Heat/Fury Showdown - New Names to Know

What new talents did we learn about this weekend in Shakopee? Prep Hoops gives you some potential impact winter talents now in New Names to Know. Jamal Ambrose of Gain Elite (6’9/6’10 from Eastview, 2022). When you first see Jamal you instantly ask "who is that?" because he is every bit of 6-foot-9 and maybe bigger. In addition to that. Jamal is a thick big at his size so the size is there in all ways. And then you see his shooting touch and immediately you think "they have something here". This weekend we watched Jamal knock out all nine of his foul shots in one game, and match threes/jumpers with a top big in Minnesota in another game. I was also impressed how he won his post position battles this weekend. There is a lot to work with here as a prospect. Patrick Bath of D1 Minnesota 15u (6’8 PF/C from Totino-Grace, 2023). Bath moved to the Twin Cities early this summer and has been a standout for the D1 15s in the middle from their first game. Big men at 15u are not usually productive game to game as often times they are still getting comfortable with the pace of the game and often times the guards don’t get them the touches they should have. That is not the case with Patrick. In each game I have seen Patrick he’s been a key contributing factor for his team and that’s a major thing to know. Most bigs his age take time to get their feet under them to complete plays but Patrick quickly gets to balance to show off his touch. Bath has a nice shooting touch and it’s high percentage out to mid-range areas. Guys also trust Bath as he quickly gets to the finish whether it’s a dunk, reverse lay-up, etc. Rebounding in good numbers too. Jordan Boltz of Minnesota Lockdown (6’5 SF from Maple Grove, 2021). The Lockdown has had some early season success and Jordan has been a big part of it. Through a dozen games this summer Boltz has been on fire from the arc making 32 of his 56 threes which is four makes above 50 percent from the arc. With size he can get his shot off at the arc consistently but he’s also rebounding well from the three spot collecting 5-6 a game as well. Nick Burke of Minnesota Select Davis (6’5 PF from Southwest Christian, 2022). Nick has a chance to have a fantastic season at Southwest Christian as a junior. He sat out last year leading to a dominant season producing on the JV. This weekend we saw Burke score 19 putting shots in at the rim and from mid-range showing off his touch in a variety of ways. Then in the 16u title game Burke led Select in scoring highlighted by three shots made at the arc. This is a face-up four man with a shooting touch that can also play around the basket as needed. [caption id="attachment_1025028" align="alignright" width="150"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/Jabari-Langley.jpeg"><img class="wp-image-1025028 size-thumbnail" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/Jabari-Langley-150x150.jpeg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="957197" first="Jabari" last="Langley"][/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="957197" first="Jabari" last="Langley"] of Team Get Shook (6’2 SG from Minneapolis Edison, 2021). Langley was used at three different spots this weekend which means the Minnesota Bulldogs had to use three different types of players on him: a big, a smaller guard, and a decent sized wing. None of them could stop Jabari from taking that hard right hand dribble to space and then using his length to touch in shots around the basket from every angle you can come up with. Jabari will be a four year starter, four year double figure scoring player at Edison. Jabari played so hard, and competed every moment of the game. Scored 17 on 8 of 12 shots against a big Bulldogs team. [player_tooltip player_id="957615" first="Quijuan" last="Lewis"] of Team Get Shook (6’5 PF from St. Paul Johnson, 2021). Lewis is a strong player with wide shoulders in a good base that is very tough to move. Then you add in a motor and you have a player that I think is going to have a monster season in the St. Paul City Conference. Quijuan was good for Johnson last year, scored 4-5 baskets a game. But if he brings the same energy to beat other bigs up the floor, and to fight to rebounds out of his area, he is going to double that production. Against a pair of traditional sized 6-foot-8. 6-foot-9 centers, Lewis fought to make 8 of 15 shots with 17 points and 13 boards. Morgan Moore of Minnesota Lockdown (6’3 SF from Maple Grove, 2021). Each year the Crimson seem to have some seniors step up from the JV and contribute in a big way. Boltz seems like he could be one of those guys, Morgan Moore can be another. Moore is what you would call a worker simply beating his man with cuts, transition runs, and hard attacks. He is an outstanding rebounder for his size/position and has been a consistent double digit scoring talent for the Lockdown.