Upper Midwest Finals: Max's Night One Standouts

Six of the prospects who impressed on the opening night at the Prep Hoops Upper Midwest Finals!      Justus put on a show in a night one win for LEAD Sports Academy. The 6'6 forward was swatting shots, throwing down two handed dunks, and showed he can beat smaller defenders off the dribble from the perimeter. Dayee showcased good timing on his three blocked shots throughout the game, and took one of them coast-to-coast for a two handed dunk. One of his most impressive plays of the game saw Justus bring up the ball, and split two defenders from the top of the key to quickly get to the rim and finish. Showed and explosive burst on that play that you don't often see in freshmen his size.     Tolu is one of the most physically imposing prospects in the 2029 class. The Stillwater forward is built like a senior, with a strong frame that helps him dominate the glass. He does a great job of rising up and securing missed shots with two hands, and offensively has the quick second leap to go right back up for two points. Tolu utilized his 6'4 frame to alter/block a few shots throughout the night, and on the offensive end he even stepped out to hit a corner three in the big win for his team.     Oliver is such a difficult matchup at the 15u level. He's too strong for most guards to handle in the paint, but if you defend him with a forward they typically can't move their feet with him. Groves shows flashes of his older brother Nolan around the basket, playing off two feet and keeping a strong and balanced base as he uses strength and footwork to find ways to convert around the rim. Oliver showed the ability to finish with either hand, and just has a nose for getting to the basket for high percentage looks.     Aiden is a smooth slasher out on the wing for his [program_tooltip program_id='2075672' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] team. He's listed at 6'1, but has a long and lanky frame that helps him play even bigger than that size. Throughout the game he was turning turnovers into transition finishes, he was slashing to the rim from the wing, and he even showed shooting touch out beyond the arc. Aiden doesn't force his offense or over-dribble, and instead moves without the ball and waits for driving lanes or open shots to open up. He's a big reason why this Fury Kompelien team has been so good this spring.     Facing a tall task in slowing down [player_tooltip player_id='2917657' first='Ethan' last='Payne'] and [program_tooltip program_id='2075685' first='Minnesota' last='Select'] in the paint, Naol used every inch of his 6'5+ frame to make things difficult around the rim. He's an extremely long forward who moves well at his size, and does a great job of walling up even through contact to make every shot inside difficult. Even facing one of the strongest post players in the 2029 class, Naol held his ground and helped force some low shooting numbers. Still raw offensively but showed good mechanics on his shot at the free throw line.     Andrew showcased a smooth shooting stroke with his size. Able to play out on the wing or as a stretch-four, Andrew had defenders chasing him out on the perimeter all game long. Any time he caught in space a shot was going up, and you felt confident that three points were going to be going on the board. Andrew has solid mobility at his size, can handle the ball a bit, and moves his feet well enough to defend a number of spots on the floor. Key player for [program_tooltip program_id='2075685' first='Minnesota' last='Select'] 15u Ohnstad.

Six of the prospects who impressed on the opening night at the Prep Hoops Upper Midwest Finals!