Kings of the Court: Iowa Barnstormers 16U Gold Player Evals
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The annual Kings of the Court Classic in Des Moines took place over the weekend of May 14-16. While we weren’t able to attend in person, we will be checking out a majority of the 16U and 17U teams over…
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Continue ReadingThe annual Kings of the Court Classic in Des Moines took place over the weekend of May 14-16. While we weren’t able to attend in person, we will be checking out a majority of the 16U and 17U teams over the next few weeks via Baller TV. Below is a look at the 16U Iowa Barnstormers Gold team. We watched their game against Kingdom Hoops Elite.
6-8 SF Dallas Bear Dallas Bear 6'8" | SF Cedar Falls | 2023 State #276 Nation IA (Cedar Falls)
A 6-8 wing with excellent length, Bear is an elite shooter who moves extremely well off the ball and has a lightning quick release. He’s improving as a ball-handler, which is allowing him to create his own shot at a higher rate, and he has started to mature more physically, helping finish at the rim more efficiently. He has the size and length to make a major impact on the defensive end. He holds a Division I offer from Bryant.
6-4 SF Colby Collison Colby Collison 6'4" | SF Bondurant-Farrar | 2023 State IA (Bondurant-Farrar)
A big wing who can really fill it up in a hurry, Collison scores from all three levels and he finishes through contact at a really high clip. He has a smooth stroke off the catch, the length to make an impact on the defensive end, and he rebounds well. Perhaps the most impressive part of his game at this point is his willingness to use his size to post up a smaller defender and score on the block. He’s also a willing passer out of the block with good court vision.
5-11 PG Tate Petersen Tate Petersen 6'1" | PG Monticello | 2023 State IA (Monticello)
We talked during the high school season about how much Petersen had improved as a ball-handler, and that area of his game continues to improve. He continues to gain confidence in his ball-handling abilities, and doesn’t have any issues facing full-court pressure. Where he was most impressive in the Barnstormers loss to Kingdom, however, was on the defensive end. He really competed on that end of the floor, moving his feet well and making the opposing ball-handler really work hard to bring the ball up and get the offense initiated. He played particularly strong on-ball defense against Elijah Voss, who he was giving a lot of size up to.
6-6 PF Caden Kirkman Caden Kirkman 6'8" | PF Wilton | 2023 State IA (Wilton)
Kirkman is the Barnstormer that I knew the least about heading into this viewing, and he was highly impressive. The 6-6 big man has great hands and strong footwork on the block. He scores effectively around the rim with either hand, showing the ability to finish through contact. He loves to post hard on the right block, catch, and come across the lane for a lefty finish, doing a nice job shielding the ball from the defender. He sets good, hard screens, and rolls hard to the rim. He rebounds at a high level and can protect the paint defensively. He showed a little bit of ability to put the ball on the floor against bigger defenders, and if he can add a little bit of range to his game, he will be really difficult to defend at this level.
6-1 PG Blaise Porter Blaise Porter 6'1" | PG New London | 2023 State #298 Nation IA (New London)
Another Barnstormer who holds a Division I offer from Bryant, Porter is a quick and physical 6-1 lead guard who can score at a high clip from all three levels. He changes speeds and uses his physicality to get to the bucket, where he is a creative and efficient finisher. He plays well in the pick-and-roll, can shoot off the dribble or the catch, and plays under control at all times. As a lead guard, he does a great job passing into the shooting pocket of his teammates, allowing them to get their shot off quickly.
6-4 SF Savion Taylor Savion Taylor 6'4" | SF The Burlington School | 2024 State NC (Iowa City West)
A big, physical wing with length, Taylor is a solid defender and a good shooter off the catch. He’s a great role player for this group that features multiple Division I prospects.