Twin Cities Takedown: Guard Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seven guards who impressed over the weekend at the Twin Cities Takedown!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1560835"],"_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":"Tian performed at a consistent level helping lead his 15u team to the semi-finals while playing up in the 16u bracket. Has good positional size at 6'3+, and took on a lot of different roles for his team. Defensively he guards just about every spot on the floor. He can move his feet with smaller guards, but has the long frame to defend taller players. The type of player who has no problem getting on the floor to scrap for loose balls and win extra possessions for his team. On the offensive end he continues to improve as a shot creator, creating separation to get off a mid-range jumper or get all the way to the rim. Does a nice job of utilizing his length to extend and finish away from his body when needed.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1390442"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Agape provided steady ball handling throughout the weekend, and really stepped up in the 17u championship game for Team Haliburton. Was handling it well under pressure to get his team into their offense, and put points on the board as an outside shooter. Helped his team build up a big lead early on as he knocked down shot after shot from beyond the arc. Agape has no problem doing the dirty work on defense and acting as a facilitator offensively, but as he showed in the championship game he's more than capable of stepping up as a go-to scorer when needed. Helped lead his team to the 17u title while playing up a year.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1574223"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Calvin played a key role in helping his team take home the title at the 16u level. On Sunday morning in the quarterfinals he started off slow, but checked back in midway through the first half and just took the game over. Scored on 4 or 5 straight possessions as he was finding ways to get to the rim and utilize his 6'3 frame to finish inside. Has the explosiveness to get up and finish above the rim when he gets a clear path to elevate, but he also has the body control to touch it in off the glass in traffic. Calvin is capable of playing iso ball and knocking down the outside jumper, but he doesn't just settle for those shots. Most of the game he's making it a priority to get to the rim and either finish inside or draw in extra defenders allowing him to kick it out to his shooters.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1575326"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='1575326' first='Mason' last='King'] impressed in the game I watched playing up at the 17u level. Despite often being one of the smallest players on the floor, his game speaks volumes. Against Minnesota Showtime he was facilitating at a high level to help lead his team to a big win. Mason's quick first step allowed him to consistently get into the paint, where he was then able to dump it off to one of his forwards or find an open shooter on the perimeter. When scoring on his own he has a reliable jumper from deep and a nice floater to score over size in the paint. Quick hands and instincts allow him to pick up steals consistently on the defensive end.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1572691"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Jaleel continues to have flashes that rank him among the top prospects in Minnesota's 2025 class. Not many guards, if any, can match his speed at around 6'2, making him incredibly dangerous in the open floor. He combines explosive finishing ability with some flashy passing vision that makes him a threat to score or facilitate when he gets out in transition. His change of speed on the ball allows him to get to his spots to elevate for mid-range jumpers in the half-court, or create angles to zip in passes to one of his forwards around the rim. Helped lead Team Supreme to an appearance in the 16u title game.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["1428888"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"I really like the intensity that Timmy plays with any time he's on the floor. He's absolutely fearless attacking the rim, and with the level of quickness he has on the ball, he was constantly blowing by his man and getting into the lane. Despite his size he was able to hang in the air allowing him to finish over taller players while also having success drawing fouls to get to the line. Defensively he constantly pressures the ball, fights to get over screens, and has quick hands to pick up the occasional steal. Made key plays down the stretch in a win over Bearstail Basketball.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["1288787"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"Brody was on fire from three in a win over [program_tooltip program_id='2078394' first='Team' last='1848'] on Saturday night. The lefty guard out of Buffalo was knocking down shots off the catch consistently, and after hitting a few early he got a bit flashy as he broke his man down off the dribble and stepped back into another deep make. Showed off his explosive athleticism with a transition dunk, and was all over the place on the defensive end trapping and forcing bad passes. For a guard heavy team he often ends up defending bigger wings, and has no problem against guys a few inches taller than him. Brody constantly puts in hard working and gritty performances on the defensive end, and showed he can put points on the board as well on Saturday night.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":7,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64c961a4566fc"} /-->