D1 Minnesota 17s: Undefeated Opening Weekend
In this article:
D1 Minnesota 17s went to Iowa and won four games against quality competition. We caught up with Coach Jon Williams to chat on the team. Last weekend D1 Minnesota was in Ames for the Heartland Hoop Fest. D1 Minnesota played…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingD1 Minnesota 17s went to Iowa and won four games against quality competition. We caught up with Coach Jon Williams to chat on the team.
Last weekend D1 Minnesota was in Ames for the Heartland Hoop Fest. D1 Minnesota played a very healthy schedule of MoKan EYBL, Martin Brothers, Kingdom Hoops and KC Spurs and won all four games.
“It was good, it was an interesting weekend with the learning curve and myself coming off of brain surgery,” Williams said. “I was worried how I would be affected getting back on the sidelines and we have a couple new guys mixing in for the first time. It was an interesting weekend but we did well. The guys gelled well together. They played extremely hard and they like each other which is most important.
“I think these guys get it. They get it. They had one common goal and that is to get to the next level.”
Williams is entering his second year as the coach of Isaac Asuma Isaac Asuma 6'3" | PG Cherry | 2024 State #102 Nation MN and he dove into what makes Isaac such an strong player for his team. Just like last year, Isaac went from the Class A State Tournament to playing well at the highest level of high school spring/summer basketball.
“He was exceptional,” Williams said. “Gopher fans are going to be surprised, he scores the ball better than I think a lot of people know. He has a good jumper, his mid-range game is really good and he can shoot the ball from deep. He did not showcase that a lot in high school being a team guy and passing a lot, but it was an exceptional weekend shooting and playing for (Isaac).
“Our game against MoKan (the top MoKan EYBL team) playing with a 24 second shot clock, he controlled the tempo. And he was able to play with bigger guys. Guards that have a college ready body and ready to play right now, Isaac showed that he can score against those guys right now. And get other guys shots as well.”
Grayson Grove Grayson Grove 6'9" | PF Alexandria Area | 2024 State #171 Nation MN has gone from taking his team to the Class AAA State Tournament to playing well with D1 Minnesota.
“Grayson played well,” Williams said. “He is a great defender. Everybody knows he can step out and hit a jumper but this weekend he showcased that he can catch it on the block and score with his left hand, score with his right hand, score the jumphook. He ran the floor really well making great passes and great reads. He had a great weekend.
“Of course there was a bit of a learning curve. He is coming back from an ankle injury he suffered at the state tournament. He doesn’t have much lift right now with that ankle still heeling but I would say he still had a great weekend overall.”
D1 Minnesota also includes Isaiah Johnson Isaiah Johnson 6'7" | SF Totino-Grace | 2024 State #135 Nation MN of Totino-Grace, Patrick Rowe Patrick Rowe 6'6" | SF Chisago Lakes | 2024 State MN of Chisago Lakes, Jackson Fowlkes Jackson Fowlkes 6'4" | SG Park Center | 2024 State MN of Park Center, Kole Hanson Kole Hanson 6'2" | PG Holy Family | 2024 State MN of Holy Family, Tameron Ferguson Tameron Ferguson 6'2" | PG St. Cloud Tech | 2024 State MN of St. Cloud Tech, Isaiah Schaefer of North Dakota, and Jonathan Mekonnen Jonathan Mekonnen 6'8" | PF Eastview | 2024 State #201 Nation MN of Eastview.
“Jonathan looked really good. For a guy that is new to us he looked really good against MoKan. He got up and rebounded, he ran the floor, he was able to score. One of the biggest things for him was when guards are coming up to him, keep the ball down as he was tied up a couple times. But overall he played well. Shot it well from deep well, he was able to penetrate the basket. It was a good weekend for him.”