Minnesota Expo: The Top Performers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Top performers from the Expo this Sunday? There were several. We run through that list of players now.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Note: the players noted in the top stock risers or new names to know like [player_tooltip player_id='2126113' first='AJ' last='Taban'], [player_tooltip player_id='1560747' first='Alex' last='Schroepfer'], [player_tooltip player_id='2381223' first='Judah' last='Caine'], [player_tooltip player_id='2465512' first='Duke' last='King'], [player_tooltip player_id='2120490' first='Brett' last='Siroin'], [player_tooltip player_id='2126166' first='Jaylan' last='Hynes'], [player_tooltip player_id='2126458' first='Luke' last='Schroeder'], [player_tooltip player_id='2877054' first='Asher' last='Wieberdink'], and more, they will be added in at the end of the week when we do the All Expo Team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2575638' first='Izayah' last='Cook'] of Wayzata (6'5, 2027). Cook performed as expected with some explosive transition and off ball active finishes as he is a 6'5 explosive talent on the wing. I think the item that stood out to me was that the few jumpers he took were made and looked very clean, and physically Cook looks stronger than before. Used that strength to control players in different spots. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2357544' first='Cole' last='Davis'] of Maple River (6'2, 2027). [player_tooltip player_id='2357544' first='Cole' last='Davis'] is one of the best shooters in his class and the numbers he's put up show that. Unfortunately when you join up with unfamiliar talented teammates for a few games they might not know that. Davis made the best of it by doing the work off the ball: chasing a putback, sprinting the floor in transition, scoring on cuts. He scored in active ways until his teammates finally moved the ball to him so he could hit that pretty jumper.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2126117' first='Malachi' last='Hill'] of Totino-Grace (6'0). Hill started every live action event by vocally working to get his teammates active and involved every possession. It's the type of leadership that consistently grows over time, and it's the time of vocal effort that creates energy. Hill did that while also dominating three on three. Hill is one of the most difficult players to stay in front of in the state and when you take away two halfcourt defenders, slowing Hill from finding space is almost impossible. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2574749' first='Gideon' last='Horne'] of Richfield (6'4). Let's state the obvious, Horne is one of the most physically explosive players in the state. He will grab a board off the rim, Horne will block a shot impressively, he will snap into the air and dunk before your eyes are ready to take it in. What caught my eye was the shooting form, especially the release on his shooting touch. It certainly looks like Gideon has been working on that and we saw that from mid-range. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2404942' first='King' last='James'] of Hiawatha Collegiatte (6'6). This is pretty simple: King is strong, has long arms and is incredibly explosive at 6'6 and because of that most of the talent at this event isn't physically capable of stopping him. And the ones that are capable were either on his team or they weren't one of the two teams that played against his team. James was physically dominant throughout the event. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2381221' first='Carter' last='Lowis'] of Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial (6'10). Carter's skills seem to have taken a huge step forward. Naturally, Carter is a huge player that goes up and down well so he's immediately a prospect that I think can at least be in the same area as [player_tooltip player_id='2815217' first='Logan' last='Junkermeier'] who is headed to SMSU. The perimeter touch, the footwork, and the touch in the paint looked more confident and I thought he stayed on balance a lot better which is a sign of getting strong and physically maturing. I think we are in the start of a 12 month stretch for Carter where he is going to make a ton of good impressions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2119645' first='Tyrel' last='Pride'] of Tartan (6'1). This might be an odd angle to take but I thought Pride remained poised and calm despite circumstances that had him as the third or fourth biggest player on his team at teams and often playing stacked teams. Pride still moved the ball, competed and did his best to make the best of the scenario. He's also a bit taller and stronger from what I recall and his perimeter touch showed good percentages in two games and in the three on three.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->