Minnesota Freshman Showcase: Team 9 Evaluations

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I was able to attend the Minnesota Freshman Showcase on Sunday where over 200 of the state's best 2027 prospects went at it. Here is a look at the players that made up Team 9.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#2 - [player_tooltip player_id='2137323' first='Carter' last='Pulrang'] (Eden Prairie): </strong>Carter was putting on a show offensively on Sunday. He is such a gifted scorer and was finding all kinds of ways to pick apart the defense. He has a deep bag of moves he can go to create separation from the defense, as I saw him drill a tough triple off the dribble, as well have some impressive takes to the rim. He is also versatile on defense, being able to match up with guards or forwards.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#169 - Preston Crider (White Bear Lake): </strong>Preston was one of the bigger players on the floor in the matchup I saw, but he really impressed me with his ability to make plays with the ball in his hands. He is a knockdown shooter from the perimeter, being lethal in the catch-and-shoot. He also showed flashes of his playmaking, putting the ball on the floor and finding teammates with some highlight assists.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#115 - [player_tooltip player_id='1956268' first='Shay' last='Jackson'] (Totino-Grace): </strong>Shay may be undersized, but he more than makes up for it with his quickness and ability to change direction in a flash. He looked very confident with the ball in his hands and had no fear attacking larger defenders inside. He had a couple different ways he could finish at the rim, limiting defenders to block or alter his shots. Jackson is also a threat from deep, knocking down multiple three-pointers in the action I saw.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#7 Rylan Happel (Mounds View): </strong>Rylan was a very dependable player when his team needed a score or some extra help ball handling. He handled on-ball pressure well with the ball in his hands and showed what he could do as a point guard. I saw him go to a pull-up jump shot from beyond the arc, with everything looking smooth in his mechanics. He was relatively undersized but helped on the boards when he could.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#190 - Dylan Tuschen (Prior Lake): </strong>Dylan is a very confident shooter who was letting it fly from deep in the one matchup I was able to catch. He did not hesitate to take advantage of a defender's hand being down, pulling up right over them. He liked to utilize a jab step to create space for a shot from beyond the arc. While he did the majority of his scoring work from the outside, I saw him drive baseline for a finish as well.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#24 - Flynn Dooley (Edina): </strong>Flynn was fun to watch when he got going in transition, being able to make moves and finishes at full speed with no issue. His favorite move to go to was the spin, catching defenders off guard to open room for a layup. Defensively, I saw him come away with a couple steals as well.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#119 - Jacob Depoint (Spring Lake Park): </strong>Jacob was another player on this team who was relatively undersized but makes up for it with other ways he can impact the game. He was able to space the floor for a team full of creators, knocking down a look from deep three-point range. He was also another helper when it came to ball handling.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#181 - Jayden Carpenter (Burnsville): </strong>I loved the way Jayden was flying around the floor making plays for his team. He was causing disruption defensively, being able to come away with a steal and make life difficult for opposing ball handlers. He also chased down some rebounds and loose balls. Carpenter connected with a floater in the mid-range that I saw as well.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#138 - Leo Giwa (Providence Academy): </strong>Leo played his role on Sunday, being able to impact the game even if it meant he was not taking a lot of shots. He was a good contributor on deense and had some plays that created opportunities for his team. I saw him push the ball up the floor a couple of times, putting pressure on the defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#13 - Geno Ward (Holy Family): </strong>Geno was another guy who could space the floor for his team, being able to move the defense around when he was off-ball. He knew how to move without the ball in his hands, being open when teammates would drive. I also saw Ward hustle for some loose balls and rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":"","_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64ed0a465921c"} /-->