Max’s Mid-Week Standouts Week 3

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seven of the top performers from the two games I watched on Monday and Tuesday during the third full week of the season!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2103366"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6761e0b540acd"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Cedric was in attack mode from the opening tip on Monday night. Roseville just didn't have a player who could stay in front of him, and his electrifying quickness and shifty handles allowed him to pick his spots on the floor and get to them. Mixed in some pull-up jumpers from mid-range with a handful of crafty finishes at the rim on his way to a 30 point performance. A pair of starters went down with an injury in this game, so Cedric took on a big scoring load and didn't disappoint in the win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Laquan Stewart","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77248","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Tartan","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6761e0b540b8a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Stewart was another player who stepped up after a pair of starters went down. If you followed the AAU scene over the summer, you may remember Laquan for having one of the best dunks of the year right over a defender in transition, and now he's breaking into the Tartan rotation. Defensively he was sitting deep in a stance to pressure the ball, and uses his explosive athleticism to slide his feet laterally. On the offensive end he proved to be a better shooter than I knew, making defenders pay for going under screens, and also knocking down a pull-up mid-range late in the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1617767"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6761e0b540bda"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">I really liked how Kellen was attacking the Tartan defense on Monday night. Tartan has a lot of quickness and was pressuring the ball hard, but Kellen really slowed the game down, and took his time exploiting whatever gaps he could find. Did a nice job of playing off two feet inside, getting guys in the air with shot fakes, and powering his way up through contact. Plays at his own pace and had his team battling with top-10 ranked Tartan for most of the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2560458"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6761e0b540c26"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Emmanuel has a lot of potential moving forward in the state's 2028 class. He had a lot of success getting out in transition with a few open floor finishes, including an explosive dunk in the open floor. Also knocked down a three early in the game to kickstart his team's offense. Will have to work on getting more physical down low/holding a box out against older players, but his length and athleticism at this stage helps counteract that a bit. Liked his effort moving his feet out on the perimeter defensively at 6'4 as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1560778"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-676330b48f0f8"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Nolen had some eye catching moments in Wayzata's big win over St. Louis Park. In the second half he threw down three dunks, including one of the best you'll see all season. He hit his man with a shot fake before taking off down the lane and throwing down with his left hand over the top of the help-side defender. Throughout the games he picked his moments to attack, knocked down his open threes at a high percentage, and defended a number of spots on the floor. His combination of size, budding athleticism, and range that extends to well beyond the arc makes him difficult to match up with.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1560867"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-676330b48f165"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Christian may not have many flashy plays or go on dominant solo runs, but then you'll look back at the box score and see just how productive he was over the course of the game. Against St. Louis Park he finished with 26 points, knocking down a handful of threes, beating his man with backdoor cuts for easy finishes, and using shot fakes to attack and get into the lane. Such a poised and well-rounded player who makes smart decisions on the ball and scores with efficiency in all areas on the floor. Defensively he was battling against taller players, moved his feet with guards, and helped Wayzata dominate on the glass against a bigger team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1454976"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-676330b48f1ad"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Wyatt was a big reason why Wayzata seemed to be dominating the rebounding battle last night against St. Louis Park. He was giving up some weight and explosiveness against his match-up, but his fight and positioning allowed him to secure rebounds, or clear out the space for a teammate to attack the ball off the rim. Wyatt put himself in the right spaces and used his length well to contest around the rim, forcing a lot of difficult looks when SLP tried to attack. May not have had eye-catching numbers, but performed well against a strong frontcourt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->