Max's Mid-Week Standouts (Week 8)

With week eight of the boy’s high school season halfway through, I’ll be taking a look back at some of the top performers I’ve seen over six games this week! Allan Lankfard (6’ 2025 PG, St. Paul Central)- The freshman has been stepping up lately as Central’s leading scorer from last season is out with an injury. On Monday Allan led his team past Cambridge-Isanti, putting up 27 points in the win. He has a strong frame for a freshman, and that allowed him to get into the lane and bump defenders off him to create a bit of space, keeping his balance in the process and finishing with touch. Allan has a nose for the rim and was getting to the cup off the dribble in the half-court, while also leaking out in transition. Towards the end of the game he did a nice job of handling the ball under pressure, limiting mistakes and allowing Central to hold on to their lead. [player_tooltip player_id="1221176" first="Owen" last="Carlson"] (6’4 2023 G, Mahtomedi)- Even while missing time with an injury, Owen has been having a big season scoring the ball for Mahtomedi. In a win over Hastings, he showed great shooting touch and some athleticism in the open floor. Has a lot of confidence pulling up from three off the dribble, and he hit his long shots at a solid rate. Owen is dangerous getting out in the open floor because of his ability to accelerate with the ball and glide to the rim to finish. He earned plenty of trips to the free throw line, and made them count as he may have only missed one free throw if I remember correctly. Showed some passing vision as his team was breaking the press, using his height to see over smaller guards and whip in some accurate over-head passes. Finished with a game high 27 in the win. [player_tooltip player_id="796946" first="Mario" last="Sanders II"] (5’11 2022 PG, Minneapolis North)- In a big win for the Polars, Rio delivered 15 first half points. It took him roughly 20 seconds to get a pair of baskets, as he dropped in an alley-oop right after the opening tip, then picked up a steal on the other end leading to a wide open lay-up to get the Polars rolling. Throughout the first half he continued to get to the rack off the dribble, showcasing his ability to hang in the air and go up and under defenders to finish in a variety of ways. Rio has excellent body control in the air, which allows him to finish even up against length. Defensively he sits low and has the quickness to move his feet with just about anyone, while also having the strength to take contact off his chest and hold his ground when his man tries to drive on him. [player_tooltip player_id="958757" first="Cody" last="Pennebaker"] (6’5 2022 W, Park Center)- Against Duluth East, Cody put up a team high 19 points in a win. One of the top unsigned seniors in the state, Cody was scoring the ball in a variety of ways and at an efficient level. He knocked down some jumpers, curling off screens before facing up around the free throw line and elevating to hit his shots. Also showed he can handle the ball up the floor and go coast-to-coast for transition buckets. Cody is an explosive athlete with the length to defend on the wing at a high level. This Park Center team defends like a college program, and Cody’s athleticism and length allow him to stick with smaller players while also switching off and guarding forwards at times. [player_tooltip player_id="1221112" first="Isaac" last="Nyakundi"] (6’8 2023 PF/C, Duluth East) In the loss to Park Center, Isaac remained aggressive and was an effective scoring threat down low. Fought to establish low post position and provided a big target for his guards to get him the ball down low. At around 6’8-6’9 he was able to do a quick shoulder turn and score over the top, while also showing he can get guys in the air and power through some contact. Runs the floor hard on both ends, and showed some flashes of putting the ball on the floor and handling it when he has space. Continues to get better just about every time I see him play, and this time the production came in the form of 15 points. [player_tooltip player_id="1226395" first="Baiden" last="Bean"] (6’1 2023 PG, Farmington)- Baiden is up there with some of the shiftiest ball handlers in the 2023 class. His quick change of speed combined with tight handle allows him to shake his initial defender with ease. Against Shakopee he was causing problems as he was able to beat his man, which forced a second defender to step over on him. After that, Baiden showed he has the vision to quickly locate the open man, resulting in 8 assists. Not only can he distribute, but Baiden showed he can pull-up and elevate to knock down mid-range jumpers, or catch and shoot from three. Added in 16 points and 4 steals to his 8 assist game in an upset win over #2 ranked Shakopee. [player_tooltip player_id="1167554" first="Hayden" last="Tibbits"] (5’11 2023 PG, Wayzata)- Hayden finished with 12 points in the overtime win against Hopkins, and was making plays all over the floor throughout the game. His scrappy defense caused an offensive foul late in the game that took away what would have been a clutch two points for Hopkins. Also with just minutes remaining, Hayden flew into the lane and zipped in an accurate pass to an open man at the basket for an easy two points. Did most of his scoring with some crafty finishes around the rim, while also adding a tough jumper from around the free throw line. [player_tooltip player_id="1144102" first="Sam" last="Hoffman"] (6’3 2022 SG, Farmington)- Sam is up there among the best pure shooters in the 2022 class. He’s the type of player who could not take a single dribble, and still find ways to put up double figure scoring numbers. Sam is so hard to defend off the ball because he runs off screens hard and tight, and has the ability to get his feet squared while moving at a high speed to get off a balanced shot. That off-ball movement led to a handful of big shots throughout the game against Shakopee, as he finished with 14 points in the win.