15U Saturday Standouts at Wayzata - National Open Championship

This article is sponsored by VKTRY Performance Insoles - The Official Insole Provider of Prep Hoops.   These 15U players showed out Saturday morning at Wayzata High School. They were huge contributors for their teams to try and have a successful weekend at the National Open Championship.    Despite it being the first slate of games for the morning, Rogers looked wide awake right from the tip-off. He was not initially the main scorer for his team Saturday morning, but he impacted the game in so many other ways. He was the player I noticed was involved in almost every steal or forced turnover for his team, and nearly every shot that went up he was crashing the glass. When shots aren't falling, being active on defense is one of the most noticeable things that can positively impact the game. When Rogers was not the primary ball handler, he was constantly cutting and setting screens to try to set up easy buckets.     Running had one of the best shooting performances I've watched live on Saturday morning. He tallied nine 3's and secured the W for his [program_tooltip program_id='2075681' first='Minnesota' last='Magic'] team. They struggled to score early in the game, but he fueled a three-point spree for his team late in the first half. Although his team was down by as much as 18 in the first half, Running helped his team crawl back with his shooting performance. Most of his shots were catch-and-shoot, but if he needed to make a move to create separation, he would. The hot shooting benefited his teammates as well, pulling the defense to the perimeter and opening up the lane for drives.     Although his team lost by four in a close game, Ruffin was bringing the intensity and accepting any challenge thrown his way. What seemed to be his biggest strength was his ability to get to the cup, finish through or around defenders, and, a lot of the time, draw fouls. His bag is deep, utilizing spin moves, tight dribbling through traffic, and outside-the-body finishes to get it over larger defenders. I also like seeing players respond when the other team talks a lot of trash, and Ruffin's response was exactly what it should be. He stayed pretty quiet but played hard and attacked even more, sending a message through his play rather than talking back.     Spencer plays the game so smoothly, whether it is with his handle or with his jump shot; it all looks like it comes so naturally to him. He had two second-half threes from a few feet behind the 3-point line, and both were straight through the net, zero rim. If Spencer gets an open look, you expect it to go in, and you could see it on his face when he missed an open shot that he knows he could've/should've made it. Distributing the ball is also a super valuable aspect of his game, getting all of his teammates involved, usually underneath the basket for an open layup. He is a great model of a point guard you would want to play with because he can score at will but knows when to take a shot and when to pass it out. Spencer played a huge role in his Titans team 15 point win Saturday AM.     Schmoeckel dominated the glass all day against taller matchups using his size and build. He plays linebacker on the gridiron, and that shows on the basketball court when he is fighting for positioning to get rebounds. He tallied seven rebounds to go along with his 20 points, but it felt like he got every rebound of the misses. While defending, he will not get backed down; he can stand anyone up with his broad build. On offense, Schmoeckel understands his role and gets to the spots that make it easy for the ball handlers to feed him, and all he has to do it put it up on the glass. The pick n roll can be super effective with him sealing the defender, clearing the lane for an easy layup or dump off.

This article is sponsored by VKTRY Performance Insoles - The Official Insole Provider of Prep Hoops.