MBBCA Fall League Standouts

After catching some games at Hopkins on Sunday morning, I swung on over to Benilde-St. Margaret’s to check out the Minnesota Black Basketball Coaches Association fall league! These are some of the top performers I saw across four games yesterday afternoon. [player_tooltip player_id="850709" first="Willie" last="Wilson"] (6’2 2022 G, Minneapolis North)- Willie was a nightmare for opposing teams to stop in transition. Whenever he caught a defensive rebound he was looking to turn it into instant offense the other way. He’s so slippery with his ability to weave in and out of defenders in transition, and showed excellent body control to finish at the rim. Willie also showed some range from well beyond the high school three point line, knocking down a handful of deep jumpers in the two games I saw. He helped lead Minneapolis North to two wins on the day. [player_tooltip player_id="958675" first="Hakeem" last="Ford"] (6’5 2022 SF, Minneapolis Southwest)- Though both teams were missing a few key players, Hakeem put in a strong performance that kept things close until the end between Southwest and North. He showed off that explosive ability that he’s become known for as he threw down a high flying one-handed dunk in the open floor, and also had a put-back dunk off a teammate’s miss. Defensively he did well showing he can guard almost every spot on the floor at the high school level. In the half-court he was able to attack the basket and get to the rim for some tough finishes, and he also showed some improved confidence in his outside shot, pulling up from three and draining it in the first half. [player_tooltip player_id="958687" first="Payton" last="Mogire"] (6’9 2022 C, Robbinsdale Armstrong)- Coming in at about 6’8-6’9 Payton was the tallest player at the league and he took full advantage of his size against Roseville. In the pick & roll he showed soft hands and coordination with his ability to catch on the move and quickly regain his balance to go up and finish with touch around the rim. Payton can also get off the floor quickly for his size, as he showed in the second half when he caught a pass in the lane and quickly got off the ground to throw down a dunk in traffic. He’s in good shape physically which helps him as he’s mobile enough to stick with guards/wings for a few seconds when he gets switched off on the perimeter. Also provides a shot blocking presence inside. [player_tooltip player_id="958665" first="Jacob" last="Butler"] (6’5 2022 W, Minneapolis North)- The do-it-all wing was producing for North in their two wins on Sunday. He knocked down a few outside shot, and even though he wasn’t hitting at his normal rate he still forced defenders to guard him from well beyond the arc which opened up some driving lanes. Butler is so good at getting defenders in the air to hesitate with a quick head-fake or jab step, which then opens up room to get off a shot or opens a lane to put the ball on the floor. He showcased a nice hesitation move that he uses to beat his man and get to the rim where he can extend to finish with either hand. Rebounds the ball well with his size and also has the passing vision to see over his defender and zip in passes to open cutters. Jeffrey Iwuchukwu (6’6 2023 C, Park Center)- Jeffrey may just be the most physically imposing big in the 2023 class, as his combination of size and strength is virtually unmatched. He’d likely see strong varsity minutes for most programs, but due to all of the talent at Park Center he may play a lot of JV this season. When he caught on the block the Richfield defenders had no choice but to foul him most of the time, otherwise he was able to back them down into deep position before turning over his shoulder and getting off a high percentage look with his left hand. On the defensive end he’s so difficult to move down low, and his size allows him to get in a good box out and attack the ball out of the air. He also moved his feet to get into position to swat a shot out of bounds in what was one of the most impressive blocks I’ve seen in a while. [player_tooltip player_id="1181049" first="Keyon" last="Broussard"] (6’4 2022 SG, Roseville)- Going against two tough teams in Armstrong and Minneapolis North, Keyon showed some nice potential as a prospect. He has length at the guard spot that’s hard for most high school teams to match, making him a difficult matchup. He’s too long for a lot of guards to contest when he pulls up to shoot, but also too shifty off the dribble for a lot of the bigger wings to stick with. Showed a smooth stroke from beyond the arc and also got to the rim in transition for a few explosive dunks. [player_tooltip player_id="1288741" first="Jaedyn" last="Patterson"] (6’3 2022 G, Richfield)- Jaedyn had a lot of success getting to the rim on Sunday, and looks ready for an expanded role as a senior. He averaged 2.6 ppg last season as a junior for a team with a really strong starting five, and now he’ll look to break into that group this winter. Patterson was a major threat in transition with his ability to jump passing lanes or take off after a defensive rebound and catch long outlet passes in stride. He’s a tough finisher at the rim and showed off some explosiveness with a transition dunk in the first half. Hard working wing in for a breakout winter.