MBCA Showcase: Saturday Headliners

<p>Who were the top standouts from Saturday? We start with [player_tooltip player_id='2557528' first='Ichima' last='Idoko'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2126467' first='Baboucarr' last='Ann']! </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Idoko - The Top Freshman Impression </strong></h2>   <p>When we talk about the players that were both consistently productive and flashing big potential, the name that stands out the most in the Minnesota 2028 class is [player_tooltip player_id='2557528' first='Ichima' last='Idoko'].</p>   <p>The DeLaSalle sophomore-to-be is a long 6'6/6'7 and his quick first step at his size and his ability to touch in left handed shots using that size and length against contesting defenders is very impressive. He is developing some range to become more versatile and athletically he also ranks with the best in his class. </p>   <p>When it comes to prospect levels, skills, size, agility and productivity, Ichima was the highest level 2028 player I saw at the MBCA Camp. He was able to consistently do more in a positive way for his team against veteran players than a lot of the other players his age.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2126467' first='Baboucarr' last='Ann'] - Saturday's Best</strong></h2>   <p>Two years ago Isaac Asuma joined up with a group of stars, they played great team basketball at the MBCA Camp, they had fun doing it, and most of the guys on the team left the weekend with college coaches feeling good about them. </p>   <p>Two years later we saw [player_tooltip player_id='2126467' first='Baboucarr' last='Ann'] do the same thing. </p>   <p>Ann's energy, his effort and his unselfishness are so infectious. Teammates rotated on defense just like Ann did. They talked on defense and encouraged one another just like Ann did. And they shared the ball just like Ann did. And most of the guys took good shots and scored just like [player_tooltip player_id='2126467' first='Baboucarr' last='Ann'] did. </p>   <p>We are in a different age of college basketball recruit, it's an age of experienced player. An age of maturity. Colleges want more maturity and game understanding coming out of high school recruits. Ann is a great example of that and he will continue to get interest. Plus he's 6'5, athletic, can shoot it, and explosive going to the rim so he gets good shooting splits as well! </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Moore Interest Coming?</strong></h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1550877' first='Jayden' last='Moore'] has spent his high school years at Hopkins earning a lot of wins and making a lot of headlines. At different times he added a nice list of scholarship offers although in that time it seems like all those schools changed coaching staffs. So where does that lead Jayden? </p>   <p>The answer to that is still up in the air and all the speedy playmaker can do is continue to play hard and make plays. And that is what he did for Team Herro in EYBL play this spring and that is what he did this weekend at the MBCA Camp. </p>   <p>Paired with a ton of very good 2027 size (Trey Theis, [player_tooltip player_id='2126113' first='AJ' last='Taban'], [player_tooltip player_id='2420169' first='Ahmed' last='Nur'], and Mustafa Mohamed) the Hopkins senior-to-be could have spend the event taking awful shots and not moving the ball (there were a number of players at the camp that did just that and hurt their stock tremendously) or Jayden could have moved the ball making his teammates look good with comfortable shots. Moore picked option B and everybody came away from the event impressed. Plus Jayden scored in the teens in the three games I got numbers for. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Kemp's Top Flavor</strong></h2>   <p>This spring [player_tooltip player_id='2118833' first='Kevin' last='Kemp'] was offered by St. Cloud State and Minnesota State-Moorhead and I feel like there were a lot of people out there that were surprised, and some others that thought "well that's nice".</p>   <p>This 6'9 Eagan frontcourt player is more than just the monthly flavor. This talent has a chance to have a wide variety of options making contact with him as the weeks go by. The Huskies and Dragons were watching this weekend each game, and so were many others. In Kemp they see a 6'9 player with really quick springs, wide shoulders, good lateral ability and the ability to get up and down. I'm sure his ten points a game as a junior has people questioning but this is a big guy blossoming in front of our eyes and when you really look at what he is physically, you see guys move the way he does at his size in the Summit League. </p>   <p>For now lets just keep it in the NSIC and let him grow, but the ceiling for [player_tooltip player_id='2118833' first='Kevin' last='Kemp'] could be high. </p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>The Next Caledonia King </strong></h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2387331' first='Grant' last='King'] had a nice freshman year. He was a part of a starting five that made the state tournament and pushed all the way to the final four. King was playing with four established seniors and one of them just so happened to be his brother, the Warrior point guard. So by comparison sake with other freshman playing, you could see Grant play but he was in a combo role and he was rightfully deferring to seniors that had won a ton of games.</p>   <p>Now the Caledonia program is in the hands of [player_tooltip player_id='2387331' first='Grant' last='King'], a sophomore to be, and I am excited to see what he can do with it. </p>   <p>Grant went head to head with KJ Wilson at the camp in a game and of course Wilson is the top ranked 2028 after having the best year of any freshman in the state. But head to head, Grant made the better impression. Both Wilson and King scored five times, they had in the 4-5 assist area, they beat guys off the dribble (Wilson went to the pull-up, King went to the rim) and they both had the ball in their hands. That said, King took better shots leading to a better percentage, he made a bigger impact on the defensive end, and King was active on the glass. Grant also got his teammates a better selection of attempts, and his team won. </p>   <p></p>

Who were the top standouts from Saturday? We start with Ichima Idoko Ichima Idoko 6'7" | PF DeLaSalle | 2028 State MN and Baboucarr Ann Baboucarr Ann 6'5" | SF/CG Maple Grove | 2027 State #101 Nation MN !