Breakdown Fall League Week 1 Standouts

Seven of the prospects who stood out in the games I watched at Week One of the Breakdown Fall League!    In one of the headlining games, Jaleel was playing some of his best basketball to date. The explosive senior guard helped lead his team to a win over CDH, showcasing his exploisve athleticism, passing vision, and mid-range jumper. Threw down an explosive dunk off one foot in transition, and had another dunk in the half-court, cutting hard off the ball and then elevating off two feet. In the half-court he's so quick getting to his spots off limited dribbles, and with the elevation he gets he only needs a foot or two of space to elevate for a mid-range Jaleel was perhaps at his best in transition though, where he can fly by defenders and has the vision to set up his teammates streaking to the hoop.     Max played a key role in helping lead Eden Prairie past Maple Grove in the final game of the day. Eden Prairie lost a lot from last year's team, but with Max back they could still be competitive. Offensively his change of pace made him unpredictable, able to explode to the basket for acrobatic finishes, or get his man off-balance before pulling up for a mid-range jumper. Max has always had that shot creating ability as he's an explosive athlete who knows how to change his speed, but he looks to have improved his efficiency and ability to score within the flow of the offense.     While wrapping up an impressive season playing football for Hopkins, Jayden also put in a big performance leading Hopkins past Totino-Grace on Sunday. He was in full control during pick & roll settings, showcasing impressive pace, patience, and vision to wait for his bigs to get into pockets of space before threading the needle with an accurate pass. When defenders went under or sagged off of him too much, Jayden made them pay, knocking down a handful of threes. Defensively he has that lateral quickness that allows him to pick up and pressure the ball hard, while also fighting to get over screens.     Babou continues to prove himself as one of the top prospects in his class. Outside of the obvious physical attributes and skill he possesses, he does so many of the little things to help make his team better. He was by far the loudest player in the gym, constantly communicating on defense and encouraging his teammates. Even when he was on the bench, Babou was consistently engaging with his teammates. At 6'4 he spent time defending just about every spot on the floor, and has no problem taking on an opposing team's biggest scoring threat. Offensively he can get to the rim off the dribble, knock down pull-up jumpers, and get out in the open floor for transition finishes.     Wayzata is one of the deepest teams in the state, and Isaac excels at getting each and every one of his teammates involved. He's a maestro in the pick & roll, able to pull up for three if his man goes under, reject the screen and attack if his man overcommits, or utilize the screen and thread the needle to his big for an easy lay-up. Isaac has the type of vision that allows him to make a pass that no one else on the floor would have been able to spot, and he's able to look defenders off to create even more openings for his teammates. Also has the deep range and quick release that allows him to take over as a scorer when his team needs him.     [player_tooltip player_id='2126118' first='Tyler' last='Forrest'] had some impressive moments against STMA. The 2027 point guard caught just about everyone in the gym off guard when he took off from the edge of the lane for a contested dunk in transition, showcasing some explosive athleticism not many people knew he had. In the half-court he plays with good pace, navigates screens with the experience of an upperclassman, and sees the floor well to set up his teammates with good looks. Continues to look more confident in his outside shot as well, making him a more balanced offensive threat as he already excels at making plays in the lane.     Nolen is fitting right in with his new team, providing an additional floor stretcher on the wing who can also finish with some explosiveness in transition. In a win over Breck he threw down a two handed dunk in transition, and also came flying in for a put-back dunk after a teammate's missed shot. In the half-court he provides a catch and shoot threat who slides into pockets of space and can get his shot off before his defender can close out. Difficult to match up with because of his ability to take bigger forwards off the dribble while also being able to get shots off over smaller wings.

Seven of the prospects who stood out in the games I watched at Week One of the Breakdown Fall League!