Minnesota Sophomore Showcase Game 1 Player Notes

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Who stood out during the open round of five during the Sophomore Showcase? We break things down for you NOW!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tiden Witt of Houston. A 6'3 player that caught the eye because of his intelligent play. Witt was one of the smartest, and most unselfish players I saw all day. He rebounded, brought the ball up, and snapped passes all around. Scored a couple times but did so well with the ball and playing good on ball and off ball defense that the scoring was secondary. Tiden really impressed as an all around player. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2949452' first='Connor' last='Wilson'] of Buffalo. At 6'9/6'10 Connor grabs your attention because of his size but I loved how he demanded the ball inside. When he had a passing angle and a small on him, he screamed for it and often caught it and delivered on the block. First impression of him was good. Wilson will need some time for experience but good first impression posting up and calling for the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2389445' first='Ben' last='Kalimu'] of Minneapolis North. This young man is as explosive as they come at his size (6'0 or 6'1 I am guessing). The rapid lift into an explosive finish happened, and then it happened again and everybody wanted a view. Ben runs well, when he wants to laterally move he's got the lateral quicks to play linebacker with anybody, and when the ball skills really catch up his burst off the dribble will be a nightmare to deal with. Had some full court push one on one plays that were outstanding even without the dunk finish. A player with strong potential. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2893786' first='Adonis' last='Williams Jr'] of South St. Paul. Adonis looks like he has grown a few inches: listed at 6'2 but looks a bit bigger. Used his length well on defense and there is versatility to him offensively: the shot looks good, the attack and finish combination looks real good, and when the shots didn't go, Adonis got mad and competed harder. Williams has the shot making ability and that was clear, but I loved the fire he played with in the first game too. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2917657' first='Ethan' last='Payne'] of Park of Cottage Grove. The Park big man dominated in a way I have rarely seen a player dominate one of these showcase games before. Blocking shots, rebounding well over double figures and using his massive 225 pound frame to get deep and finish everything. There wasn't a guy on the court physically able to stop him from getting to balance and completing a play and Payne moves so well towards the rim that he's rolling thunder and guys are just little flies in the way. The most impressive one game performance from Ethan that I have seen. Kids were scared to go at him by the end of the game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='3639434' first='Lordan' last='Robbins'] of Hopkins. Robbins is a six foot shooter that found a grove in the first game and knocked down a variety of shots but the biggest makes were from the perimeter. A cople of them were with defenders tightly in his face and the make came in a small window. Also handled the ball for his team some and looked steady there too. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->