floor in transition, his quickness freed him up for high percentage shots around the basket. Was able to attack full speed to the basket, or slow up and put up a soft floater to finish over the top of a defender. Always rare to see an 8th grader performing at the varsity level the way Isaiah did on Friday.