Hard Work Region Finals - Guard Standouts

The Prep Hoops Circuit brought together talent from throughout the Midwest to cap off the 2021 AAU season, as the Hard Work Region Finals took place in the Twin Cities area. I was in the gym all weekend catching the action, and these are seven of the top Minnesota guards I saw play! [player_tooltip player_id="850731" first="Ayden" last="McDonald"] (6’4 2022 PG, Minnesota Fury Wilde)- Perhaps the MVP of the 17u title game, Ayden also put together a strong run of play to help lead the Fury to that winning moment. After joining the team in mid-July, Ayden has been a big time playmaker for the Fury. One thing you’ll notice about Ayden is how often he jumps to make a pass. While this can lead to mistakes and turnovers with a lot of players, Ayden uses it to make his pass rather than find a pass. When jumping up he looks off a defender like a quarterback looking off a safety downfield, and when that defender reacts he’s able to zip a pass in to the newly open teammate leading to plenty of clean looks around the rim. When he’s not setting up his teammates with high percentage looks, Ayden can be found knocking down shots from beyond the arc where he gets excellent elevation when putting up his shot. [player_tooltip player_id="962256" first="Buay" last="Koak"] (6’3 2023 SG, Minnesota Lightning)- One of the top defenders I saw play all weekend, Buay was a true two-way standout at the 16u level. I watched him play in the semi-finals against a tough Wisconsin Crusaders squad, and his impact defensively was felt in a big way. Despite standing at 6’4, he was the most dominant shot blocker on the floor. Buay was able to move his feet when defending on ball to elevate and contest, or slide over into help side position and protect the rim. On the offensive end he was able to showcase that smooth release from three that helps him put up big time scoring numbers in the winter. He could get his looks moving without the ball, but also showed he can navigate gaps and get into space off the dribble. [player_tooltip player_id="958681" first="Brayden" last="Williams"] (6’3 2022 PG, Minnesota Rise)- Speaking of talented defenders, Brayden was all over the floor making plays on Saturday morning. A quick lead guard with great hands defending on the ball, he was forcing loose balls and jumping passing lanes to create steals all game long. On multiple occasions he took the turnover and then weaved through traffic to get himself or a teammate a high percentage look at the rim. His speed in the open floor makes him dangerous in transition, and he has the ability to make split second decisions with the ball in his hands. Brayden didn’t shoot it well in the game I saw, but he adjusted his play style and began attacking the basket for some crafty finishes to put points on the board. Maxwell Woods (5’10 2024 PG, Minnesota Fury)- You could argue that Maxwell was the MVP of the 15u bracket, as he simply took over in all three of Sunday’s games to lead his team to the title. His energy defensively is hard to match, as he can sit deep in a stance and has incredible quickness to move his feet and shut his man down. Multiple occasions each game he was beating his man to the spot and absorbing contact into his chest, which then lead to a charge call or his man losing control of the ball and turning it over. He’s not the biggest player on the floor, but he uses that to his advantage to get under his man defensively. On the offensive end he showed that he can accelerate to the basket for crafty finishes, but he also showed in the championship game that he can absolutely light it up from three if you give him too much space. Add in some really nice plays facilitating out of the P&R, and it was a strong weekend from the Chanhassen floor general. [player_tooltip player_id="958650" first="Jon" last="Haakenson"] (6’2 2022 G, D1 Minnesota Prospects)- I thought Jon put together a pair of strong showings against some tough competition this weekend. He’s a vocal player and has a motor that never stops defensively, as he’s always working hard to move his feet and fight to get over screens. When the ball was in Jon’s hands in transition, good things often happened as he was able to make the right reads most of the time on whether to keep the ball and attack the rim, or dish it off to a teammate at the last second. Most of his scoring came off some aggressive takes to the basket, but he also showed that he can make defenses pay for giving him too much space on the perimeter. [player_tooltip player_id="958647" first="Peyton" last="Newbern"] (6’4 2022 G, Real Phenom)- Though he started off his career as a point guard, since growing to about 6’4-6’5 Peyton can also play on the wing. He still handled the ball for the majority of the game I saw, and found lots of success creating for himself off the dribble. Defenders didn’t have an answer for the change of pace and the long stride to get all the way to the rim with ease. Once in the paint Newbern uses his length and athleticism to his advantage to extend out in order to avoid shot blockers and pick up two points. He also showed some flashes of being able to draw over a help side defender and then dump it off to the open big under the rim. [player_tooltip player_id="1143864" first="Devin" last="Newsome"] (6’2 2022 G, Rip City 2022)- Devin is a highly skilled guard in the 2022 class, and that shows in his ability to create space off the dribble to get off an open jumper. When it comes to guys that can get their own shot on the perimeter, Devin ranks among the best as he can quickly chance his speed and catch defenders off balance before shifting over into the opposite direction. He didn’t put up huge numbers in the game I watched, but the type of buckets he gets are very impressive, and he did so without taking too many shots. Devin always looks composed on the floor, and never seems to get sped up no matter what defenses throw at him.