Prospect Standouts From Thursday And Friday
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Seven standouts from the two games I took in from Thursday and Friday! I saw South Milwaukee defeat West Allis Central as well as Marquette winning big vs Brookfield Central. Stats via wissports.net Nolan Minessale WI #6 SF #3 HEIGHT…
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Continue ReadingSeven standouts from the two games I took in from Thursday and Friday! I saw South Milwaukee defeat West Allis Central as well as Marquette winning big vs Brookfield Central. Stats via wissports.net
Nolan continued his breakout season as one of the major stock-risers in the 2024 class. At around 6’5 he can change directions very quickly with a low crossover, allowing him to beat both smaller wings and bigger forwards off the dribble. When attacking the basket he was able to utilize a spin move on three different occasions resulting in easy finishes at the rim. Has the explosiveness to throw down some impressive dunks, but last night he was showcasing his touch to extend and finish from difficult angles. Nolan scored 24 points in the win but also excelled as a facilitator down the stretch. He was demanding second/third defenders any time he got into the paint, and was easily locating open shooters of teammates around the rim. Continues to prove to be a versatile defender with his intriguing blend of length and athleticism.
Booka Sibide
Booka Sibide
I wasn’t really familiar with Booka prior to Thursday night, but came away impressed as he put on a pick & roll clinic in the win over West Allis Central. He was incredibly patient coming off screens, and did a great job at waiting for the exact moment to slip the ball through to his big. What was more impressive was the variety of angles that he was able to deliver his passes from while putting them right in his bigs’ hands. Booka was finishing off his chances in transition including an explosive dunk, while also taking a smaller guard to the block and powering his way up for another score. Really under-the-radar point guard in the 2023 class.
Logan Laine
Logan Laine
On the receiving end of most of Sooka’a assists was Logan Laine. The 6’6 sophomore is a long and lanky forward with good hands and coordination that allowed him to catch and finish on the move. I also liked the patience he displayed when catching in traffic, gathering himself and getting defenders in the air with a shot fake before powering up to finish. Was very dangerous out of the pick & roll but also impressed with his ability to step outside and knock down open jumpers. Logan was a threat on the glass, and moves well at his size to defend inside and out when needed.
Yusef Gray Jr
Yusef Gray Jr
Yusef continued his impressive freshman season with a productive showing against South Milwaukee. At 6’4 he’s very quick at his size, allowing him to beat his man off the dribble with straight line drives to the basket. Once there he showcased good body control to elevate off one or two feet while keeping his eyes locked on the rim to finish. Looks like he’ll develop into a major problem in transition because of his speed and how well he can handle the ball at 6’4. Nice drive and dish game with his ability to get into the paint and draw in extra defenders.
Jack has added a few high major offers in 2023, with the most recent coming from Richmond. At 6’8 he may not be jumping out of the gym or making flashy plays off the dribble, but he’s very skilled at his size and can hurt teams in a number of ways. Does a great job of getting defenders off balanced with a shot fake or hard jab step before attacking in the opposite direction. Showcased good body control and touch once at the rim to finish at a high percentage. Moves much more fluidly than most 6’8 guys do off the dribble. Against Marquette his shot wasn’t falling like usual, but he’s an outside shooting threat that has to be accounted for at all times. Finished with a team high 15 points on Friday night.
TJ just plays the game at his own pace no matter what the defense throws at him. Against a skilled and disciplined Brookfield Central team, he was able to stretch the floor for his slashers by knocking down deep three after deep three. After he saw a few go down, he had success putting the ball on the floor and blowing by bad closeouts to attack the basket. Has touch at the rim but also had a couple of nice dump off passes leading to easy lay-ups. TJ is always aware of his surroundings on the floor which allows him to make plays on both ends. Helped limit the Brookfield Central backcourt to limited production on the night.
Wasn’t the biggest scoring night for Dunham on Thursday, but I thought he was efficient and taking his chances well to help his team to a big win. Two of his teammates were having big games, so he was content to work hard as a defender and rebounder, really utilizing his size as a bigger wing. Offensively he was able to knock down his mid-range shot at a nice percentage to help his team in the scoring department. Really unselfish player who can take over a game with his scoring, but doesn’t always have to force his game to help his team win.