Pick's Picks: PH Tune Up WI Friday Standouts

We are inching closer to the July Live period and these two days helped teams prepare for upcoming live events. I was able to take in 16s and 17s this Friday in Appleton at the Champions' Center. Here are my standouts from the games on Friday at #PHTuneUPWI !    Will was one of the more under control players during Friday's action using his quickness, vision, and skill to make the correct decisions in a variety of settings. Still is extremely smooth and does a great job of getting his shoulders downhill on closeout reads. In his early morning game, Still facilitated opportunities in transition, in the half court, and scored the ball efficiently. Will led 24:UP with 14 points and was the best player on the floor in their matchup with [program_tooltip program_id='2075258' first='ABC' last='Young Lions']. Still will be a player to monitor moving forward into the July live period, and headed into his senior season.     Nfor's physical presence stands out for a 24:UP roster that features a great plethora of guard prospects. Afanyu adds a strong frontcourt presence with his ability to impact the game in the paint on both ends of the floor. In his team's matchup on Friday, Nfor was able to spin to both the baseline and middle using hook shots, and drop steps to seal and score at the rim. Outside of his post moves in this game, Nfor ran the floor well and drew contact to get some easy ones at the line. Nfor finished with 12 points and a handful of rebounds. As the prospect from Brookfield Central continues to develop his frame and skills, he could be a big man to watch in the 2028 class.     Calloway was one the most impressive 2027 guards I watched on Friday in Appleton. Calloway has a quick and explosive first step that allows him to get down hill in a hurry. When Donovan can create even the smallest of separation, he has great court vision to either pull-up, finish, or find a teammate wide open on the perimeter or dunker spot. Calloway is also a great outside shot maker as he sprayed several threes from really all over the floor, in the two games I took in on Friday. On the other side of the ball, Donovan is a disruptor with his ability to heat up his matchup and generate steals and deflections. Calloway finished with 23 points in his first game against Playmakers East Premier. Part of a talented Tosa East roster, Donovan is poised for a breakout senior season.     Mitchell is another talented backcourt prospect for the [program_tooltip program_id='2391400' first='Team' last='Herro'] National squad. The six-foot-one guard also attends Wauwatosa East, and has a diverse set of skills on and off the ball. On the ball Mitchell does a great job of creating through his tight handle, pulling up from the mid range, and creating shots for his teammates. When he is able to get to the rim, Mitchell can finish athletically and physically through contact. Off the ball, Parker is a great floor spacer because of his ability to knock down deep triples with his footwork and quick release on catch and shoot threes. A dynamic left-handed prospect, I would anticipate Mitchell being in the mix heavily for a talented Red Raider offense for his senior season, as he builds on his 10.1ppg output from last season.     Keepers had the most impressive shooting performance on Friday. The guard prospect from Neenah hit six first half threes, keeping his Playmakers team right with [program_tooltip program_id='2391400' first='Team' last='Herro'] National. Gavin was run off the line more in the second half, but this did not stop his scoring barrage, as he finished with 29 points for the game. Keepers did his damage off quick drives off closeouts reads, pull-ups from the midrange, and drawing contact to get to the line. As Keepers battles for more run at Neenah in his senior year, his offensive abilities will certainly help him in earning a more prominent role for the Rockets.     Taylor is one of the many downhill playmaking guards for a deep All Wisconsin backcourt. Cam was exceptional at creating going to the basket and finishing at the rim in his late morning game on Friday morning. The guard from New London, is very strong and can use his physicality to finish efficiently off of two feet and power through contact. Taylor has improved in his ability to see the floor as he dishes the ball well to open teammates in the dunker and opposite corner for easy buckets. As New London replaces the scoring of four year starter and UWSP commit Joe Daly, Taylor is a good candidate to help fill the scoring gaps with his versatile skill set.     Cohen is looking more and more like a top five 2028 player in the state of Wisconsin with his strong skillset, wingspan, and athleticism. Silas did not get as much run as he normally does due to the lopsided score, but the six-foot-two guard was effective on both sides of the basketball. Cohen uses his length to disrupt other teams by turning steals into easy buckets on the other end. Offensively, Cohen consistently can hit off the bounce threes, 1-2 pull-ups, and finish strong at the rim. In the most athletic play I saw of the day, Cohen shielded his defender on a spin move, and rose up to hammer down a nasty dunk. Toledo and UWGB have offered the rising prospect, but figures to gather more d1 interest as July picks up and Cohen heads into his junior season with the Redbirds.     Orr was a high impact player for [program_tooltip program_id='2391400' first='Team' last='Herro'] National in their second game in Appleton on Friday. The wing prospect out of Marquette University High School, scored at all three levels, was a menace on the glass, and defended at a high level. On the offensive side of the ball, Orr could score off the pull-up and most often aggressively right at the rim. Ethan was very capable of hitting outside shots as well. On the defensive end, Orr has great anticipatory skills in passing lanes and on the ball generating turnovers. Ethan finished with a game high 24 points, demonstrating [program_tooltip program_id='2391400' first='Team' last='Herro'] National's wide range of talent on their July roster.     Sebion was extremely effective in limited minutes due to the score on Friday. Bo, who attends G-E-T was one of the better three level scorers I saw in the gym at Champions' Center in the 2028 class. Sebion has a great mid-range floater which he deployed off the bounce several times in his game against [program_tooltip program_id='2075260' first='ABP' last='Athletics']. Sebion is a knockdown perimeter shooter hitting a few deep triples from way downtown. Overall, Sebion finished with 20 points in the final box score. Defensively, Bo does a great job of using his feet and athleticism to lock up his matchup and anticipate cross court passes. As Sebion, continues to develop, he will be a junior to monitor In the western part of the state.     Calvert was another impressive player for the [program_tooltip program_id='2075610' first='La' last='Crosse Elevate'] AAU program. Jorden, who plays for La Crosse Central, has a strong frame and is a really good defender capable of converting defense into offense. Calvert uses his strong build to finish strong a the rim, and dice up the defense with his playmaking ability. Jorden has solid court vision in the half-court and transition to set up his Elevate teammates. Calvert was a big part of the Riverhawk lineup last season, and will be a big part of a Central team that also features [player_tooltip player_id='2226077' first='Gabe' last='Servais'], [player_tooltip player_id='2481761' first='Anthony' last='Jones'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2842460' first='Will' last='Schilling'].     Dusick really did some damage to put the game out of reach in the first half against [program_tooltip program_id='2506415' first='Elite' last='Legacy']. The six-foot-six big man from Brookfield East, was extremely effective on the interior on both ends. Dusick had several contact finishes and slammed two big time dunks in traffic on Friday in Appleton. I was also impressed with his ability to catch hard thrown passes on his 45 cuts at the rim. Catching the ball on drives is an underrated skill for bigs, and Dusick has this ability. Eric ran the floor well rim to rim, and overall was very mobile in this matchup.     Casperson erupted offensively in the second half on Friday afternoon in Appleton. Mitch filled the scoring column pouring in 20 points in the second half, including six second half threes. Outside of his ability to knock down threes, Casperson is shifty and can pull up from the midrange. To cap off his big second half, Mitch threw a perfect hook pass to his teammate in the dunker to convert an easy two. Casperson looks to enter his senior season as a solid contributor for a Joe Rux coached squad that brings back a bunch of talent.

We are inching closer to the July Live period and these two days helped teams prepare for upcoming live events. I was able to take in 16s and 17s this Friday in Appleton at the Champions' Center. Here are my standouts from the games on Friday at #PHTuneUPWI !