Friday Night Standouts from the Show Me Showdown

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Prep Hoops Show Me Showdown got underway on Friday night at the Beal Center in Chesterfield. Here is a look at some of the standout performers from the first night of action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":3631933,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_1129.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_1129.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-3631933" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='3535266' first='Shaun' last='Cole Jr'] (SEMO Aces 17U): The 6'2' 2028 guard from Sikeston was playing up at the 17U level and he scored 18 points in his team's victory over Triple Threat. He is a smooth offensive player who was scoring at all three levels. His perimeter stroke from long distance was nice, but he was doing a good job of getting buckets in the middle area off the dribble and in the lane. He was also getting his teammates involved with some nice passing. He is one of the top young prospects in the SEMO area.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":3632041,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_1113.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_1113.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-3632041" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2477723' first='Tristan' last='Lewis'] (Rise &amp; Rein 15U): A 5'10 2029 guard had a big scoring night in a victory over IQ Hoopz in the opening game of the night. The young lefty was getting buckets from all three levels as he was very aggressive and confident in his ability to score. His handles were very creative as he could break down defenders to get into the lane and hit pull ups or to get all the way to the basket. He was also knocking down open 3-pointers, including a big one from the corner late in the game as his team rallied to win a high-scoring thriller.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":3632042,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_1154.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_1154.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-3632042" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Isaiah Laux (Illinois Raptors 17U): The 5'11" 2027 guard from Staunton (IL) was easily the best perimeter shooter that I watched during Friday night's games. He made six 3-pointers in the first half and scored a game-high 24 points to lead his team to a victory. In addition to being a great shooter, he is very good at moving without the ball and doing his work to make himself shot ready. His release is quick and the shot is pure in that it looks like it's going in every time. In the second half, he did a good job of attacking close outs and setting up teammates when he was getting a little extra defensive attention.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":3632043,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_1156.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_1156.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-3632043" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tommy Beussink (IQ Hoopz 17U): A 6'1" 2027 guard who is a small-school standout from Leopold in the SEMO area. He plays the game with an old-school feel. He has a strong body and he used hit well to keep defenders at bay off the dribble. He played at his own pace and it was very difficult to speed him up. He could back them down for the short jumper or hit the pull up off the dribble. He also had a nice shooting stroke from 3-point range. He set up his defenders well and he was consistently getting to his spots on the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":3632044,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_1130.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_1130.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-3632044" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2414259' first='Max' last='Snider'] (SEMO Aces 17U): A 6'3" 2027 guard from Scott City who is one of the top small-school talents in the SEMO area. He is a very talented offensive player and I am always impressed with his ability to play with the ball and also without the ball with his movement and reading defenses. He comes off screens to shoot 3-pointers and he can score of his excellent cutting off the ball. He finished with 20 points in the Aces' victory over Triple Threat.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":3632045,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_1133.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/IMG_1133.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-3632045" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jake Lanzarini (Triple Threat 17U Debold): A 6'0" 2027 guard from Lindbergh who plays the game at full throttle at all times. He was in attack mode and he was getting the results with multiple impressive finishes in the lane. He was getting into the paint at will and he finished well through contact. If he wasn't scoring, he was getting himself to the free throw line. He is a tireless competitor who was putting in work at both ends of the court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->