Max’s Monday Night Prospect Standouts
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Monday night I was able to catch a pair of games with Brooklyn Center vs Richfield tipping off at 5pm, followed up by Robbinsdale Armstrong vs Maple Grove at 7. These are some of the prospects who stood out in…
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Continue ReadingMonday night I was able to catch a pair of games with Brooklyn Center vs Richfield tipping off at 5pm, followed up by Robbinsdale Armstrong vs Maple Grove at 7. These are some of the prospects who stood out in those two games!
It was another win for Maple Grove, and another strong showing from junior guard Henry Stang Henry Stang 6’0″ | PG Maple Grove | 2024 State MN . He started off the game draining a three off the catch, and went on to finish with 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists in the win. The lefty guard is a high level shooter, but also showed he can utilize a shot fake and then hit a one dribble pull-up from mid-range. Fearless attacking the basket against size as well. When he gets downhill towards the basket he showed good vision to deliver passes at difficult angles while attacking with speed. Had a kickout pass to an open shooter that I’m not sure anyone else in the gym even saw open, as well as a nice wrap around pass to his big for an easy lay-up. High energy player who brings it on both ends.
CJ had a tough shooting night when I saw Richfield on Saturday, but bounced back with a 29 point performance on Monday night in a win over Brooklyn Center. He’s now listed at 6’3, and has a long and wiry frame with the ability to play either guard spot. In the first half he got the crowd on their feet with a posterizing dunk as he drove down the lane, and also had a pair of and-one finishes within a few minutes as well. Does well using his long arms to extend and finish with touch off the glass. Possesses a really soft floater as well. CJ excelled at beating his man with backdoor cuts to get touches around the rim, and once there he showed some footwork to create easy lay-ups. Has some wiggle to create his own shots off the dribble as well. Defensively he utilized his length to block three shots, and was also tipping some passes in Richfield’s zone defense.
Highlights
Lincoln had a few missed shots that I’m sure he’d like to get back, but he makes this list for his rebounding on Monday night. He pulled in 12 boards, and it seemed like every missed Armstrong shot was ending up in his hands. Lincoln does a nice job of finding a body to boxout as soon as a shot goes up, and he attacks it out of the air with two hands. Once it’s in his possession, he’s not going to cough at up as he chins the ball hard and will pivot hard to find an outlet pass. Offensively he still found some success out of the block as he has solid footwork, a strong base, and the touch to score with either hand. Added 15 points and a pair of assists to his rebounding tally.
Seth put together a nice game that had Armstrong in it until the very end. In the 2nd half he started to take advantage of his size, and was taking opposing guards into the paint where he was able to use his height and strength to catch and turn for a couple of physical buckets out of the block. Also showed off his high flying athleticism with an alley-oop dunk off of a backdoor cut, before hustling back to contest a shot, and then again running the floor for a tough finish at the rim. Offers some versatility on the defensive end because of how strong he is at 6’3, while also having the agility to stick with smaller guards. He finished the game with 17 points.
Highlights
CJ Taylor
CJ Taylor
Still think CJ is pretty raw and far from a finished product, but puts his length and athleticism to use in a variety of ways. He finished the night against Richfield with 10 rebounds, showcasing his ability to elevate and secure the ball in a crowd. Defensively he’s very mobile for 6’6, and used that to get into position to block multiple shots. On the offensive end he’s raw on the ball, but made a couple of quick cuts allowing him to catch and step into explosive dunks. Finished with 6 points.
Armstrong had the lead after one half as they were finding success speeding the game up and getting out in transition. During the 2nd half Raoul seemed to calm things down for his team, and made it a different game. He was in control of the tempo, and was facilitating at a high level. Mixing in some simple swing passes, with pick & roll and drive & kick assists. If you were open, Raoul was likely going to find you, and his vision allowed him to dish out 8 assists on the game. Also showed he’s a threat to score on his own as he hit a few outside shots on his way to 13 points in the win.
Highlights
Casey Gay
Casey Gay
Casey just seemed to be all over the place making plays for Richfield. Their zone defense led to a lot of tipped passes, and Casey seemed to either be the guy coming up with possession, or the one sprinting up the court picking up an easy lay-up off the steal. In the half-court he kept the ball swinging, but was aware of when a gap became available and he was then able to put the ball on the floor and attack the basket. Solid finishing ability saw him score 19 points in a bounce back win for his team.