Mississippi River Classic: 5 Players Who Stood Out
This weekend at the MRC I had the chance to see a mix of high school teams and AAU teams face off under the same roof. Below are a few players that consistently stood out this weekend and helped their…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThis weekend at the MRC I had the chance to see a mix of high school teams and AAU teams face off under the same roof. Below are a few players that consistently stood out this weekend and helped their perspective teams pull off some victories at the same time. These players showed on more than one occasion that they are a main contributor for whatever team they were competing with.
Demarion Honaker – SF – 2024 – Iowa Mavs 17U Grey
Demarion Honaker was the big man in the middle for his Iowa Mavs team this weekend in Dubuque. Honaker displayed a plethora of skills on the court. He showed that he is strong and efficient near the rim with solid footwork and a nice physicality when he catches with his back to the basket. He also showed that he can spread the floor and knock down a shot or two when given space to pull up from the mid-post or behind the three point line. Defensively, he is a rim protector. A player who opponents need to worry about once they beat their initial defender off of the dribble because he is going to be there waiting to help. All in all, Honaker is a solid prospect with a nice ceiling looking toward the future.
Trey Hughes Trey Hughes 6'2" | SG Liberty | 2024 State IA – SG – 2024 – Liberty High School
Coming right out of AAU season can be tough for some players but not for Trey Hughes Trey Hughes 6'2" | SG Liberty | 2024 State IA . Hughes picked up right where he left off from AAU season and that is scoring the ball at a high and efficient rate. Last season I would have told you that if you can stop Trey from making three’s, you’ll be just fine. Well, that is not the case anymore as Trey has really showed this spring/this weekend that he isn’t going to settle for only the three ball but show off that he is a diverse, multi-level scorer that all defenders need to know about. This weekend was a good start for Trey and the Liberty high school basketball program. If they can build on this beginning, it could be a really nice winter season for the Bolts.
Caden Kettman – CG – 2024 – DCBA 17U
Caden Kettman is a mismatch waiting to happen. A player that is listed at 6’3 but plays like he is 6’6 with the physicality he brings to the floor. In his DCBA 17U teams contest this weekend Kettman was a flying all over the court, showing off his high motor and elite rebounding ability at a high rate. Kettman is a solid overall player but I love that he really eats on defense. He can switch between the 1-4 and seems to always stay in front of his opponent, no matter who it is. This DCBA 17U team has a very impressive pieces I’m going to highlight from this weekend, one of the more impressive being Kettman.
Haiden Hardy Haiden Hardy 6'2" | SG Clear Creek Amana | 2024 State IA – PG – 2024 – Team Iowa 17U Elite
Haiden Hardy Haiden Hardy 6'2" | SG Clear Creek Amana | 2024 State IA scored 18 points in his teams first contest Saturday afternoon. Hardy, a shifty 6FT point guard, was giving his opponents buckets in all sorts of ways. He was attacking his defenders hips and getting down hill, finishing at the rim, or finding his open teammates whenever the defense would over help on his drive. Hardy has been a talent that has been catching some eyes this spring and it makes sense. He is a point guard who I could see helping out a college program when it’s all said and done. When he limits his turnovers and focuses on his efficiency, he is really good. He showed that this weekend.
Grant Rogers Grant Rogers 6'1" Linn-Mar | 2024 IA – SG – 2024 – Iowa Mavs 17U Grey
Grant Rogers Grant Rogers 6'1" Linn-Mar | 2024 IA let the game come to him this weekend and it paid off. Rogers would be labeled as a shooter but he showed off this weekend that he is working on becoming more than that. On more than one occasion he showed that he can take his defender off of the dribble from the perimeter or the mid-post area. Along with this, he started to understand that once he was attacking the hoop, defenders would play the drive so he would then end up catching on the three point line, giving a jab step, and letting it fly. Resulting in a three point bucket a majority of time for his squad. Rogers was a constant for his group this weekend and it was nice to see with how dedicated he is to the game.