MN Freshman Showcase: Jack’s Best of the Best
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The Prep Hoops Minnesota Freshman Showcase was this past Sunday and 200+ of the state’s finest 2027 prospects were in attendance. Here were the individual players who stood out to me above the rest. Malachi Hill MN #9 PG #1…
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Continue ReadingThe Prep Hoops Minnesota Freshman Showcase was this past Sunday and 200+ of the state’s finest 2027 prospects were in attendance. Here were the individual players who stood out to me above the rest.
I was really impressed with Malachi all spring and summer. It’s fun to watch him go to work in isolation situations, showing off his elite combination of scoring and facilitating. He is a major threat to shoot it from deep and can knock down looks off the dribble or in the catch-and-shoot. Hill has a great feel for the game, regardless of his age and is always one step ahead when picking apart the defense.
Ty just continues to prove himself as the top ranked prospect in this class and has so many advanced skills for his age. He already stands at 6-foot-4, but looks very comfortable moving with the ball in his hands. He has a tight handle and can play at different paces. Schlagel is a true three level scorer, using his size to finish through contact inside, pull-up in the mid-range, or let it fly from deep.
Gavin looked like the best player on the floor in the games I saw him in, dominating offensively. He is such a smooth ball handler and is able to score from all three levels. He is a crafty ball handler who has many ways he can work himself around a defender. I was really impressed with his ability to get shots off quick when pulling up off the dribble, giving the defense no chance to get a contest.
Jaylan is an all-around player who has made some great improvements to his game since the spring. He did most of his work inside when I saw him last, but impressed me with his perimeter scoring ability this time around. He is very athletic and looked comfortable getting out in the open floor making things happen. I really like Hynes’ potential and will be another talented prospect in the Totino-Grace system.
Tommy’s combination of size and athleticism were the first things that jumped out to me when I saw him play on Sunday. He looked really good getting out in transition situations, being able to handle the ball at full speed. He is a good finisher around the rim, being able to use his strong 6’6” frame to make tough contested attacks look extremely easy.
Braxton was another prospect that I was not necessarily familiar with, but really caught my eye on Sunday. He was the main ball handler for his team in the game I saw and has solid size for the point guard position. He is super quick and was keeping defenders on their toes with his ability to play at different speeds. Thomas is a confident scorer who showed he could score from both inside and outside.
Mustafa is one of the most intriguing prospects in this class and could be a high level college prospect if he continues to make improvements to his game. He knows how to use his size well, as he stands at 6-foot-8, making him an elite rebounder and defensive presence. Mohamed’s ability to put the ball on the floor and create was the trait that really stuck out to me most, solidifying the upside that he possesses.
Highlights
Milton looked really good when working inside on Sunday, showing off his strength with some tough finishes at the basket. Just like during the spring, I was impressed with his playmaking abilities off the dribble, getting downhill for finishes at the rim. He could also find teammates with kick out passes to the perimeter or passes inside for easy baskets at rim.
Highlights
I really liked what Blake brought to the table with PJ Hoops and I saw more of the same on Sunday. He is an athletic prospect who was almost unstoppable when he got going in transition situations. He could use his speed to outrun opponents for finishes at the basket and also impressed me with some of the passes he was able to make. He was capable of throwing some cross-court passes to teammates for open looks.
Ben was a prospect I was not very familiar with coming into the showcase, but left me very impressed. He was usually one of the smaller players on the floor, but did not let that stop him from making a difference. He was making the defense pay for giving him any kind of room when he had the ball, pulling up from deep. Goring just looked like he has a great overall feel for the game.