National Open Championship: Teddy’s Saturday Notebook (Part 2)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's the second part to my notebook from Saturday's Action in Indianapolis. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Multiplier plays selfless basketball&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The names on the back of the Multipler 15u jerseys say “selflessness”. There was so much of that in the morning action against Davis Brothers 2028. They had an early 18-12 advantage in this contest. Working especially well off pick-and-roll opportunities to get a physical 6'2” PF [player_tooltip player_id='2420149' first='Nikolas' last='Reed'] open down low. Much of the facilitation came from [player_tooltip player_id='2897687' first='Nick' last='Robinson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2797662' first='Ryan' last='Lynch'], who did an excellent job creating off the dribble and moving off the ball. A floating layup from Lynch ended the first half on a high note. Much of that was the same later in the contest. Especially from Reed, who was super effective on the boards and picked up a pair of key 2nd half blocks. [player_tooltip player_id='2560404' first='Mo' last='Leye'] also of d his way in the paint for a big second half. Lynch later extended his range for a corner 3-pointer. Followed that up with a slick dime to an open teammate off the dribble. Reed had another key block late in the contest and followed it up with a game-tying layup in the games final stages. Despite a close loss, they carried that selflessness basketball over to their game against D1 Minnesota.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Davis Brothers 2028 open with win Saturday morning</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Multiplier opponent, Davis Brothers 2028 from Edgerton, WI, also had a good showing with numerous prospects that caught my attention. [player_tooltip player_id='2615520' first='DJ' last='Cooper'], a top 40 player in that class, was an outstanding facilitator and a confident shooter. Finding his way in both areas to lead a nice run in the first half of that game. When he got a break, others stepped up. Including [player_tooltip player_id='2409572' first='Jaxson' last='Wyngaard'], who moved well off the ball to find his own shot. As well as [player_tooltip player_id='2412456' first='Tyler' last='Schwalbach'], who showcased a quick burst to the rim. But Tyler Kowall, a top 20, prospect, might have made the biggest impact from this group. Showed he can score from all three levels in this contest. Staying efficient as a defender while never losing his mark. [player_tooltip player_id='2412456' first='Tyler' last='Schwalbach'] hit the game winner in Overtime to win 61-59.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>A look at D1 Minnesota 14u</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>D1 Minnesota's top 14u team has been playing up on the 15u circuit. They lost to Pack basketball in the late morning. So I covered their game vs multiplier in the early afternoon. It's a group that was a bit undersized when playing against Multiplier. But that was fine given that they're a younger group. Kolden Johnson was th most effective player and was able to use his physical frame on many instances early in this matchup for six quick points. Dexter Simmons, who I watched with 58Hoops in the spring, is now on this team. He's shown me tremendous upside with his 6'6” frame that could see him become an outstanding forward in his class. Especially with his ability to make plays on the perimeter. He didn't make much of an impact in this matchup, but the long-term potential in this player cannot be overlooked when watching this incoming freshman. Lamarr Knighten also has solid upside. I'm a big fan of his speed up the floor as well as his playmaking abilities. Down big early, Minnesota used Knighten, Johnson, Mal Janguen, and Dexter Simmons to bring them back in the game. Kolden Johnson buried a 3-pointer to tie the game in the final seconds of regulation before winning in OT. Kolden Johnson scored 22 and Mal Janguen added 20.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Davis Brothers 2029 puts on a show vs D1 MN 2028</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first quarterfinal matchup saw D1 Minnesota's 15u squad square off against Davis Brothers 14u. It was a fast pace game to start. Possessions were only 10-15 seconds at most in the opening few minutes.&nbsp; But surprisingly, it was the 14u squad who had a 16-6 lead early. Much of that thanks to big man [player_tooltip player_id='2369939' first='Jayden' last='Jackson'] and combo Drew Lans. Jackson is super big for his age. Taking advantage of that in this contest for tons of blocks and rebounds, while getting physical buckets inside. Lans, on the other hand, was super effective and knocked down some open shots moving off the ball. Then hit another 3-pointer off the dribble later on. The biggest lead was 15 in the first half, as everyone contributed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Both Lans and Jackson stayed efficient as the game went on. Jackson finishing a tough drive in transition, while Lans had another strong cut baseline for a reverse layup. Making the easier for his teammates. [player_tooltip player_id='2402423' first='Ben' last='Pritzl'] and Jackson Fisher made some great plays at the end of this contest to help secure the win. Seeing a 14u independent squad beat a 15u shoe team was incredibly eye-opening.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->