Breakdown Fall League Week 1 Standouts Pt. 1

DeAngelo looks to have grown a noticeable amount since his freshman season, and was a key player off the bench for Breck against Holy Family. Breck’s starters got the team off to a huge lead, and there really wasn’t a drop off when that second unit came in. A large part of that was Dungey’s ability to get into the paint to help create some high percentage looks for his team. Plays with good change of speed on the ball, and utilizes his length on the defensive end to help create turnovers and get his team out in transition. Had some strong finishes a the rim helping lead his team to a blowout win.

Chiang continues to flash the improvements he’s made on the offensive end of the floor. Against East Ridge he was hurting opposing defenders with his ability to step out on the perimeter and knock down threes. Was hitting his shots at a high percentage and forcing opposing forwards to move on the perimeter. I also like how hard he was running the floor, and that effort paid off as he was able to get a few transition alley-oop dunks, showcasing his quickness off the floor and impressive body control in the process. Defensively he showed why he’s the state’s best shot blocker as he moved into position to send a handful of shots flying as he times his jumps perfectly to protect the rim.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s with East Ridge or with his Minnesota Fury team, Charlie just comes in and does whatever his team needs from him. Against Park Center his team was missing a few players, and Charlie really stepped up as his team’s only frontcourt option. Against taller competition he was battling for rebounds on both ends of the floor, and would go from defending 6’8 posts to moving his feet on the perimeter with scholarship level athletes. You never have to doubt the effort that Charlie is going to bring when he steps onto the court.

Daniel was a walking highlight in Breck’s win over Holy Family. In the first six minutes of the game he had already thrown down 4-5 dunks, while adding in a couple of jumpers as well. That hot shooting and explosive finishing continued over the course of the game, even while playing limited minutes in the second half. Outside of the scoring I really liked the patience he displayed coming off of screens. He knows he has the explosive burst to get downhill and attack, but with a couple of talented forwards he let the play open up and was able to slip the ball into gaps to hit his big rolling to the rim. Big senior year ahead for the Wisconsin commit.

Josiah continues to impress with his play this fall. Edina should have a solid all-around team, and Coleman has emerged as someone who can be a go-to scoring option on any given night. Against Eastview he kept his team in it as he displayed an impressive scoring arsenal. He can change his speed to get downhill to the rim, knock down catch-and-shoot threes, face up out of the post, or get to his spots in the mid-range. Eastview threw a variety of defenders on him, and Josiah was versatile enough to take advantage of any edge he had on his man. I think he’ll turn some heads this winter in the Lake Conference.

Totino-Grace was down big early on to Wayzata, but they didn’t waiver, and I think Isaiah’s presence on the floor was a big reason why. He made sure to communicate with some of his younger teammates on what they needed to be doing defensively, and in the second half he took over with his scoring. Johnson has advanced footwork at his size, and showcased impressive body control with some ridiculous finishes. He was slashing to the basket and just finding ways to score through 2-3 defenders with his touch off the glass. Those big buckets gave his team the momentum they needed to comeback and win in an exciting matchup.

Luke must have one of, if not the best, shot fakes in the entire state. Every game he seems to get guys flying by on multiple occasions leading to open looks. Against Breck he faked a mid-range shot, and with the defender in the air calmly stepped through to touch it in off the glass. So good running off screens because he can quickly get his feet set to shoot a three, but if he notices his defender chasing hard he can pump-fake into a one dribble pull-up. Holy Family was missing one of the top guards in the state, so Breck was able to focus in a lot on Luke, but I still thought he put in a solid showing for his new team.