ND Phenom 16U: Successful Season Review

Led by head coach Jordan Maurer and assistant coach Trey Brandt, two true basketball gurus with sharp minds and a genuine passion for the game, the [program_tooltip program_id='2075741' first='ND' last='Phenom'] 16U squad put together one of the more talented and enjoyable teams to watch on the Prep Hoops circuit this season. PHD caught this group in action multiple times throughout the year, and it was clear early on that this was a squad capable of competing with anybody on their schedule.   The results backed it up. After a solid spring session, this team caught fire over the summer, finishing the year with an impressive 20-8 record. Along the way, they battled top competition from across the Midwest, including a heartbreaking buzzer-beater loss to a talented SD squad, a game they responded to by bouncing back with a big win over a top group of 2029s at the Great Plains Alliance shortly after.   Beyond the wins and losses, this was a team defined by buy-in, with players embracing their roles and putting in the necessary work to improve as the season progressed. Several guys took real strides individually, and the group's depth and balance made them a tough matchup for anyone on the circuit. Here's a closer look at how this successful season came together.   Head Coach: Jordan Maurer   Assistant Coach: Trey Brandt   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/SeaonReview-.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/03/SeaonReview-.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-1842251" style="aspect-ratio:1.602053915275995;width:273px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/ND-Phenom.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/ND-Phenom.png?w=400" alt="" class="wp-image-2230122" style="aspect-ratio:2.0306787140155493;width:311px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   Player Comments via Coach Maurer    "Weston was a defensive ace for us. He also found a lot of offensive success in posting smaller guards and getting paint penetration. He has indicated to me that he plans to focus on football moving forward, and I fully believe he will have a lot of success on the gridiron as well as on the court."     "Andrew is a true floor general. He keeps getting better and better. He really improved and turned himself into a knockdown shooter. He is going to be a college basketball player. I recommend coaches get on him early."     "Josh is a jack of all trades. He made some big shots for us this season. He was great defensively and rebounded well. He has indicated to me that he plans to focus on football moving forward, and I fully believe he will have a lot of success on the gridiron as well as on the court."     "Patrick really thrived this season having another point guard on the floor with him. Patrick is a high-level scorer, creator, and athlete. He really did a nice job of balancing running the team with Andrew with looking for his own offense. After the season, Patrick has been offered by 2 Northern Sun schools."     "Eastyn really thrived playing the 2 for us. The primary responsibility for our 2 is scoring and defending. He did both of those things at a high level. He had some very big offensive games for us. Eastyn is a college player."     "Eric was great. He is that traditional 3 and D wing or stretch 4. He is crafty around the rim. He does a good job as a cutter and making roll/pop decisions. He has started playing above the rim as well. Eric is a college player."     "Philip is just Mr. Consistent. He is going to rebound everything. He is going to finish. He is going to guard. He is going to block shots. He is starting to play above the rim. The most impressive part was him doing this while playing up the entire season. Philip is a college player."     "Reid improved so much from practice 1 to game 28. He has really started to understand physicality, footwork, and effort. He does a great job on the glass and finishing. He has a very nice frame to work with. There is just a lot of upside with Reid. Very fun to work with and a great teammate. Reid is a future college player."    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/QA.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/QA.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-2511663" style="aspect-ratio:1.6020242183264053;width:262px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   With Jordan Maurer   PHD: What are some of your best memories from off the court?   "A few come to mind. Giordano's in Illinois with catered pizza, pasta, and salad was very fun. Another that comes to mind was in Minnesota when we watched the NBA Finals and Coach Brandt and several of the players who were rooting for the Spurs had to do 10 push-ups after the Thunder won that game and series."   PHD: Can you tell us about a memorable play or game that really sticks out to you?   "The most memorable play for me was tying it up against Team Warwick with 7 seconds to go and their best player, one of the top 2028s in the Midwest in [player_tooltip player_id='1655914' first='Sullivan' last='Felberg'], hit a game-winning fadeaway as time expired. It was great to see the guys compete at such a high level against such a high-level team and we gave ourselves a chance to win it."   PHD: Who was your "go-to" player when you needed a bucket?   "I would not say we had a go to player. We had a few actions that we could go to down the stretch, getting [player_tooltip player_id='2606561' first='Eric' last='Van Berkom'], [player_tooltip player_id='2631384' first='Philip' last='Weidner'], or [player_tooltip player_id='2708519' first='Reid' last='Schneider'] in a ball screen situation with [player_tooltip player_id='2417308' first='Andrew' last='Ziemer'] or [player_tooltip player_id='2525625' first='Patrick' last='Shanahan'] and a lot of good things happened."   PHD: Who was your most improved player?   "[player_tooltip player_id='2708519' first='Reid' last='Schneider'] was the move-improved player. His confidence, physicality, and ability to play at his own pace all took major strides."   PHD: How did the team improve from the start of the season to the end?   "Everyone just really bought into doing what they do well. We had an ok start to the season, finishing 10-6 in the spring session, but really took off in the summer and finished the summer months 10-2 with that Team Warwick buzzer-beater loss and a loss in Illinois to a 3SGB team where it was a battle all the way."   PHD: Who were a few of your hardest workers?   "[player_tooltip player_id='2631384' first='Philip' last='Weidner'] is relentless on the glass and in sprinting the floor. [player_tooltip player_id='2375504' first='Weston' last='Kraft'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2375716' first='Josh' last='Link'] did a tremendous job applying pressure in the full court defensively as well."   PHD: Can you talk about a time when you and the team overcame adversity?   "Again, in talking about the loss to Team Warwick, our guys bounced back and had a very nice, big win, over a top group of 2029s that was playing up at the Great Plains Alliance. It is easy to be emotionally drained after a loss like that, and I was proud of how quickly we bounced back."   PHD: Who was your top post player?   "Philip and Reid manned the 5 for us. They both bring a different dimension to that role. Philip is such a talented rebounder and his ability to play in space is phenomenal. Reid is more of a throwback bruiser, but his physicality and finishing ability were huge for us.   PHD: Were there any memorable buzzer-beaters, upsets, or clutch performances?   "[player_tooltip player_id='2417308' first='Andrew' last='Ziemer'], [player_tooltip player_id='2525625' first='Patrick' last='Shanahan'], [player_tooltip player_id='2415387' first='Eastyn' last='Schaefer'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2606561' first='Eric' last='Van Berkom'] all had games hitting 5 or more 3s and were very consistent for us all season."   PHD: Who emerged as an unexpected contributor or breakout star?   "I think [player_tooltip player_id='2417308' first='Andrew' last='Ziemer'] exceeded expectations more than anyone I expected. He had previously shown high-level playmaking abilities. He really came into his own offensively as the season progressed."   PHD: What lessons from this season go beyond basketball?   "The work is the work. There is no substitute for it. Good things happen if you put it in. The goal is to put in so many reps that it is unreasonable for you not to succeed."   PHD: Any last comments?   "This group was very fun to coach. I feel that we flew under the radar, but we had a lot of success. We were a possession or 2 away from finishing the season 26-2 if the opponents did not change. 20-8 was a success for our group and we look forward to building on it."   BEST OF LUCK TO THE NDP PLAYERS THIS WINTER!!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/ND-Phenom.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/ND-Phenom.png?w=400" alt="" class="wp-image-2230122" /></a></figure>

Led by head coach Jordan Maurer and assistant coach Trey Brandt, two true basketball gurus with sharp minds and a genuine passion for the game, the ND Phenom 16U squad put together one of the more talented and enjoyable teams to watch on the Prep Hoops circuit this season. PHD caught this group in action multiple times throughout the year, and it was clear early on that this was a squad capable of competing with anybody on their schedule.