15u Friday Night Standouts: Midwest Showdown

There was a lot of energy in the Champions Center in Appleton on Friday as night one of the Midwest Showdown is in the books. With 21 teams in the 15u division there is a plethora of talented players competing this weekend. I was able to take in a few games on Friday night and see some talented players. Let's highlight these rising 15u players!    Liam competes with the 15u [program_tooltip program_id='2494181' first='Wisconsin' last='Dynasty'] squad based out of Madison, WI. Etter's squad fell to an aggressive 1848 team, but was impressive in the defeat. The six-foot-three wing player was able to score in a variety of ways using his versatility and skillset. Liam has a longer frame for his age which he uses to finish around the rim with solid footwork, make shots from the midrange, and knock down perimeter jump shots for the Dynasty. Liam carries himself with good confidence and will only continue to get better. Etter scored 13 points efficiently on Friday night and will only get better as he adds strength and gets reps against good teams this spring and summer.     Chapman, who competes with [program_tooltip program_id='2078394' first='Team' last='1848'], and attends Green Bay West High School, showed his dynamic playmaking abilities on Friday night. The five-foot-ten lead guard led 1848 in scoring and assists as he controlled this game in the half court and in transition. Chapman has a very quick first step to either get a shot for himself at the rim, or find a teammate cutting or in the dunker spot. Michael made the right passes advancing the ball in transition, and did an excellent job of breaking the Dynasty's pressure in the full court. In addition to his court vision, Michael utilized a tight handle, and euro steps to finish strong at the rim. He finished with 15 points and a handful of assists.     Moore was another key player for the [program_tooltip program_id='2078394' first='Team' last='1848'] squad on Friday Night. Kael is a physical wing player that has a crafty skill set. Moore utilized his physicality and his size to score some easy buckets around the rim in his first game of the event. Moore is pretty effective in the paint when he is able to get to his spot and finish. Moore is a good perimeter shooter when left open as well as he knocked down a deep perimeter shot in his team's 50-37 victory. Kael finished with nine points on the night.     [program_tooltip program_id='2076023' first='Wisconsin' last='Academy'] was dominant in their victory against Rise Above in Appleton on Friday night and Heitz was a big reason for this. The six-foot-two guard prospect out of Oregon was making plays all over the floor for his team in the first half leading his team to a comfortable 41-13 lead as they went into the second half. Heitz is a skilled and confident guard who has advanced footwork to pivot and finish around the rim. In addition to his finishing abilities, Heitz can shoot the ball with consistency as he hit two triples in this matchup. Greyson started to look for his teammates more in the second half as he filled the first half score sheet with 15 points. He is a willing and very capable passer. I was also impressed with Heitz's intelligence and intensity on the defensive end as well. Greyson was able to steal a pass after a made bucket to convert an easy layup and defended with a lot of energy. Heitz finished with 17 points in limited time due to his team cruising to a 65-24 victory against Rise Above.     Jenson did not fill up the statsheet for Academy on Friday night, but part of that was due to the score of the game and limited minutes. Nels is hard to miss on the floor for 15u teams, due to his strong frame and size. The Lakeside Lutheran frontcourt prospect finished the game with six points and a handful of rebounds but showed flashes of potential throughout this game. Jenson is physical in the post and has good touch and solid footwork to be able to convert paint touches at the rim. As Nels develops other parts to his game, he could be a great consistent piece for [program_tooltip program_id='2076023' first='Wisconsin' last='Academy'] as they progress through their club season.     Landerud was another player that stood out to me on Friday night. Carter works very hard on both ends of the floor playing with a good amount of intensity and energy to make winning plays for his team. Landerud was one of the guards for Academy that was able to get to the rim off the bounce using their quickness. Carter is still developing parts of his game, but I really liked how he was able to attack the basket in the second half of his matchup in his game against Rise Above. Landerud was also able to convert a long distance shot in the second half to finish with 9 points in their decisive victory. [program_tooltip program_id='2076023' first='Wisconsin' last='Academy'] has a lot of guys who competes extremely hard on the defensive end and Landerud is one of those guys.

There was a lot of energy in the Champions Center in Appleton on Friday as night one of the Midwest Showdown is in the books. With 21 teams in the 15u division there is a plethora of talented players competing this weekend. I was able to take in a few games on Friday night and see some talented players. Let's highlight these rising 15u players!