PH National Open Championship: Max's Day 1 Standouts

Six prospects who impressed on the opening night of play at the Prep Hoops National Open Championship powered by VKTRY!    Thompson was lights out in the opening round game for Bearstail Basketball. The Minnetonka guard simply wasn't missing when left in space, and playing alongside a talented point guard he did a great job of finding pockets and creating angles for kick-out passes. Defenders quickly recognized Eli as a shooter, so he did a good job of adjusting and starting to throw in some shots fakes before blowing by closeouts off the dribble. Part of a really dangerous up-and-coming group of guards at Minnetonka.     Alongside [player_tooltip player_id='2842170' first='Elliott' last='Thompson'] running the point for Bearstail Basketball was [player_tooltip player_id='2853260' first='Beckham' last='Nelson']. Nelson is a true floor general with a tight handle, lateral quickness, and impressive vision to spot open teammates. Beckham is so dangerous coming off screens as he can hit his big rolling to the hoop, can skip a crosscourt pass to a shooter, or explode downhill to get to the rim and finish. At a young age Beckham already has great change of speed, and defenders found it difficult to stick in front of him throughout the game. He racked up assist after assist in a big opening game win for his team.     Quad Cities Academy didn't have an answer for [player_tooltip player_id='2400080' first='Nolan' last='Greene'] in the paint last night. He does a great job of winning the battle in the post without the ball, making life easy for him once an entry pass comes his way. Nolan is always fighting for position, and has a great understanding of his angles to provide his guards with a big target for entry. Because of the seals he creates without the ball, Nolan simply has to catch and turn over his left shoulder for an easy finish. He helped his Fury team advance in the 16u bracket.     Trey is a bruiser of a wing prospect out of Hawaii. Going up against Hard Hoops 15u out of Texas, defenders simply had no answer for him. He's a mismatch nightmare at the 15u level as he's simply too strong for most wings to contain around the rim, but too quick to defend with a bigger forward. It didn't matter if he was driving from the wing, pushing it in transition, or getting on the offensive glass, the defense simply couldn't keep him away from the basket. He helped lead his team to a 24 point opening game win.     One of the bright spots in the loss for Hard Hoops 15u was the play of 2029 forward [player_tooltip player_id='2850251' first='Cooper' last='Johnson']. He's a skilled and physical frontcourt prospect with the footwork to go to work in isolation on the block, and an impressive mid-range game. Cooper is able to face up and either attack with one/two dribbles, or simply elevate for a jumper. He even acted as a point-forward at times as he has a good handle at 6'3 and sees the floor well. Defensively he was able to hold his ground and wall up to protect the rim, blocking a few shots throughout the game.     It's easy to see why Logan is so highly regarded in North Dakota's 2029 class. At 6'7 he has an impressive blend of size, fluid athleticism, and skill at a young stage. Logan was able to beat opposing forwards off the dribble, knocked down three jumpers, and showed the strength to rack up a few finishes through contact in a big win for his team. Around the basket he showcased impressive body control, able to hang in the air and still finish while taking a bump from a defender. This was the second time I've seen Logan play in-person, and he's produced at a high level in both games.

Six prospects who impressed on the opening night of play at the Prep Hoops National Open Championship powered by VKTRY!