Saturday’s Second Team Standouts from #HardWorkSzn Classic (Part 1)
Saturday, the #HardWorkSzn Classic showcased some of the depth of talent in Nebraska. Programs like Lincoln Supreme and The Factory have multiple teams that compete on the regional and national levels. These programs’ second tier teams are full of skilled…
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Continue ReadingSaturday, the #HardWorkSzn Classic showcased some of the depth of talent in Nebraska. Programs like Lincoln Supreme and The Factory have multiple teams that compete on the regional and national levels. These programs’ second tier teams are full of skilled and interesting prospects with potential to play at the next level or be high level high school contributors. In Part 1, we look at seven players from Lincoln Supremes 17u and 15u National 2 teams.
Lincoln Supreme National 2 – 17u
Andrew Heffelfinger Andrew Heffelfinger 6'1" | SG Waverly | 2021 State NE
Heffelfinger is a slender and athletic guard that cuts and slashes through the lane quickly and is fast in the open court. In his only game Saturday night, he dropped 31 points, knocked down three point shots and finished in traffic. Many of Heffelfinger’s baskets were because he was working harder than opponents and because he plays with great pace.
Massimo Lojing Massimo Lojing 5'10" | CG Fremont | 2021 State NE
Lojing is an athletic do it all guard. He can handle the ball, has a high motor, defends, plays unselfishly, and runs the floors. He has a good looking jump shot and followed up a couple of missed threes by putting a defender on skates and hitting a step back jumper. Lojing elevates at the rim and has soft touch on floaters and finger rolls.
Sam Easley Sam Easley 6'2" | SF Lincoln Pius X | 2021 State NE
Easley is a physical and switchable three and D player with good size and strength from the wing position. He missed a couple makable attempts early, but had a nice sequence where he hit a spot up three, scored a transition layup, and got to the free throw line on three straight possessions. Easley hit another spot up three at the top of the key later In the second half and finished with 18 points.
Garrett Kriete Garrett Kriete 6'7" | C Logan View | 2021 State NE
Kriete is a 6’7 true post that locked down the paint defensively and blocked multiple shots in each half of his Saturday contest. He moves and jumps pretty well for his size. He rotated from the help side to reject layup attempts, made it difficult to score in the paint, and rebounded.
Lincoln Supreme National 2 – 15u
Jared Townsley Jared Townsley 6'1" | SF Lincoln East | 2023 State NE
Townsley scored 24 points and did everything he could for his team in a tough 60-57 loss to South Dakota Attack. He came out hot, hit a spot up three early in the contest, and added two more before halftime. He is strong ball handler for a wing and he keeps his dribble low when sizing up defenders. Townsley also showed some scoring moves with fancy footwork at the rim and a spin move that split defenders and covered a lot of ground. He competed on both ends of the floor, blocking shots up near the backboard and scoring from inside and out.
Connor Hamilton Connor Hamilton 5'10" | CG Lincoln East | 2023 State NE
Hamilton is a combo guard that took care of the ball and played under control through pressure. In their second game, he knocked in a corner three and finished baskets in transition on his way to 12 points. As a ball handler, he forced defenders to help over with hard attacks on the rim and found teammates for open shots. Hamilton also moves well off the ball and find space on the interior and on the arc where he can score.
Bangot Dak Bangot Dak 6'3" | SF Lincoln Southeast | 2023 State NE
Dak played limited minutes in the game I watched, but his length at the forward position is enough to make him an interesting prospect to watch for. He communicates on defense and uses his long arms to rebound, contest shots, and make plays. Dak missed the only attempt from deep that I saw, but his jump shot looked smooth in warm ups. He also showed some ability as a ball handler, once freezing a defender with a hesitation and blowing by to get into the paint.
Check out part 2 linked below!