#PHMidwestMelee: Max’s Wisconsin Standouts
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Seven of the Wisconsin prospects who impressed over the weekend in the Chicago area at Prep Hoops Midwest Melee! Keegan Van Kauwenberg WI #23 CG #8 HEIGHT 6'3" POS CG CLASS 2025 View Profile Keegan Van Kauwenberg Twitter State: Wisconsin…
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Continue ReadingSeven of the Wisconsin prospects who impressed over the weekend in the Chicago area at Prep Hoops Midwest Melee!
When it comes to wings in the 2025 class, not many are more dangerous isolation scorers than Keegan. The long and wiry sophomore out of Kaukauna was knocking down some big time shots in an overtime win over Wisconsin Playmakers Eau Claire on Sunday morning. He’s so dangerous getting to his spots off one or two dribbles for a mid-range pull-up, as gets solid elevation and has a high release point that makes it difficult to contest. He also works hard off the ball to create those looks for himself as he’s good at curling off screens while also creating good looks inside with some hard cuts to the basket. One of those players who can just take a game over at any given moment.
Logan had a couple of strong showings in the two games I watched, particularly on Saturday night in a win over Chicagoland Grit N Grind. Facing off against one of the top 2025’s in Illinois, Logan was holding his own on both ends of the floor. His matchup was one of the best shot blockers I’ve seen all year, but Logan was finding ways to get to the rim and utilize his craftiness to still finish consistently. Did a nice job of using the rim to fend of the shot blocker with some reverse lay-ups, and also beat him to the basket with some backdoor cuts and slips. Did the work without the ball to open up his opportunities inside. As a wing he rebounds the ball well and can defend a variety of spots on the floor at the high school level. Logan is a smart player with good shot selection, and it makes him such an efficient scoring threat.
Nicholas had Wisconsin Hoops Select rolling in a big win over MN Lockdown on Saturday afternoon. He may have been the quickest player on the floor, and he used that to his advantage to repeatedly get downhill towards the rim. Found success finishing right at the rim, but was also doing a nice job of forcing the defense to collapse and then kicking it out to his open shooters. Defenders all game long just had a tough time staying in front of him off the dribble. Defensively he wasn’t giving up an inch of space to his man, and had one of the most impressive blocks of the day as he chased a guy down and swatted his shot off the backboard.
Highlights
Zach had a big time scoring performance to force overtime against a talented Wisconsin Crusaders team on Sunday. He has one of the quickest releases on his shot in the 2025 class, meaning he doesn’t need much space to get his shot off. Lucky for him, he also has a shifty handle that allows him to separate from his defender and get off jumpers from mid-range and three. The shot was falling consistently, which forced defenders to play him tighter and gave him opportunities to get downhill towards the rim. Was able to go all the way to finish, or stop on two feet and kick it out to an open shooter. Added a buzzer beater from 3/4 court right before halftime as well.
Lamont Dagen Jr
Lamont Dagen Jr
LJ was coming up with some big plays on Sunday against a tough Illinois Attack team. Also a standout on the football field, this was the best I’ve seen Dagen play this spring for World Hoops Elite . He had a lot of success using his strong and explosive frame to get to the basket, coming up with timely finishes in the second half to keep his team in the game. Dagen isn’t the type of guard that’s going to light it up from three, but he showed a nice mid-range game when his defender sagged off too much to avoid getting beat to the rim. Also a scrappy defender who has quickness but also the strength to defend taller players on the wing.
It may not have been one of his 30 point outbursts, but Drew once again put in a strong performance helping lead Wisconsin Crusaders to a win on Sunday morning. There’s always a heightened sense of composure when Drew has the ball in his hands, as he never looks rushed no matter what the defense throws at him. He’s the type of player who you have to keep a hand up at all times on, as if you drop it for even a second he’s not afraid to pull-up and hit a three right in your face. Had an impressive full-court outlet pass leading to an easy bucket for a teammate, drained a tough fadeaway jumper in the lane, and had some sneaky off-ball movement leading to easy buckets throughout the win over Wisconsin Playmakers Eau Claire.
Highlights
At 6’5 Samuel was one of the better shooters with size I saw at the event. He’s often Closed Gyms’ tallest player on the floor, which means opposing teams’ forwards are usually left trying to chase him around the perimeter. Sam was probing around the perimeter and was constantly finding himself pockets of space to catch and shoot from three. At 6’5 he has great coordination to quickly get his feet squared up and elevate for his shot off the catch. Helped his team pick up an impressive win over a tough Chicagoland Grit N Grind team on Saturday.