Prep Hoops Live: North Dakota Diamonds

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first live event of the Prep Hopps Circuit commenced just off of historic Route 66 this past weekend. One of my favorite aspects of live events is the chance to see players from outside my normal region of coverage. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'm old enough to remember the days of South Dakota great <strong>Mike Miller</strong>. It's safe to say that North Dakota is having a moment of it's own in college basketball. With <strong>Grant Nelson</strong> (Devil's Lake) leading Alabama to Final Four and <strong>Treysen</strong> <strong>Eaglestaff</strong> (West Virginia) being a priority recruit in the portal. I'm not sure if the players below can reach those lofty standards. However the following six pack of players were some of the best I saw on the weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2828718' first='Sage' last='Hanson'] 6-9 TGU Granville </strong>Big man had an outstanding weekend leading North Dakota Phenom to undefeated record. Really did it all from the post spot. The highlight reels came from the designed lobs that showed off his explosiveness to the rim. The nuances came from his playmaking in the high post. Was a patient and high velocity passer who made the right reads. Shooting touch was pure and fundamentally sound. However knows what he is, and doesn't fall in love with perimeter. Has strong well put together frame with long arms and board shoulders. Looks like he has some room to add weight, but he won't need to much to compete at the Division I level. That is where I believe he will end up. Earned his first Division I offer from the University of North Dakota at the event. Comes from a very small school. Has tested himself though with a brief detour to Wasatch Academy (UT) in the EYBL Scholastic conference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1327797' first='Carter' last='Evanson'] 6-4 2026 Horace </strong>You can copy and paste most of what I wrote about Hanson above and put it here. Just substitute “guard” in the place “post”. Did everything you would want from the lead guard spot. Has a unique release on his shot. However the mechanics are repeatable and it is most certainly effective. Good ball handler and dynamic live dribble passer. With his skillset could have scored more points. But ran the offense and involved teammates throughout the weekend. Unleashed a devastating and explosive transition spin move that had the gym buzzing on Sunday afternoon. The only negative on the weekend wasn't necessarily his fault. Took a hard fall in the opening contest on Saturday. Didn't really attack the rim as much with a heavily taped wrist. Personally, with what I saw. I would guess he plays easily above the rim when healthy. Like his teammate Hanson (see above) earned an offer from North Dakota at the event.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1975416' first='Khaliq' last='Austin']</strong> <strong>6-4 2028 Bismarck (pictured) </strong>Being an out of state scout, you never know what you might see. Nor am I the type of scout that does a lot pre event preparation for what I might see. Especially for younger prospects. I liked to be surprised. It's sounds trivial but as settled in Friday night for a 2028 contest. I knew in warmups that this was going to be good. Austin came to the event as a business trip. No self lobs or empty calorie warm-ups. Just movement shooting with a purpose in mind. Followed it up with lights out performance. Putting up 32 points in a victory against Minnesota's 58 Hoops. Showed a versatile scoring skill set. Really scored at all three levels. Had a creative bag of “euro” finishes that he showed in transition. Played with pace in the half court and controlled tempo. Was aggressive defensively, getting easy buckets off of turnovers. Uses his advanced physical frame to get the line. Mainly did this as things got close late. If I was forced to find a blemish. The release from the perimeter could be sped up a little, and comes from a low release point. That's a bit of knit picking though. This an advanced prospect who lived up to his billing as the top ranked prospect in North Dakota's 2028 class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2116300' first='Ahmi' last='Spears'] 6-8 2027 Bismarck Century </strong>The prototype of a modern stretch four. Good shooter whose range extends out easily to the three point line. Also has plenty of length that allows him to protect the rim. Additionally is extremely light on his feet with above average lateral quickness. Finishes off the defensive package with solid instincts and sense of timing at the rim. Accumulated a lot of blocked shots throughout the event. Will need to add weight to his slender frame. Has plenty of time to that as a 2027 prospect.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1657450' first='Izaac' last='Strandlien'] 6-4 2028 Minot Bishop Ryan </strong>A phrase has seemingly entered the modern lexicon in the last few years. That being “the adult in the room”. At the risk of sounding hyperbolic. The “adult in the room “ this weekend was a player from the 2028 class. Absolutely nothing in his game said underclassmen. Was a late add, and was listed with the squads 2028 team in the program. When trying to figure out who this mature point guard was. My initial thought was this was someone playing “down” a grade level— not up. The frame is extremely advanced. Not skinny and has thick upper body with broad shoulders. While he could have, didn't just bully ball defenders. Ran the offense and appeared most comfortable shooting from beyond the arc. Saved his best for the last. In the last game of the weekend. With the gym clearing out. His squad dug a big early hole against the Wisconsin Playmakers Appleton. Would have been easy to jack up wild shots and get back home to the badlands. He didn't panic or press the issue. Systematically brought his team back. Hitting eight threes and coming up huge in the clutch. Finished with 27 points and who knows how many assists. Along with Austin, one of the more impressive performance I saw all weekend. Regardless of class or region. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2548370' first='Trason' last='Terry'] 6-2 2028 Bismarck St Mary's </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1975416' first='Khaliq' last='Austin']'s game attracted a lot of gravity for Pack 15U (see above) Leaving plenty of open looks for this wing. The lefty showed a smooth and effortless release from beyond the arc. Got his shot off easily with a trigger quick release. Was also a good ball handler who knew how to pick his spots on penetration. Could possibly have the most upside of any of the 2028's on this list. As he is not as advanced physically, and has plenty of room to grow. Finished with 13 points in the Friday night victory. Appeared to have a good weekend as the remainder of his games moved to another gym for the weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->