St. Paul Johnson MLK Classic Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seven prospects who impressed yesterday at the MLK Classic at St. Paul Johnson!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2140649"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-696f98f3ba65a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Keishaun hasn't gotten many varsity minutes this season, but with [player_tooltip player_id='2126117' first='Malachi' last='Hill'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1956268' first='Shay' last='Jackson'] both out, TG needed someone to step up against Richfield. Rolle did just that, coming up with some huge plays defensively. Shortly after checking into the game, Keishaun hit a three, drew a charge, forced a tie-up on the floor, and deflected a long pass that may have ended up in a lay-up for Richfield. The 6'1 guard was all over the floor defensively, pressuring the ball hard and putting himself in the right spots off the ball to come up with stops. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2419994"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-696f98f3ba6d6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The 8th grade point guard wasn't backing down against a top-10 ranked St. Paul Johnson team. He was poised handling the ball under pressure, and often was able to beat his initial defender to give Minnehaha numbers going forward. Carter put up 15 points hitting multiple threes, finishing off of steals in transition, and scoring off a nice floater in the lane. At a young age he sees the floor extremely well, doesn't get sped up by defenders, and makes smart plays with the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2126460"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-696f98f3ba72a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Donte had another impressive scoring performance for South St. Paul in a win over St. Cloud Tech. Despite missing some time in the first half with two fouls, Branch managed to put up 29 points, and was mostly doing so within the flow of the offense. Rather than over dribbling for tough isolation shots, a lot of Donte's buckets came from off-ball cuts, catch-and-shoot threes, or transition finishes. Utilized his length defensively to come up with some steals on the ball, as he moves his feet well at 6'3 and picks his moments well to poke the ball free. He's been putting together a big junior season for a 10-4 SSP team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2126166"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-696f98f3ba778"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Totino-Grace's lead was firmly established in the first half against Richfield, with a big part of that coming from the shooting touch of [player_tooltip player_id='2126166' first='Jaylan' last='Hynes']. Playing on a loaded team he won't put up the scoring numbers that he would at almost any other school, but we saw flashes of what he can do with the ball. In the first half Hynes hit a pair of triples, and also knocked down a tough mid-range shot off the dribble. At 6'3 his long frame and elevation on his jumper makes it tough for defenders to contest. He played a key role in the win over #2 ranked Richfield.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3077606"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-696f98f3ba7c6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Manabenda is still a very raw prospect, but he showed some nice flashes against South St. Paul. The 6'7 forward scored a team high 14 points while also being active on the glass. Throughout the game he racked up a handful of put-back buckets, scored off a drive from the perimeter, and displayed some impressive vision out of the block. A number of times he would catch in the post and was able to find teammates cutting to the basket for two points. Against a team playing without any bigs, James showed he can move his feet with smaller players and use his length to disrupt things around the basket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3042595"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-696f98f3ba813"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The play of Jermaine was one of the bright spots in a tough loss for Johnson. He came in off the bench and was immediately making an impact with his intensity on the ball defensively. He loves to get up and pressure opposing guards the length of the floor to help force mistakes and get his team out in transition. Offensively he was using his change of speed to blow by defenders and get downhill, showcasing impressive body control on a number of tough finishes in traffic. Also showcased his impressive explosiveness with a backdoor alley-oop dunk in the second half. He finished with a game high 23 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2436914"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-696f98f3ba85c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Before coming out with an injury in the second half, Kellen showed his impressive potential that makes him one of the more intriguing prospects in the state's 2027 class. Defensively he spent a lot of time guarding out on the perimeter, moving his feet with wings half a foot shorter than him. He was still able to make a big impact on the glass though, securing 15 rebounds to go along with his 22 points. Very mobile at 6'7-6'8 combined with a good handle at his size that allows him to play out on the wing and even handle the ball for his team at times. Showcased a fluid shot as he drained a number of threes both off the catch and off the dribble.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->