Battle At The Lakes: 17U South Dakota Hoopers

Prep Hoops Dakotas is still in the film room, continuing to focus on analyzing and evaluating South Dakota prospects that were at Battle At The Lakes.   We specifically look at 17U prospects from [program_tooltip program_id='2544181' first='Network' last='Elite Basketball'] and [program_tooltip program_id='2222672' first='Sanford' last='Sports Academy SF'] 17U Grey.   [program_tooltip program_id='2544181' first='Network' last='Elite Basketball'] has a 6'8” 2026 Big that is not mentioned here because he is going to be featured as a 2026 rankings new addition on Monday. He will have a solid ranking and is a college-level prospect.    Paye, the left-handed point guard has such great poise and control with the ball in his hands on the court. An elite handle and has the ball on a string. He pounds the ball hard and is quick and explosive with his ball-handling. This gives him a slight advantage when taking his first step off the drive. His explosion off the drive was better than I thought and he's able to gain more separation than I had realized. Against quick guards, he still does get stopped and halted when trying to blow by.     Cisse showed elite speed and acceleration at Battle At The Lakes. Like a high-end sports car, he can go from 0 to 60 in no time. At times, he could blow by his defender and earn an easy lay-in at the hoop. Cisse is able to defend and pressure the ball-handler with ease and easy recoverability because of his top percentile movement and quickness.     Braylon will be a 2026 stock-riser on Monday. I wasn't able to see him play during the high school season, so it had been some time since I was able to watch him play. His handle looked good and his explosiveness/quickness with his dribble looked like an improvement since I saw him last. He looked quick and could accelerate quickly off the drive. I thought he attacked the rim hard and wasn't shy of contact when he got there. He's always been a 3-point shot-maker, but he's also able to create his own shot a little more frequently and easier than I remember.     Carter has an impressive build, that is well-built with muscle and some density. Gross' defensive rebounding and high-pointing the ball was noticeable on film. He's not an elite ball-handler by any means but he's able to put his head down and drive in a straight line and get in the paint for a pull-up jumper or quick floater.     Chapman is one of the most interesting prospects in the state. I was curious as to how he would perform against this type of competition. I don't know if I'll put him on the AA breakout candidate article but I do think he has a chance to do something for Sioux Falls Jefferson next season. He's 6'5” and he has crazy-long arms in comparison to everything else. Looks like arms of that of a 6'10”-7'0” prospect, and that may not be an exaggeration. He's got shot-making ability from three from a catch-and-shoot and standstill position.   Chapman has all the physical tools and length to his frame to be a difference-maker, but he's still missing something and hasn't put everything together quite yet. His physicality and playing strength need improvement. I would like to see him play with more on of an edge and get meaner on the court.     After watching Thyab online with [program_tooltip program_id='2544181' first='Network' last='Elite Basketball'] at Battle At The Lakes, he needs to be moved up the rankings board by about 40-50 spots and could be a top 30-20 2027 prospect. He is up to 6'6” now with some top percentile length. Has elite lateral movement form a 6'6” prospect. He runs the floor from rim-to-rim with elite speed and effort. Akol plays hard and flies around on the court, which adds to his upside if he can continue to improve as an offensive factor.

Prep Hoops Dakotas is still in the film room, continuing to focus on analyzing and evaluating South Dakota prospects that were at Battle At The Lakes.