National Open Championship: Teddy’s Sunday Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prep Hoops National Open Championship is powered by VKTRY</strong> – the world's best performance insoles. Jump higher. Run faster. Reduce injuries. <a href="https://vktry.com/?utm_source=Prep+Network&amp;utm_medium=Tournament&amp;utm_campaign=Indy_July">Shop the insoles trusted by 500+ pro/college teams. </a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An incredible AAU season and my fourth year on the Prep Hoops Circuit concluded this afternoon. Here's my final notebook of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Articles coming this week include:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Illinois Evlauations</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Guard Evaluations</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Forward Evaluations</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>D1 MN 15u opens Sunday with win</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>D1 Minnesota had a terrific start to the morning. Five players scored in the games opening minutes with everyone contributing. That includes two 3-pointers from Moussa Dukuly. [player_tooltip player_id='2618953' first='Javon' last='Miller'] followed that up with a pair of his own triples to further extend on that lead in the first half. A third 3-pointer from Dukuly pushed the lead to 23. Then hit his fourth triple with two minutes left in the opening half. Jamir Davis also showed some bounce with a few fast-break dunks as the game went on. And [player_tooltip player_id='2618953' first='Javon' last='Miller'] hit a third triple to start the second half. The most upside I've seen from this group probably comes from Daniel Zoa. He's got the length and size to be an excellent small-forward at the next level. He didn't stuff the stat sheet. But did an outstanding job as a perimeter and interior defender a fastbreak dunk from Dukuly sealed a blowout win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>IL Warriors play tight with Legacy Ice</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the previous game ending a bit early, I got to cover an exciting matchup between Illinois Warriors and Legacy Ice. For the Warriors, [player_tooltip player_id='2369863' first='KT' last='Thomas'] had another big game. Scoring from all over the floor and finishing tons of tough buckets through contact. But [player_tooltip player_id='2310787' first='Kyrie' last='Hart'] also stepped up. He drew and converted and and-one early. Following that up with three straight triples and another tough bucket. But the teamwork and efficient play from Legacy Ice was too much. They went on a late run to regain the lead for good. Everyone scored for Legacy with most points I saw coming off assists. They held on for a 78-72 win.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>First look at EG10 15U</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was my first look at the 15u EG10 Squad. I saw them face off against Uncheckable (MN) this morning. They opened the contest on a 14-3 run. Doing an outstanding job of forcing turnovers and beating them with speed in transition. Much of that thanks to Corey Nelson, who plays with so much energy on both ends. Later in the contest, I watched Manu Jackson Emerge. He's a strong, powerful shooting guard who did a great job spacing out on the floor to knock down open shots. At least three 3-pointers came from him plus a converted and-one in the second half. Raymond Bowling also hit a pair of triples. But the guy with the most long-term potential from this group is Don Bowling III. He's super lengthy as a winger and he should grow quite a bit more. But despite the early start, it was Uncheckable who came out on top.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Excellent Size and Length on TheDream 16u</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the late morning on Sunday, I covered an Indiana-based group called “The Dream” for the first time. To say this group doesn't have upside players would be a massive understatement. Braden Reyonolds impressed me with his length and ability to run the floor. The 6'6” Forward can definitely grow a bit more and might be a D2 guy if he adds more muscle. They also have Joel Bechtel, a 6'5” F from Hauser, Indiana that showed he can be a playmaker anywhere on the floor. Luke Reynolds, he also has the tools to grow a bit more. In the backcourt, 6'0” Guard Alexander Morse was a great facilitator. He also knocked down a pair of triples to keep his team in front in this matchup. Carson Robertson is another backcourt piece that has the potential to be a great combo for a small school. He found his way as a slasher through this contest. Later converted a tough and-one to give his group a 20-point advantage. Even his passing was on-point with several assists. The best moment of the game was when Braden Reynolds attacked the lane for a posterizing finish.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>16u Wisconsin squads cap off exciting weekend</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I finished off the weekend covering a pair of 16u Wisconsin teams. It was All Wisconsin Simpson vs NTXE Ulbrich. Both teams saw lots of contributions in the games opening stages, as the lead was exchanged quite a but. [player_tooltip player_id='2400233' first='Evan' last='Frelich'] propeled a nice run for [program_tooltip program_id='2225511' first='All-Wisconsin' last=''] midway in the opening half. But the duo of [player_tooltip player_id='2414753' first='Rigg' last='Waterman'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2423561' first='Max' last='Gogin'] kept it close. Waterman, a versatle 6'4” SG, was super efficient moving off the ball. Also&nbsp; showed plenty of confidence with the jab-step before attacking the lane. While Gogin was a terrific playmaker and shooter who buried a pair of 3's in the opening half.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The game remained tight in the second half. MTXE held on for a lead early, as [player_tooltip player_id='2841012' first='Liam' last='Minessale'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2894776' first='Devin' last=''] Jerome started to produce some buckets. But Frelich and G [player_tooltip player_id='2386377' first='Magic' last='Xiong'] made good plays as part of a 13-4 run. I was particularly impressed with Xiong's ability to cut off-ball and shoot confidently from deep. He later converted a and-one in transition off a spin-move with four minutes left. The game was extremely close. But ultimately, MTXE came up on top 61-55. [player_tooltip player_id='2414753' first='Rigg' last='Waterman'] 11, Liam Minnesale 12, [player_tooltip player_id='2423561' first='Max' last='Gogin'] 17 for MTXE. [player_tooltip player_id='2400233' first='Evan' last='Frelich'] 21, [player_tooltip player_id='2386377' first='Magic' last='Xiong'] 16 for [program_tooltip program_id='2225511' first='All-Wisconsin' last=''].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->