Max's Week 6 Prospect Standouts

Seven of the prospects who stood out in the games I watched on Thursday and Friday last week! I saw Maple Grove defeat Champlin Park on Thursday, before watching Chanhassen beat Chaska in a thrilling game on Friday.    With [player_tooltip player_id='1760312' first='Riley' last='Johnson'] out on Friday, someone had to step up and put points on the board for Chanhassen. That proved to be Taven, who entered the game averaging 8.8 ppg, but had some moments of brilliance to lead his team to a win. He's a shifty guard who can pressure the ball hard defensively, while utilizing his quickness to create his own shots on the offensive end. Hit a number of deep threes to help keep things close throughout the first half, while also coming up with some big stops defensively. Had a chasedown block in the second half that gave his team a big momentum boost. With three seconds left, Taven took an inbounds pass and launched a half-court shot at the buzzer that gave his team the win over Chaska.     John hit a number of tough shots in the first half that helped counter a Chaska run. For a few minutes it just seemed like he couldn't miss, as he was matching every Chaska make with one of his own. John hit some tough turnaround jumpers, and was using his long frame and high release point to shoot over length. With every shot he saw go in, his confidence just seemed to grow. In the second half I thought he did a great job of slowing down the Chaska size inside, and competing on the glass.     Keegan has put together some impressive shooting displays this season. On Thursday night he took over late in the game, hitting a number of tough shots to help his team knock off a top-10 ranked Champlin Park squad. Keegan excels at quickly getting his feet squared to shoot off the catch, and because of that he's so dangerous running off screens. Does a great job of recognizing when he can get off his own shot, and when to keep the ball swinging. Keegan finished with 25 points on five made 3's.     Nathan showcased he's more than just a big body in the paint. At 6'6 with a strong, physical frame, Nathan stood out to me with his passing. He did a nice job of catching on the block, and staying patient, knowing he could back his way into a low-post lay-up, or kick it out when the double team came his way. Good things seemed to happen for Maple Grove when Nathan got a post touch, as he was kicking it out to his shooters to rack up a team high 5 assists on the night. Also pulled in 13 rebounds in the win over Champlin Park.     Henry is putting together a solid junior season this winter for Maple Grove. He's a big wing with some size at 6'5, but he has the shooting touch to stretch defenses out from beyond the arc. Against Champlin Park he drained 3 threes, but his effort to sprint the floor also led to some nice looks in transition. Defensively he's a versatile piece as he you can use him as a big when in a smaller lineup, but he's also able to move his feet out on the perimeter against wings. Finished the game with 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.     Champlin Park came up short against Maple Grove, but it's still worth giving Tyler some recognition as he scored his 1,000th career point that night. He's won multiple state titles with Totino-Grace, and now is having a huge season for Champlin Park scoring 28.2 ppg. The 6'6 wing has deep shooting range combined with no shortage of confidence, and a more explosive burst to the rim than many know about. His scoring burst late in the game against Maple Grove made things interesting dow the stretch, but they came up just short in the end.     Marquis had some nice moments for Chaska against Chanhassen. He was making plays on both ends, applying constant pressure to the ball defensively, while proving to be a three point threat on the offensive end. Has a long and lanky wingspan that allows him to get up in passing lanes defensively, and he can cover a lot of ground laterally very quickly. Someone who goes out and competes with intensity defensively, and has also been upping his scoring production over the past few games. Finished with 11 points against Chanhassen.

Seven of the prospects who stood out in the games I watched on Thursday and Friday last week! I saw Maple Grove defeat Champlin Park on Thursday, before watching Chanhassen beat Chaska in a thrilling game on Friday.