Hard Work Finals – Greg’s Saturday Notebook

<!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Bradley Elite 2025 Impresses Early </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first game I took in today featured a strong performance from Bradley Elite 2025 against CV Select 17u-Lemke. [player_tooltip player_id='2390673' first='Damann' last='Young'] was leading the scoring charge early, knocking shots down from distance - along with just about everyone else on the team - and there were a lot of other things working for this squad as they worked their way to a commanding lead by halftime. Often running with a lineup of players 6'1" and under, Bradley Elite's athleticism, relentless defense and flat-out hustle was too much to overcome. With their attacking defense, they were turning their opponent over frequently and then getting downhill in a hurry to finish at the other end. This team had a full day, going on to take a loss in a mid-afternoon matchup with [program_tooltip program_id='2075674' first='Minnesota' last='Heat'] 2025 Leo before battling for a 3-point win versus [program_tooltip program_id='2076023' first='Wisconsin' last='Academy'] 2025 Strandie to wrap up the day. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Full House for the [program_tooltip program_id='2076029' first='Wisconsin' last='Crusaders'] 2025</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In my Friday notebook I provided a list of the colleges that had registered to attend the Prep Hoops Hard Work Finals. At a little after 9:00 AM today, nearly, if not all of those schools had a scout or coach at Court 6 at Wayzata HS. That's because [player_tooltip player_id='1418511' first='Drew' last='Daoust'] (#21 Prep Hoops Wisconsin ranking, class of 2025) and [player_tooltip player_id='1289073' first='Keegan' last='Van Kauwenberg'] (#23 Prep Hoops Wisconsin 2025) were on the floor for the [program_tooltip program_id='2076029' first='Wisconsin' last='Crusaders']. Both Daoust and Van Kauwenberg delivered, draining multiple triples and scoring 19 and 16 respectively. In addition, [player_tooltip player_id='2272014' first='Logan' last='Steffensmeier'], a 6'7" forward from Sheboygan North, dropped 17, with several two-handed slams along the way. Also garnering college interest (noticed as I lingered after the game), was 6'5" forward [player_tooltip player_id='1432910' first='Oskar' last='Kangas'] from Iron Mountain. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Standout Quick Hitters</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='2381814' first='Liam' last='Devine'] (24:Up 2026 Batchelor) wasn't the leading scorer for his team in a mid-day win at Bloomington Kennedy HS, but he checked just about every other box and contributed 8 points to the tally as well. Devine has a strong, athletic build and will penetrate with regularity, sometimes looking to convert and in many instances, kicking to an open teammate for a shot on the perimeter. He had a hustle save, forced a jump ball to gain possession, secured steals and rebounds, had a punch-out to force a turnover, played smart help and transition defense and simply always seemed to be in the mix. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1560744' first='Evan' last='Miller'] (Minnesota Lightning 2025 Ellerbusch) stood out in another early 17u game at Wayzata HS. While he was an active defender and didn't slack on the boards, he was especially effective with the ball in his hands. Miller has a quick first step and was able to utilize that to score on baseline drives on several occasions. At the rim, he can finish with either his right or left with creativity. He'll also leverage his driving ability to pull up for a mid-range jumper or floater from just outside the lane if the defender drops to cut off his penetration. A decisive and able ball-handler at 6'5", I'd suggest Miller warrants consideration for the Prep Hoops rankings in Minnesota. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='2408715' first='[player_tooltip player_id='2402467' first='Isaac' last='']' last=''] Olmstead ([program_tooltip program_id='2075672' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] 2026 Antl) scored 15 of the first 28 points for the Fury as they jumped out to a big lead in their mid-afternoon contest with [program_tooltip program_id='2076033' first='Wisconsin' last='Playmakers'] 2026 UA Rise. He was in his bag, scoring from beyond the arc, with a smooth turnaround 5-footer in the lane, a runner, a hesitation and blow-by and by getting out on a fast break. He added some nice passes, including a soft-touch, over-the-top post pass that led the big in the paint straight to an easy lay-in. It should be noted that this Fury team put up 105 on Friday night and looks like a squad to watch on Sunday.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='2126102' first='Jaeden' last='Udean'] ([program_tooltip program_id='2075431' first='D1' last='Minnesota'] 2027 3SSB). For those of you from Minnesota, I could probably stop there... nothing more to say. But for many of us from Wisconsin, we may not have been aware that Jaeden is the #2 ranked player by Prep Hoops in Minnesota's 2027 class. Well, now I, and anyone else reading this who didn't know, knows now. The 6'2" sharpshooting guard hit an incredible five threes in the first half alone, adding an "and one" to chalk up 21 of his team's 35 points in the first half. Up big by halftime, Jaeden added one more trey for good measure before giving way to his teammates who took care of things the rest of the way. </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Minnesota Won the Day</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While Minnesota by far has the most teams in the Prep Hoop Hard Work Finals, Wisconsin has around fifty between the three age divisions. That's around 30% of the teams in the tournament. A glance at the championship brackets tells me that our neighbors to the west had a big day in comparison to our Wisconsin-based teams. As you may have noted, three of the four players in my "Quick Hitters" were from Minnesota. It just seemed to be "their" day today.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Granted, I am only one scout and I know there were many excellent games played by players and teams from all the states in the Hard Work Region, many that I didn't see. But at least for this Wisconsin guy, having some fun with the border battles with Minnesota teams always adds a little extra spice to things. I'm looking forward to watching the outstanding athletes present at this event compete again tomorrow and wish all - even the Minnesotans - a great day of Prep Hoops action. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->