Introducing ECI 16U Prospects!
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Get ready for a fun AAU season with this ECI team that is coached by Kyle Cummings. This squad has a great schedule put together with four Prep Hoops events. The ECI Prospects have plenty of talent to be excited…
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Continue ReadingGet ready for a fun AAU season with this ECI team that is coached by Kyle Cummings. This squad has a great schedule put together with four Prep Hoops events. The ECI Prospects have plenty of talent to be excited about! They will get things started this coming weekend in St. Cloud at the Comets Shootout.
See below for much more info on ECI 16U Prospects.
ECI 16U Prospects Roster
Player Comments from coach Kyle Cummings
Pearce Parks Pearce Parks 6'2" | SG Grand Forks Red River | 2025 State ND – “Pearce is a physically strong guard that can guard 1-5 due to his strength and athleticism. He is a matchup nightmare on offense. He can break defenders down off the dribble, knock down open threes, and can do a lot in the post with his strength and ability to play off of two feet. He is shifty and can finish at the rim in a variety of ways.“
Brady Westphal Brady Westphal 6'2" | SG West Fargo Horace | 2025 State ND – “Brady is a green-light three-point shooter. Has the ability to knock down threes off the catch, pull-up, and come off of screens. He can attack closeouts and has a really soft touch on his floater game and rarely misses free throws. Works hard on the offensive glass to get himself some cheap buckets.“
Carsten Hoff – “Carsten is as smooth as they come with the ball in his hands. He is able to score from all three levels. Hoff looks really good on the ball screen. Knows when to turn the corner and get to the rim, is able to get to the mid-range, shoots it really well when the defense goes under the ball screen, and can read the defense knowing when to get the ball back to the screener.“
Jacob Schaefer Jacob Schaefer 6'2" | SG Des Lacs-Burlington | 2025 ND – “Jacob is a GREAT decision maker. He never forces anything and makes the right play when it matters most. He has the ability to make the offense go. Swings the ball looking to get his teammates involved, nice looking shot off of drive and kick situations, and creates a lot of open shots for his teammates when he attacks closeouts.“
Matthew Sem Matthew Sem 6'1" | SG Fargo North | 2025 State ND – “Matthew is an athletic “ball-in-hand” guard that will provide instant offense. Matthew can create a shot for himself whenever he wants. He has a knack for scoring the ball in bunches. He excels in ball screen situations and is a monster in transition with his ability to finish at and above the rim. Matthew’s defense will create a lot of transition opportunities for his teammates and himself.“
Eric DeBoer Eric DeBoer 6'5" | SG Fargo North | 2025 State ND – “Eric is a long, skilled player that can play inside and out. Eric had a great year scoring the ball in a variety of ways. Including knocking down kick-out threes, posting smaller defenders, and giving the extra effort on the offensive glass to get himself to the free throw line and extra putbacks. Eric is a player that can also guard a number of different positions with his length and athleticism.
Aric Winczewski Aric Winczewski 6'2" | CG Minot | 2025 State ND – “Aric is a true point guard that gets the offense going. He is a reliable ball handler that gets the ball across half-court in pressure situations and gets his team into a nice flow offensively. Aric is a “3 and D” player that will hit multiple threes in a contest and do it while guarding the other team’s best player. He does a great job of playing strong off of two feet and making the right decisions.“
Landon Bedell Landon Bedell 6'7" | C Minot | 2025 State ND – “Landon is going to be a workhorse for this squad. He has a big strong athletic frame and will have to handle the bulk of defensive rebounding for this squad. He is a true back-to-the-basket big man that can also stretch his game out to the perimeter. He has nice hands that are always ready and great footwork that will help him in ball screen situations and finishing tougher shots inside.“
Grayson Schaeffer Grayson Schaeffer 6'5" | SF Minot | 2025 State ND – “Grayson is a long athletic player that can play both inside and out. He has the ability to guard multiple positions on the defensive end and cause matchup problems for the opposing team. Grayson can stretch the floor, finish inside off of both feet and finish at/above the rim in transition. We look forward to finding out how we can use Grayson to our advantage in game-by-game situations.“
Q&A with coach Cummings
PHD: Why are you excited about this team/roster?
Coach Cummings: “This team is filled with hard-working kids that know how to compete and win games down the stretch. We have multiple State Champions, a State Runner-Up, players that have competed in the State Tournament, and players that know what it’s like to play in tight games. I’m really looking forward to seeing this group come together and play some high-level basketball this spring/summer.“
PHD: How often will your team practice/work out?
Coach Cummings: “We will have weekly workouts for players in the ECI program but we will only practice as a team 1-2 times this year since we are so spread out across the state.”
PHD: What will a couple of your strengths be as a team?
Coach Cummings: “We will rely heavily on effort, defense, and athleticism to compete in games. We have a lot of smart guys that know how to play the game.“
PHD: What style of basketball will you play on the offensive end?
Coach Cummings: “We have a lot of athleticism that we plan to utilize in our transition game first and foremost. If we don’t have anything in transition we will run a true motion with a few rules put into play. I’m a big advocate for letting the players play at this level as long as we are moving and sharing the ball with each other.“
PHD: What brand of defense do you foresee your team playing?
Coach Cummings: “We will play an aggressive “on the line, up the line” style where we can get into passing lanes, get tips, steals, and create transition offense. We have a lot of guys that can protect the rim and as long as we trust each other and know there is help we can be aggressive on the ball and in the passing lanes.“
PHD: Is there an event/tournament you are most looking forward to?
Coach Cummings: “This is our first year in the Prep Hoops events. We look forward to showcasing what these boys from ND can do! We’ve heard nothing but good things about the Prep Hoops events.“