Hoop City Classic: Prospect Updates, Stock-Risers, New Names

The Hoop City Classic held at The Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota is always a fun, entertaining, and exciting event. And this year was no different. The Hoop City Classic brings in out-of-state talent for these South Dakota teams to test themselves against. There was some big-time individual performances this year that need to be revisited.   We will organize this article by first updating some important prospects and crucial updates, then look at the stock-risers, and finish with some new names to Prep Hoops Dakotas and the database/rankings. There's many games and prospects to cover, so we'll break this down into a two-part series.   Some games I only watched three quarters due to time constraints and me trying to watch as many teams and prospects as possible. I will indicate below which games I watch entirely and which ones I did not.   Games viewed to construct this article:   Mitchell 50 | Orlando Christian Prep (Florida) 41 (Full Game)   Viborg-Hurley 48 | Gregory 25 (3 quarters)   Brandon Valley 56 | St. George's (Tennessee) 49 (3 quarters)   Corsica-Stickney 68 | Potter County 65 (2 1/2 quarters)   Bridgewater-Emery 60 | Platte-Geddes 48 (3 quarters)   <h1 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-center">Prospect Updates</h1>    Smith had a slower start to the season than he's used to, but he's really turned things on as of late for the now 5-0 Mitchell Kernels. At the Hoop City Classic, Colton feasted on the smaller Orlando Christian Prep team, with 24 points (11/20 FG) and 16 rebounds. OCP played a 2-3 zone and I thought Smith was really smart with the ball as a passer on the perimeter, valuing each possession. He hit a top of the key three in the early part of the game, but he did most of his damage at the hoop. I thought he showed some soft shooting touch when he pulled up before the circle. So Smith is looking good doing what he does best, and this is a positive update on one of the top and most impactful players in the state.     Talley erupted for a career-high 30 points vs Orono (MN)   Orlando Christian Prep played a zone defensively, most likely to slow down Talley from carving them up man to man. They limited him from getting in the lane and he never got frustrated and let things come to him by feeding the Bigs. Nine points, seven rebounds, and five assists vs OCP.     Dulaney was getting after the ball-handler and making it tough on them with his quick feet and strong and built frame. He can use his muscular frame to stop opponents drives at the hoop. He was very physical on the glass, with eight boards. He occasionally would rise up and simply pull the ball away from his opponent by skying up high and muscling the ball away from them. Nine points, eight rebounds, and five assists for the contest.     Raml was first off the bench for Mitchell against Orlando Christian Prep. He struggled from the field at the Classic shooting the ball, but you can see he possesses some athletic ability when he got up for rebounds. Moves well and is a fluid athlete. He'll have a large role next year as a Junior.     In a defensive battle in which Hanson saw extra defensive bodies in the paint, he finished with eight points and five rebounds in the win.     Kolthoff isn't a big-time scorer or offensive creator, but he does just about everything else on the court and is very valuable to this 2024-2025 Viborg-Hurley team. He has a knack for coming up with the ball with his length and athleticism, then going into transition himself or by making dime passes upcourt.     I wasn't sure whether to update Larson or tab him as a stock-riser, since we predicted a breakout and adjusted his ranking going into the season. And he scored 26 points with 10 boards vs Corsica-Stickney. He's an athletic kid that can run and jump, and he was knocking down threes. He could still be moved up a few spots, but he's also benefiting as a go-to guy, with young and inexperienced teammates around him.     Wollman was very assertive with the ball in his possession vs Platte-Geddes. He was in attack-mode and was getting past his initial defender with a handle move and persistency trying to get deep in the lane. If he didn't get in the lane he would pull-up for a rising jumper, or he would gain separation by fading. He was showing off his stuff and his full repertoire. He ended up scoring 14 points and it could have been much more if not for a few bad rolls. He also contributed eight rebounds and three steals.    <h1 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-center">Stock-Risers</h1>    Weber is an interesting evaluation in projecting him to the next level. He's not tall enough to translate to a Big, and he doesn't quite have the ball-handling skill-set he needs to project to a perimeter player. The good news is that he has elite athleticism and verticality, allowing him to dominate at the high school level at times. A college coach could trust their player development process enough to think they can improve his ball skills and shooting to become a legitimate off-ball perimeter factor. He had 22 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Weber could be moved up 2-3 spots into the top 20 prospects.     Wentland is an easy choice as a stock-riser coming out of the Hoop City Classic, as he scored 36 points with six rebounds. He's an extremely big and thick perimeter player that looks like a 6'5” true post, but Tyson is a unique prospect that has ball skills at enormous size. He can handle it, pass it, and is a shooting threat. Due to team personnel and roster, he is one of the main ball-handlers that will start the offense for Corsica-Stickney. He did most of his damage from three-point range, and he was letting them fly, with a nice shooting stroke. His shots were consistently on target.     Lincoln entered the game at about the 4-minute mark in the 1st quarter. The Freshman guard is firmly in the rotation, and from what I saw of him this Summer, I'm not surprised by this. He showed he can handle the point and deal with heavy pressure from long, athletic guards. The lefty hit a wing three that was a really quick catch and shoot release; pretty looking shot. Mcinerney is also a locked-in defender that plays alert and aware, with great positioning on and off the ball. Mcinerney's most impressive trait is his ball-handling and ability to make handling moves through traffic. He scored six points in the game and I have him unofficially 1 of 4 from three.     Hinker is having a very nice start to his Senior season. We knew he'd be more heavily counted on this year and he's been answering the call. He looks very beefed-up and muscular. A great, wide-shouldered and sturdy frame. His jumping ability is opening my eyes, and he's able to easily get up and dunk the ball from a standstill. He put in 15 points and pulled 7 rebounds vs OCP, and he's one that will be climbing the rankings board even further. I think he's one of the top Bigs in the state and has not gotten enough credit in the past.     Knutson is a starting ball-handler that interchanges with Dulaney on bringing the ball up. He moves and runs very well and got out and ran the floor and earned himself some three-point opportunities that he took advantage of. He was able to consistently find open threes. Briggs defends the ball hard, with really quick explosive feet, sitting in a balanced defensive stance. Ended up with 14 points, three rebounds, and three assists.     Keiser looks even longer and he's now listed at 6'6”, up an inch from 6'5”. He only scored two points vs Viborg-Hurley but his length was a factor at the hoop and he also snagged six rebounds. He'll be moved up rankings slightly.     Niederbaumer is also now up to the 6'6” mark. He looks lengthy and he's playing a versatile role on both ends. He looks very comfortable on the perimeter and he sank two threes in the 2nd quarter, finishing with 10 points on 4 of 7 from the field to go with five rebounds. He's most definitely a 2026 stock-riser in the next update. His skills and shooting seem improved.     Mayen was a starter at the Hoop City Classic. I didn't see [player_tooltip player_id='2328479' first='Aiden' last='Zerr'] play, so he may have be out for some reason unknown to me. Mach definitely impacted the game in various ways. He rebounded the ball, pulling down eight. Blocked shots and affected the rim with three blocks. Had a highlight-reel rundown block that looked like an easy bucket, but Mayen's closing full-court speed and quick leaping was the difference. His length and vertical was a problem for St. George's. He played passing lanes and had a steal and transition flush in the 2nd quarter. One of the top prospects in South Dakota when it comes to pure athletic ability, and his finishing ability is improving and he scored 10 points.     Simon was placed at the backend of the rankings when he was added and he needs to be moved up the board. He was not shy offensively, taking it straight at the defense going to his right hand, attacking defensive bodies. He's wasn't worried about contact and worked to power through it while under control. Finished off the glass on the right side of the hoop, scoring nine 1st quarter points. He was super aggressive, pulling from three with defenders closing out hard on him. Cooled off after a hot start, finishing with 13 points, four rebounds, and four assists for the game.    <h1 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-center">New Names</h1>    Grant came off the bench as the second Big behind Sophomore starter [player_tooltip player_id='2148816' first='Austin' last='Dowd']. This is the first time I've seen him and don't know much about him. He's added to the database and will be ranked in the final 2025 rankings update. He was a little surprising to me in how effective he was in limited, rotational minutes. Defended the post, boxed-out and rebounded. He scored nine points and hauled in four rebounds. Hennen could potentially rise up to be an important player in AA when it comes crunch-time in the playoffs. I'm just unsure of his role going forward.     Simon is a pretty good-sized Freshman guard/forward at 6'2”, with a solid build to him. He crashes the boards and plays with some toughness. I don't see any elite traits yet, but he's a Freshman that is a starter, so he's getting early varsity experience. Five points in the game for Simon.     The Freshman is in the varsity rotation off the bench for Platte-Geddes and he gets solid playing time. Average size and athleticism, but he's looks to have a solid jumper and a soft shooting touch. He scored nine points and brought in three rebounds. I think he'll round out it be a pretty solid guard/wing by the time he's a Senior.     Furuli is a varsity rotational player as a Freshman off-ball guard. A solid guard that has decent skill as a ball-handler, took care of the ball as a passer, and hit a three in the 2nd quarter. Varsity experience, albeit Class B basketball.

The Hoop City Classic held at The Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota is always a fun, entertaining, and exciting event. And this year was no different. The Hoop City Classic brings in out-of-state talent for these South Dakota teams to test themselves against. There was some big-time individual performances this year that need to be revisited.