Twin Cities Championship Game Standouts
Minneapolis North defeated St. Paul Johnson to win yet another Twin Cities Championship game. These are seven of the prospects who stood out in that matchup! Larry Perkins HEIGHT 6'3" POS SF CLASS 2023 Larry Perkins School: Minneapolis North Larry…
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Continue ReadingMinneapolis North defeated St. Paul Johnson to win yet another Twin Cities Championship game. These are seven of the prospects who stood out in that matchup!
Larry Perkins
Larry Perkins
Larry struggled with some early fouls, but responded with a big second half to help lead North to the win. He’s a dangerous slasher who can cover a lot of ground quickly with his long stride, and has the ability to elevate and finish off one or two feet. Was an above the rim threat as he threw down an alley-oop dunk off a backdoor cut, while also throwing down another dunk in transition. Defensively he’s a versatile piece who can guard a variety of spots with his length, and does a nice job of jumping passing lanes to get out in transition. Has continued to improve as an outside shooter as well, and looks a lot more confident catching and shooting from three. Late bloomer prospect who’s put together a nice senior year. Finished with 26 points in the win.
Jay Tinsley
Jay Tinsley
Jay had one of the grittiest defensive performances I’ve seen all year on Saturday. I believe he took four charges, and also had a high effort play in which he tipped a pass, and then dove across the floor to secure the loose ball and possession for his team. He’s a strong and physical wing who can guard bigger than his size, but was moving his feet with opposing wings as well. His awareness off the ball allowed him to slide into good help-side position to take charges. Offensively he has an explosive burst to the rim and good body control in the air to finish. Had success with straight line drives but also showed some change in direction around the basket with a euro-step or spin move. Finished with a team high 18 points.
Zashon Rich
Zashon Rich
Zashon will likely be in contention for conference POTY both this season and next, as he’s a tough two-way guard. At the start of the season I would have described him as more of a wing, but lately he’s been handling the ball for his team, and looked good doing it yesterday. He’s poised on the ball, plays with good pace, and was unselfish getting his teammates involved with his ability to get into the paint and kick it out. Rich never really looked sped up or uncomfortable on the ball, even with all of the pressure Johnson was trying to throw at North. Had success moving his feet with smaller guards on the defensive end but has no problem with guarding bigger wings. All season we’ve seen him get thrown on to an opposing team’s best player and limit their production in the half-court. Rich scored 17 points in the win for North.
The freshman big man had some nice moments for Johnson on Saturday. Going up against some tall and physical defenders (including a D1 football commit), Kenneth was more than holding his own in the paint. He has a combination of size, physical strength, and touch off the glass that you don’t often see in a freshman. Even against that type of size Turner was patient on the block and was able to back his man down into deep post position for a simple shoulder turn and finish. Displayed really nice touch off the glass with his right hand even while taking some bumps. The freshman scored 12 points on the game.
Highlights
Auvon Sager
Auvon Sager
Auvon is committed to South Dakota for football, but is a talented frontcourt player on the hardwood as well. He’s a lot lighter on his feet than most players his size, making him a difficult matchup. If you put a smaller forward on him then Auvon can bully him in the paint, but put some size on him and he has the ability to step outside and create off the dribble. Sager used that versatility to score 13 points while also providing an extra rebounding presence for Minneapolis North.
Colin Moore Colin Moore 5'10" | PG St. Paul Johnson | 2027 State MN Jr
Colin Moore Colin Moore 5'10" | PG St. Paul Johnson | 2027 State MN Jr
The 8th grade guard was receiving heavy minutes on Saturday for Johnson, and put together a solid performance. Did a nice job of staying composed against a high pressure defense, and used his passing to help break the press. In the half-court he didn’t look rushed, and had to be accounted for at all times beyond the arc because of his ability to knock down threes. Impressive stuff from the 2027 guard not backing down on the big stage against a talented team filled with players 3-4 years older than him.
Keishaude Gilmer
Keishaude Gilmer
Keishaude had some big plays to help lead North to a win. Doesn’t have a ton of size, but is a scrappy defender who works hard on the ball. Offensively he has a nice change of speed and had a nasty hesitation move that got his defender in the air, allowing Gilmer to take on dribble past him into a pull-up jumper. That move got the North bench on their feet and gave them a nice boost of momentum moving forward.