Skilled Ballers: ND & SD

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">The bball season is moving quickly and intensifying. It is hard to believe that the playoffs are looming on the horizon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the games and competition get ramped up, the most skilled players should shine and stand out. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontStyle":"normal","fontWeight":"100"}}} --> <p style="font-style:normal;font-weight:100">Skilled Ballers are the topic of this article and we are highlighting 12 of them from ND &amp; SD.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><span style="text-decoration: underline">How do you know a skilled baller when you see them</span>?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontStyle":"normal","fontWeight":"100","fontSize":"12px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:12px;font-style:normal;font-weight:100">A skilled basketball player possesses a combination of technical skills, game intelligence, physical ability, and mental sharpness. Key attributes include: Clean, proper, fluid, and accurate shooting mechanics, precision &amp; timely passing, handling &amp; passing with left &amp; right hands, throwing &amp; completing a variety of passes, combo dribble moves, ball-on-a-string handles, manipulating defenders/tempo/screens, running the offense, post moves, footwork, balance, a versatile finishing package, 3-level scoring, using screens, fakes, pivots, craftiness, changing speeds, creativeness, using counter moves, beating double teams, proper closeouts, shot-blocking, help defense, exploiting mismatches and many others.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"30px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:30px"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">SKILLED BALLERS</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1632632' first='Artie' last='Carlow'] (2026) |6'1 G| Bismarck</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1632632' first='Artie' last='Carlow'] is one of the most skilled players in the Demon program.&nbsp;His stop-and-go and ability to play with good tempo and rhythm makes him extremely difficult to defend.&nbsp;Plus, he shoots over 40% from 3, so you have to make a decision when defending Artie.&nbsp;He has a wide range of dribbling moves and can get you onto your heels with his ball skills. Carlow can finish at the basket with both hands and is very creative around the basket too using different types of shots with elite touch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2276348' first='Blake' last='Larson'] (2025) |6'5 PF| Hettinger-Scranton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Larson is the most skilled Nighthawk. He uses his great footwork in the paint to put stress on the defenses. He can finish with both hands and is a great passer out of the constant double teams he faces. Blake's skill level continues to grow and it has led to a great first half of the season where he is averaging 20 ppg and 10.1 rpg.&nbsp;He is a beast and a skilled Double-Double machine.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2429260' first='Braysen' last='Sagert'] (2027) |5'9 G| Oakes</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>His impressive play has helped the Tornadoes crack the top 10 in the state polls. Sagret and this tough Oakes squad are playing high-quality basketball. Brayson is a pure catch-and-shoot guard who can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim with ease.&nbsp;He finishes well for his size and sees the floor like a playmaking PG. He is also a great 1on1 defender.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2496205' first='Chris' last='Bevers'] (2027) |6'2 G| Clark-Willow Lake</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chris has an extremely high basketball IQ.&nbsp;He has a lot of tools in his bag, is able to finish with either hand around the rim, and has now developed a good &amp; accurate pull-up jumper.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Cyclones are able to post him up for mismatch buckets. Bevers is crafty enough to be able to score on the block. He is a skilled and versatile scoring weapon.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1716899' first='Drake' last='Schlosser'] (2025) |6'3 G| Stanley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Drake is a great offensive player who stays aggressive all four quarters. He's been playing better late in games which shows a lot about his conditioning and strength that he has added over the offseason. Schlosser wants to get to the paint but is a capable three-point shooter and he does not like to settle. Drake has a good left hand with a soft touch. He has clean &amp; effective footwork in the post that causes problems for the defense. One of his go-to moves is getting to the paint and spinning to get an off-hand lefty layup.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1167613' first='Eric' last='DeBoer'] (2025) |6'5 G| Fargo North</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He is easily the most skilled Spartan. DeBoer is a 6'5 shooting guard who can also post smaller guards up. He is a nightmare match-up for most teams in the EDC. Recently teams have been throwing two guys at him, doubling him up. His game is so crafty, as a kid who isn't overly athletic, he finds so many ways to impact the game through his court vision and passing to his ability to lead guys on the court. Eric is great around the rim with his footwork and shooting ability over smaller guards. He's thrown some no-look passes over the years that would make top 10 ESPN clips. The dude is a special player and North miss him tremendously next year!!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2250284' first='Grifin' last='Wiebenga'] (2027) |6'4 G/F| Tea</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grif is one of the smoothest players in the 2027 class. His footwork &amp; ability to finish with either hand sets him apart from other players his age. Wiebenga can score at all 3 levels &amp; is quickly becoming adept at creating for others with his high level of vision &amp; precision passing. He is still developing as only a sophomore, but he has all of the tools to be one of the better players in SD over the next couple of seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1547230' first='Hudson' last='Rietschel'] (2027) |6'1 G| Northern Cass</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1547230' first='Hudson' last='Rietschel'] is a talented and skilled offensive baller. He is very good from beyond the arc! Hudson is shooting right around 40% on the year from deep. I can comfortably say that Rietschel is one of the top 3-shooters in class. His pull-up jump is also improved, this makes him an even more dangerous matchup.&nbsp;Hudson hoops with good pace and timing to get shots off. Hee has a good feel for the game, stretches the defense, and he can put up points in a hurry.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1656544' first='Kellen' last='Artz'] (2026) |6'7 F/C Baltic</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kellen has really worked hard on improving his game. At his size in high school basketball, it is uncommon to see someone handle the ball as well as he does.&nbsp;This Bulldog has developed into one of the more consistent shooters from the perimeter and has the post-game and footwork to be dominant in the post.&nbsp;Artz really understands basketball and has a high basketball IQ.&nbsp;He sees the floor extremely well and his passing ability is as good as his ability to score.&nbsp;Kellen has impressive court vision from the perimeter.&nbsp;His height allows him to be able to enter to the post and be able to see cutters within the offense. Baltic looks at him as a really good stretch 4 who can post up for production.&nbsp; As he continues to develop his game and get stronger, Artz is starting to be able to put the ball on the floor and go by people.&nbsp;This next phase of his game is going to take his offensive talent to the next level. The best skill that Kellen has grown into is on the defensive end of the floor.&nbsp;His length and his ability to challenge shots have allowed him to have multiple 8+ block games this year!&nbsp;He is still working toward that triple-double with multiple games being close with 8 and 9 blocks.&nbsp;He does a great job of getting separation on the defensive end of the floor and his timing is really good when it comes to challenging shooters. His defensive presence allows the Baltic perimeter guys to be able to take a few more chances defensively and still have a rim protector behind them to make sure we get a solid defensive possession out of it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1632628' first='Parker' last='Jacobson'] (2026) |6'3 G| Washburn</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you want to see a skilled shooter, Jacobson should be near the top of your list! After 14 games, Parker is averaging 26 ppg, 5 rpg, 5 apg, with 64 made 3's at a scintillating 46 3FG%. He has 304 made triples in his career and has scored 1,263 points! Parker does all of this while being at the top of every opposing coach's scouting report, and also getting chased &amp; doubled teamed. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1655914' first='Sully' last='Felberg'] (2028) |6'7 F| Clark-Willow Lake</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This kid is skilled beyond his years and he is only getting better! Felbert is a frosh and 6'7", yet he is likely the Cyclones best overall passer. He can play any position on the floor because of his sharp skills and amazing feel fo the game. Felberg is a natural scorer who makes the game look easy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2763588' first='Tyce' last='Fiestner'] (2026) |5'9 G| MVP</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tyce's ball-handling skills are impressive and hard to teach.&nbsp;He plays with a certain "craftiness" and physicality all at the same time.&nbsp;Fiestner has the ability to take over games by penetrating the lane or pulling it from 25-ft.&nbsp;Tyce can lull a defender to sleep with his effective change of pace and then blow by with his explosiveness.&nbsp;Tyce excels in 1 on 1 situations and the Titans are lucky to have him on their side!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1272514,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/PHD.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/08/PHD.jpg?w=400" alt="" class="wp-image-1272514" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->