Madness In The Midwest: Max's Day 1 Standouts

Seven prospects who impressed on Friday night in Appleton at Prep Hoops Madness In The Midwest!    The sharpshooting junior out of Win-E-Mac made his presence felt in the opening game of the day. He was letting it fly from the opening minute, knocking down a handful of threes throughout the game. It didn't take long for the defense to realize he was a shooter, and he did a nice job of adjusting to blow by some hard closeouts and get to the rim. Showed he can curl off of a screen and quickly get his shot off before his defender can catch up to him. In what was a close game down the stretch, Joe hit two shots late in the game and hit a pair of free throws to help secure the win for his team.     Cypress was on fire to start off the game for [program_tooltip program_id='2076003' first='West' last='Central United'], and it was clear to see how he scored a school record 48 points in a game for Perham this past season. At around 6'4-6'5 he has a unique blend of size, shooting touch, and strength that proved tough to stop. He hit a number of pull-up jumpers early in the game, and from there started to get into his inside game. There were times where Cypress was simply bullying defenders out of his way to get to the rim, and from there it was simply laying the ball up for two points.     The 6'2 wing out of Bay Port impressed on night one for Work Some More 17u. At 6'2 he showcased versatility on both ends of the floor. Defensively he could guard a number of spots with his length, and provided an extra rebounding presence inside. On the offensive end he could hit the open three, was cutting hard to the basket for some easy looks inside, and also had a number of drive-and-kick passes to set up his teammates with open looks. Him and his twin brother Kamden could be key players next winter for Bay Port.     Cooper was fearless attacking the basket against size in a win for MN Lace Up on opening night. Even at 5'9-5'10, Cooper was flying to the basket and just seemed to glide to the rim to finish over longer defenders. In what was a fast paced and physical game, Cooper was utilizing his agility to weave through defenders in transition and get his team numbers attacking the basket. Scrappy guard who really competed on the defensive end and repeatedly came up with winning plays throughout the game.     Greg's isolation scoring ability helped keep Da Future 17u in it until the very end against MN Lace Up. He has a shifty handle with the creativity to pull out a number of moves to get to the rim. Long wingspan helps him finish against taller defenders, and he showed the body control to hang in the air to create angles to score. Even when he wasn't able to finish, Greg repeatedly drew contact that earned him trips to the FT line.     Gabe is as scrappy as they come on the defensive end. He's one of those players who you just know is going to be the first one on the floor anytime there's a loose ball in his area. For the entire time I watched Gabe was sitting deep in a stance and picking up opposing point guards the length of the floor. Even against a [program_tooltip program_id='2075672' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] team that features some talented point guards, Gabe was comfortable out there on an island defending on his own.     Even playing up at the 17u level, Nolan just finds ways to get good looks at the rim. His combination of size, strength, and footwork at a young age helps him create angles to score with efficiency around the basket. Whether it's with his back to the basket, out of the pick & roll, or stepping in from the dunker spot, Nolan just finds ways to get the ball around the rim. He does a great job of playing off two feet, getting defenders in the air with shot fakes, and utilizing his footwork to create good finishing angles. He helped lead his Fury team to an opening night win playing up in the 17u bracket.

Seven prospects who impressed on Friday night in Appleton at Prep Hoops Madness In The Midwest!