Week 5 Scouting Notebook: Tony’s Top Bigs

<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="964869" first="Trashaun" last="Willis"], Washington (2021)</strong></p> <p>Willis is a great athlete and a fantastic story. For those who don't know, he was born without a left arm, but he has been a standout for the Demons on the hardwood and the gridiron. He received Division I offers for football and will play at NAIA Grand View. On the hardwood, he's a really good passer who sees the floor well, and his right hand is extremely strong. He catches everything and helps control the glass on both ends of the floor. He runs the floor well, can stretch the defense with his ability to step out and knock down jumpers, and he's a good passer. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Hunter Johnson, Burlington (2021)</strong></p> <p>Johnson is a 6-2 forward who came off the bench to provide a real spark for the Grayhounds, finishing with 12 points and 5 rebounds. He showed great patience and good footwork on his post touches.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="964899" first="Jeff" last="Bowie"], West Branch (2021)</strong></p> <p>Bowie will play defensive end at Iowa, but he's a solid basketball player as well. A strong, physical presence in the paint, he does a great job establishing early position and sealing his man for easy buckets in the paint. He's got strong hands, rebounds everything and can protect the rim a little bit as well. He finished with 19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks in the Bears win over Mid-Prairie. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="964861" first="Simon" last="Palmer"], West Branch (2021)</strong></p> <p>Palmer is a rangy forward with good length. He runs the floor well, has a nice looking mid-range jumper, and is active on both ends of the floor. He had 6 points and 6 rebounds for the Bears. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Aidan Rath, Mid-Prairie (2021)</strong></p> <p>Rath led the Golden Hawks in scoring, putting up 16 points and 9 rebounds in the loss to West Branch. He's a big body who can protect the rim on the defensive end. On the offensive end, he does a good job establishing early position and sealing his defender. He played really well in the high-low with Carter Harmsen, getting easy bucket after easy bucket just by getting good, strong, early position. </p>