GPA: 17’s Basketball Dialogue

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">The <strong>Minnesota Comets</strong> are hosting the <strong>Great Plains Alliance</strong> (GPA) this coming Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (6/27-6/29) in St. Cloud. There is a talented field of teams, especially in the 17U division. Once the Platinum Championship is down to the quarterfinals, every matchup will be must-see basketball. Best of luck to all the players, teams, and fans at the GPA!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontSize":"15px"}}} --> <p style="font-size:15px">In this article, PHD will attempt to preview the Great Plains Alliance by looking at some of the matchups and highlighting a handful of the ballers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2388806,"width":"366px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/06/Preview-crop-772x507-1711398103.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/06/Preview-crop-772x507-1711398103.jpg?w=771" alt="" class="wp-image-2388806" style="width:366px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Quarterfinal Matchup Predictions: </strong>Comets Elite vs. Hoop City, Select Ohnstad vs. SSA SD Black, D1 MN 2027 3SSB vs. [program_tooltip program_id='2228190' first='TEAM' last='Warwick'] Kvale, [program_tooltip program_id='2075741' first='ND' last='Phenom'] vs. MN Fury Antl</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Semifinal Matchup Predictions:</strong> Comets Elite vs. SSA SD Black, [program_tooltip program_id='2228190' first='TEAM' last='Warwick'] Kvale vs. MN Fury Antl</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-Is the Comets Elite squad the favorites to take the crown after winning the Comets Shootout and Prep Hoops NHR State Tournament? In round one, the Comets play the winner of Impact Lee vs. WC Wildcats, expect the Comets to move on. In round two, they should meet up with Hoop City. It will be fun to see the matchup of [player_tooltip player_id='1384718' first='Marvin' last='Richard III'] vs. [player_tooltip player_id='1560827' first='Kale' last='Misegades'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2118495' first='Talan' last='Witt']. MR3 is committed to USD, Misegades to SMSU, and Witt has multiple D2 offers. Will Marvin put up a boatload of points and keep Hoop City in this one? If this matchup happens, there should be plenty of college coaches checking this one out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-We expect Select Ohnstad to win their first-round matchup. But the game to get there is the one that intrigues me. [program_tooltip program_id='2078859' first='Starks' last='Elite'] vs. SSA ND White should be a good one. Coach Glasser and the SSA White squad are currently on a double-digit win streak, let's see if they can stay hot out of the break. [program_tooltip program_id='2078859' first='Starks' last='Elite'] has [player_tooltip player_id='1560767' first='Ty' last='Nyberg'], who is an absolute sniper and unconscious shooter with never-ending range. Will SSA White stay scalding hot and pull off a couple upsets? Coach Glasser's squad is the dark horse of the tourney. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-SSA SD Black had a very nice spring and they have an abundance of talent. SSA is headlined by [player_tooltip player_id='1949563' first='Sam' last='DeGroot'], [player_tooltip player_id='1641205' first='Sam' last='Ericsson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1919285' first='Will' last='Kuhl'], [player_tooltip player_id='1560818' first='Garrett' last='Nissley'], [player_tooltip player_id='1510914' first='Camden' last='Kraemer'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1560751' first='Weston' last='Rowe']. DeGroot has multiple D2 offers, Ericsson has multiple D2 offers, Kuhl has offers from D2 &amp; NAIA, Nissley with multiple D2's, Kraemer is committed to Northern State, and Rowe is committed to SDSU for football. PHD is expecting SSA SD Black to make a run to the semifinals for an epic battle with Comets Elite.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-PHD is expecting the young bucks D1 MN 2027 to win the play-in game and to upset Fury Reyes. [player_tooltip player_id='1657448' first='Gibson' last='Kinnebrew'] is a player to watch for D1 MN. He recently picked up an offer from NDSU and is playing great basketball. Bismarck Century has looked unstoppable in June and Kinnebrew is putting on a show with his shooting, slashing, finishing, and defense. The Patriots will have all 4 of their studs playing in St. Cloud with [player_tooltip player_id='1657448' first='Gibson' last='Kinnebrew'], [player_tooltip player_id='1560818' first='Garrett' last='Nissley'], [player_tooltip player_id='1510914' first='Camden' last='Kraemer'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1418037' first='Zavion' last='Harildstad'] (SSA ND Black). Bismarck Century will be well represented in St. Cloud.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-[program_tooltip program_id='2228190' first='TEAM' last='Warwick'] Kvale is another loaded team and we see them making a run to the semifinals, if not the Championship. Players to watch for Warwick are [player_tooltip player_id='1467166' first='Blake' last='Ellwein'] (multiple D1 offers), [player_tooltip player_id='1641568' first='Wyatt' last='(Buzzy) Gylten'] (do-it-all-player), [player_tooltip player_id='1467165' first='Tate' last='Gerdes'] (exceptional athlete), [player_tooltip player_id='1560754' first='Carson' last='Nickles'] (shooter), [player_tooltip player_id='1545638' first='Cooper' last='Goodbary'] (solid all-around), [player_tooltip player_id='1808755' first='Ben' last='Weber'] (versatile forward), and [player_tooltip player_id='1641163' first='Teegan' last='Musser'] (lanky athlete). Are they gelling after the break, will Warwick represent the Dakotas in the Championship? We could potentially see an all South Dakota matchup, SSA SD Black vs. Warwick. Now that would be something!!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-In the next play-in game, the winner will face Warwick, we have [program_tooltip program_id='2076003' first='West' last='Central United'] vs. SSA ND Black. [player_tooltip player_id='1798694' first='Brooklan' last='Bruce'] is a top player for WCU, he had a strong spring and is shooting the lights out. [player_tooltip player_id='2420045' first='Carson' last='McDonald'] is another talented shooter that SSA will have to worry about and [player_tooltip player_id='2728383' first='Damarion' last='Moss'] is a solid player with length, creativity, and skill. [player_tooltip player_id='1327795' first='Beckett' last='Pfau'] has been SSA's most consistent player this season. Pfau plays with a great feel, is an excellent finisher/slasher, has fantastic footwork, and is as tough as anyone. [player_tooltip player_id='2857169' first='Brody' last='Weigel'], [player_tooltip player_id='1531064' first='Jackson' last='Barth'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1418037' first='Zavion' last='Harildstad'] are also noteworthy players to watch for Coach Moormann's squad. Who will win between WCU and SSA ND Black? Whoever gets the win will have their hands full with [program_tooltip program_id='2228190' first='TEAM' last='Warwick'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-In the next set of games, we have [program_tooltip program_id='2075741' first='ND' last='Phenom'] moving on to face Fury Antl in the quarters. NDP is highlighted by [player_tooltip player_id='1560781' first='Carter' last='Evanson'] who recently committed to UND and [player_tooltip player_id='2828718' first='Sage' last='Hanson'] from TGU. Sage has an offer from UND, MSUM, and interest from many more. Hanson is an intriguing prospect with his size, strength, shooting, lob-finishing, rim-protecting, and all-around scoring. NPD has talent but I am not sure if they can take down MN Fury Antl.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-On the bottom of the bracket, I do not have an opinion on who will win between SSA SD White vs. [program_tooltip program_id='2075704' first='MN' last='Rise'] as I am not too familiar with Rise. Either way, the winner runs into Fruy Antl and that will be a rough one. Players to watch for SSA SD White are [player_tooltip player_id='1641198' first='Malachi' last='James'], [player_tooltip player_id='2080607' first='Ashton' last='Paulsen'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1811874' first='Myles' last='Schneider'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-Fury Antl is a powerhouse with talent, size, athleticism, and they play great team basketball. At times it looks like any one of the players could take over the game, but they play selfless ball, tough defense, and pass up good shots for great shots. If Fruy Antl wins it all, PHD will not be surprised one bit. I watched [player_tooltip player_id='1560747' first='Alex' last='Schroepfer'], [player_tooltip player_id='1521424' first='Kayden' last='Oakland'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1560798' first='Lucas' last='Gustafson'] at Prep Hoops NHR State Tournament. They are impressive ballers and next-level athletes. Schroepfer, Oakland, and Gustafson are PHD's players to watch for the GPA.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"style":{"typography":{"fontStyle":"italic","fontWeight":"1000"}},"fontSize":"large"} --> <p class="has-large-font-size" style="font-style:italic;font-weight:1000">BEST OF LUCK IN ST. CLOUD!!</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 -->