15U: Friday Night Momentum Shifting Players

Prep Hoops 2K25 tipped off on Friday night, and the 15U tournament at Chanhassen High School had some exciting games all night. In a sport full of runs, these are the guys that fueled a lot of those.    Bethel came out HOT on Friday night. Despite being the shortest guy on the court, he was constantly attacking the hoop, trying to find gaps and spots that he could penetrate and use to score. In the first two minutes of the game, he had seven of his team's first nine points, helping build an early lead. What is a significant part of that early scoring is the fact that two of the buckets were at the cup over defenders over half a foot taller than him. One of the other aspects of his game that was most impressive was his knack for 50/50 balls. The way I saw it, those were more like 75/25 balls for him, allowing him to change the game in many ways.     The guy who had the best ball-handling Friday night was Austin, who had an uncanny handle all night while limiting his mistakes. He is the definition of a ‘big guard' and is a multi-level scorer who can change the game in many ways. His biggest strength, outside of his ball-on-a-string handle, was his ability to penetrate and draw contact at the basket. This is not a knock on his shooting, because after driving all game, the defense tried to sit on him, and he drilled two shots from deep.     Although I gave his teammate, [player_tooltip player_id='1975416' first='Khaliq' last='Austin'], the nod for best handles of the night, Terry showcased a twitchy and impressive shot-creating ability, creating separation on his deep threes. Each shot he took looked like it had a chance to go in, making him a threat from deep but leaving himself with the option to drive and kick or dish to a shooter or someone in the paint. Scoring is where he impacts the game the most, and if he catches fire, he can shift the momentum fast.     The game from Deveaux was the most fun I watched on Friday night. He was the opener, scoring the first bucket of the game, and the closer, hitting a game-winning three in overtime. Deveaux looked comfortable taking tough shots, including a running one-legged hook shot on the right side. After the other team mounted a strong comeback late in the game, Select put the ball and trust in Deveaux, and he pulled through with the game-winner. His three-level scoring is something that'll translate well and make him versatile in the future.     This is the kind of guy I love to watch because the casual watcher may not catch what he does so well. He can score, don't get me wrong, but that is not what stood out to me. Passing, rebounding, loose balls, and finding the open guy. He started the small things with a strong pass to a rim-running big, and he continued to do those things all game. Doherty kept his foot on the gas in the intangible category all game, up until Deveaux hit the game winner.     Oakland, who was on the losing end of the game winner on Friday night, showed who he is as a player despite trailing for most of the game, and that was a guy not letting up, no matter the score. Oakland and his squad were not shooting the best to start the game. As the game continued, he didn't let that impact his effort, whether that was getting his hand in a passing lane or driving to the rim. At one point in the second half, during his Fury team's comeback, he had a tough layup at the rim and then drew a foul in the same spot the next possession. The two things one can control are their attitude and effort, and Oakland kept them at 100 all game.

Prep Hoops 2K25 tipped off on Friday night, and the 15U tournament at Chanhassen High School had some exciting games all night. In a sport full of runs, these are the guys that fueled a lot of those.