Osseo 67 Park Center 62 - Top Ten Prospect Performances

The friendly neighborhood rivalry game of Osseo and Park Center was back on, and the talent rich areas that are four miles from each other put on another show. So many quality prospects but who stood out the most? [player_tooltip player_id="850711" first="Joshua" last="Ola-Joseph"] had a "colleges get this film" type of day. One. [player_tooltip player_id="850711" first="Joshua" last="Ola-Joseph"] of Osseo (6’6, SF, Jr). Does [player_tooltip player_id="850711" first="Joshua" last="Ola-Joseph"] move like a high major basketball prospect? Yes. That agility and quickness off his feet is quite rare, even for high major prospects. Does [player_tooltip player_id="850711" first="Joshua" last="Ola-Joseph"] have the frame of a high major basketball prospect? He most certainly does at 6-foot-6 with great length. Does [player_tooltip player_id="850711" first="Joshua" last="Ola-Joseph"] have the skills the and workman like determination to be a high major prospect? First off if you have all four of those things you are approaching top 50 in the nation status, let’s be clear on that. Most players aren’t upper one percent of all high school players in agility and frame AND have all the needed skills and workman determination. That’s a rare package. Ola-Jospeh showed us a glimpse though of the high ceiling he has. In a big game setting Ola-Joseph aggressively just put 30 on the board in a big game shooting 10 of 14 from the floor and 5 of 6 from the foul line which is about as efficient of a way to get 30 as you will see. He also make five threes and was a foot on the line away from making a sixth. If the skills continue to develop and he keeps playing like this against good teams - also had 21 versus Maple Grove - the sky is the limit. We are very anxious to see what he does for an encore this week against Totino-Grace (tonight) and Park Center again (Thursday). Schools get a look at last Friday’s game and make sure to check on the games this week! Two. [player_tooltip player_id="850710" first="Braeden" last="Carrington"] of Park Center (6’4, SG, Jr). This fall Braeden began showing an improved ball handling ability and an explosive step to the rim that opened a lot of eyes. Seton Hall and Minnesota offered Carrington scholarships this fall after seeing Carrington’s regular fall video mixed with his perimeter shooting highlights from last winter. Carrington is playing point guard for Park Center as he’s the most trusted ball handler and attacking guard they have. Carrington also battled for a game high 13 rebounds and dished out five assists! He attacked the rim for six baskets with the highlight being a pair of crossover attacks into a finish high above the rim. His all around game has certainly progressed as was clear Friday with his double-double night. He struggled from the field (6 of 19) because his three-point shooting stroke was off and it could of been helped by taking some perimeter shots that weren’t so difficult. But the steps forward as a player have been massive and that was clear once again against a quality opponent. Three. [player_tooltip player_id="836689" first="Jalen" last="Cook"] of Park Center (6’4, SG/SF, Sr). We know, we know, this website/service/whatever has been the president of the [player_tooltip player_id="836689" first="Jalen" last="Cook"] fan club for about a half a year now, ever since his many consistent performances with Gain Elite over the summer. But the Minot State signed guard/wing has earned the praise. Cook’s a constantly productive wing that just finds ways to help his team. Cook was given 40% Club status this summer and has continued to be a top member of the club with his several threes and 34 points against Elk River followed by another quality day of shooting (9 of 18) versus Osseo. His dozen point second half explosion gave the Pirates a chance late in the game. Four. Donald Ferguson of Osseo (6’1, SG, Jr). High level shooting strokes are at the front of the line when it comes to what colleges are looking for these days. As you look back at the recent class of Minnesota players, [player_tooltip player_id="532358" first="Kerwin" last="Walton"]’s shooting stroke has made him one of North Carolina’s most valuable players so his minutes keep going up and [player_tooltip player_id="846135" first="Henry" last="Abraham"] is starting for Eastern Illinois. Why? Both are smart players, but both offer a shooting stroke that many others don’t. Walton has great size for his position while Henry will usually be the smallest guy on the floor but it doesn’t matter, both are deadly with the touch. We think Donald Ferguson has that type of shooting touch as well. He scored 14 points hitting three jumpers in the first half and then 7 of 8 foul shots for the game. His touch went cold from the field in half two (shot 3 of 10 for the game) but his foul shooting was incredibly valuable. A shooter schools should keep an eye on. Five. [player_tooltip player_id="958729" first="Ayouba" last="Berthe"] of Park Center (6’5, SF, Jr). This was a "take notice" game for the junior [player_tooltip player_id="958729" first="Ayouba" last="Berthe"]. For most of the first half Berthe’s slashing ability going to his right was the only consistent offense the team could put together. In fact his three buckets at the rim (plus four foul shot makes) using his good wing size and hard attacking right hand dribble kept the Pirates from completely blown out. Surely a player to keep an eye on. Six. [player_tooltip player_id="850705" first="Blessed" last="Barhayiga"] of Osseo (6’9, C, Jr). This was a very good game for Blessed as he controlled the defensive glass for Osseo often limiting the Pirates to one possession. Blessed collected 14 rebounds and most were in the paint on the defensive end triggering a quick transition the other way. He also limited [player_tooltip player_id="774828" first="James" last="Parker"] to three scores while scoring three times himself. Seven. [player_tooltip player_id="850721" first="Benard" last="Omooria"] of Osseo (6’1, PG, Jr). Benard came off the bench scoring with a couple threes and an attack for Osseo. Right now he is backing up both guard spots which makes sense as Benard can handle at lead guard plus be a shooting threat on the wing. One of the best 6th men you will see in Minnesota if his coming off the bench is consistent. Eight. [player_tooltip player_id="774885" first="Dawson" last="Rudolph"] of Park Center (6’3, SG, Sr). Dawson had 23 against Coon Rapids and 15 against Elk River showing off a confident, aggressive offensive approach that has given the Pirates three consistent backcourt scoring options. However, foul trouble completely took Dawson out of the Osseo game limiting him to only a couple shot attempts. He did grab five rebounds in the first three minutes of the game leading to a ten rebound game so he was a contributor despite limited time. Nine. Leo Torbor of Park Center (6’2, SG, Jr). There was a period of time when the Pirates were making their comeback and Leo was in the middle of it. His defensive efforts and an attacking score really brought energy to his team. Ten. Tyirece Waits of Osseo (6’1, PG, Jr). The Orioles starting lead guard is a quick, aggressive, smart creator off the dribble that was a key part of the Orioles early run. He had a couple buckets himself but more importantly put the ball in the hands of Ferguson and Ola-Joseph in good spots allowing his teammates to flourish.