Future Phenoms Fall League Standouts

<p>The Minnesota Spartans are back hosting their Future Phenoms Fall League, with a handful of local high school programs and a few AAU teams competing in Minneapolis. I was in attendance on Sunday to catch a few games, and these are seven of the top performers I saw!</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1172835" first="Casmir" last="Chavis"] (6'3 2024 G, DeLaSalle)- </strong>Even after playing two games in the morning at the Breakdown fall league, Cash showed no signs of fatigue. The explosive sophomore showed off his impressive athleticism with a windmill dunk in the first half, a reverse dunk in the second, and nearly threw down two more after elevating in the lane through traffic. That athleticism at his age is rare, but he's more than just an athlete. Chavis has a smooth handle to evade defenders and get to the rim in the half-court, and he can also make defenders pay for giving him space beyond the arc.</p> <p><strong>Poet Davis (6' 2024 G, Minneapolis South)- </strong>Poet put on a shooting clinic for Minneapolis South in their win over Patrick Henry. He showed range that extended well beyond the arc, and also displayed smart shot selection waiting for open looks rather than forcing up shots just because he had made a few in a row. More than just a shooter, he displayed some crafty finishing ability around the rim, including a flashy reverse lay-up and tough and-one finish through contact. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="958672" first="Amir" last="Everett"] (6'1 2022 G, DeLaSalle)- </strong>The explosive guard looks ready for a strong senior campaign at DeLaSalle. He has a physical frame and really got up under guys defensively with his ball pressure. Amir has no problem sitting deep in a stance and moving his feet whether it's picking up in the half-court or full court. Offensively he was making some hard cuts off the ball that led to plenty of open finishes around the rim. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1288750" first="Karon" last="Abdullah"] (6' 2022 G, Minneapolis Patrick Henry)- </strong>A senior sleeper to keep an eye on this year, Karon is an explosive guard who's tough to keep out of the paint. Against South he got to the rim at will in the first half, and was efficient playing off of two feet. He can stop on a dime and get his man in the air with a quick shot fake, or keep his momentum going and elevate to finish over size. Even going up against three 6'6+ players, Karon wasn't afraid to get up and score over the top of that length. Also showed a bit of shooting touch from beyond the arc. Karon looks like he'll be one of the more exciting players to watch this season in the Minneapolis City Conference.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1284106" first="Chiang" last="Ring"] (6'8 2024 PF/C, Minneapolis South)- </strong>With Chet moved on to Gonzaga, [player_tooltip player_id="1284106" first="Chiang" last="Ring"] could be the next main contender for best shot blocker in the state. He showed excellent timing with his take off allowing him to swat shots out of the air without falling for pump-fakes and without fouling. And these aren't just blocks that Chiang is barely making contact with, he's swatting them off the backboard hard enough to hear on the other side of the court, or sending shots straight into the floor like a volleyball player. Offensively he looked like an improved ball handler from his freshman year, and had a few fluid takes to the rim that resulted in two points. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1221165" first="Martez" last="Wise"] (6'2 2023 W, Columbia Heights)- </strong>A junior starting to emerge out of Columbia Heights, there's a lot to like about Wise's potential. Though he's still a bit raw, he has a long frame at around 6'2-6'3, and showed some impressive explosiveness in the open floor on Sunday. When he takes off from two feet, good luck blocking his shot around the rim, because he could elevate and throw down with authority. He got up and down the floor hard, and that led to a handful of dunks including a windmill that got the whole gym on their feet. Look for him to start carving out a role as a junior.</p> <p><strong>Demari Larkins (5'9 2024 PG, Minneapolis South)- </strong>The quick and shifty point guard has grown a bit since his freshman season, and now stands at 5'9 as a sophomore. During pregame he showed he can get up, throwing down a dunk in warmups. Once the game started he was fearless attacking the basket, and does a nice job of hanging in the air and keeping his eyes on the rim to convert and some difficult attempts. Because of his quickness he could get into the paint just about whenever he wanted to, and made good decisions on whether or not to kick it out to a shooter or go up to finish. Also did a nice job of delivering timely post entry passes to his bigs.</p>