D1 Minnesota 17s Move on in front of 50 plus coaches

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At 8am central time this morning [program_tooltip program_id='2075431' first='D1' last='Minnesota'] was up competing for their bracket play lives against Upward Stars at 17U play. And they did it in front of a mob of college coaches that filled the stands. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Who was there? Keep in mind, Upward Stars is pretty good and they are a local team, there were a load of east coast and South Carolina colleges watching. But there was a boatload of D1 schools there watching [program_tooltip program_id='2075431' first='D1' last='Minnesota'] too and that list included Miami of Ohio, Notre Dame, South Dakota State, South Dakota, St Thomas, Indiana, Toledo, Penn, Drake, Ohio State, Ohio, Clemson, the Badgers and others. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Why is [program_tooltip program_id='2075431' first='D1' last='Minnesota'] moving on? I give you my five biggest reasons for the win:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>One. Rolling with Big Jack</strong>. [program_tooltip program_id='2075431' first='D1' last='Minnesota'] is doing a fantastic job of getting the ball to seven foot Wisconsin commit [player_tooltip player_id='2126108' first='Jack' last='Thelen'] on the roll giving him the right read while he gives them the right target to throw to. And Jack has really good hands and good footwork leading to the catch and finish with a nice touch. He is also using his massive frame to post, catch, turn and finish. Jack had 19 points on 9 of 12 shooting and that included a three. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Two. The Improved Backcourt Defense in Half Two</strong>. I think [program_tooltip program_id='2075431' first='D1' last='Minnesota'] has a backcourt full of excellent defenders in both potential and usually production. But in the first half I don't think Ann, Hill and Forrest were at their best especially working against the screen and roll (Thelen had issues there too). But in the second half, I think Hill and Forrest really turned it up and joined [player_tooltip player_id='2533408' first='Deon' last='Wallace-Johnson'] in playing really good defense that greatly limited what Upward Stars can do. A sign of a mature player and a mature team is recognizing where the struggle is, and picking up their play and we saw that from this backcourt. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Three. Consistent Cronin</strong>. Speaking of that maturity to turn things around, the Miami of Ohio committed forward had a rough start in the paint finishing early but his effort never stopped. Cronin was active as ever finishing with 16 points and he was constantly forcing Upward Stars to foul him because of that activity. He made five of six foul shots plus five goals, and grabbed eight boards. Another solid day for the every day improving Vince Cronin. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Four. The Ball Handlers</strong>. [player_tooltip player_id='2126118' first='Tyler' last='Forrest'] moved into more of a main ball handler and initial creator role in half two and he flourished. The six assists and strong defensive play was the biggest impact but he also had four boards and ten points. Forrest had clutch late foul shots made with four of four down the stretch and [player_tooltip player_id='2126117' first='Malachi' last='Hill'] did the same putting the game away with five foul shot makes on six attempts in the final few minutes. Hill's biggest impact was likely getting fouled for 9 of 11 foul shooting (for 16 points) but his biggest play was likely taking the charge in the second half. That appeared to be the biggest impact play of the game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Five. 6th Man Impact</strong>. [player_tooltip player_id='2533408' first='Deon' last='Wallace-Johnson'] was the top [program_tooltip program_id='2075431' first='D1' last='Minnesota'] defender getting over screens in half one, and his five first half rebounds were big too. DWJ started the second half and maintained his defensive effort for the full game. The box score says six points and six boards on three shots but the Wallace-Johnson defense was crucial. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->