SD Class AA State Tournament: Players to Watch
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The State Tournament field is set for all 3 classes in SD. The Tournaments will get underway next Thursday, March 17th. The Class AA tournament will be played at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. In today’s article, we will…
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Continue ReadingThe State Tournament field is set for all 3 classes in SD. The Tournaments will get underway next Thursday, March 17th. The Class AA tournament will be played at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. In today’s article, we will be looking at some of the top players to watch in the AA State Tournament. See below for the first-round matchups and information on the players.
CLASS AA State Tournament Matchups
(12:00) #1 Sioux Falls Roosevelt vs. #9 Yankton
(1:45) #4 Harrisburg vs. #5 Mitchell
(6:00) #2 O’Gorman vs. #7 Sioux Falls Lincoln
(7:45) #3 Sioux Falls Washington vs. #6 Sioux Falls Jefferson
AA Players to Watch
Micah Johnson Micah Johnson 6'0" | SG Roosevelt | 2022 State SD (2022) |5-11 G| SF Roosevelt
- One of the top guards in all of South Dakota, strong, athletic, very skilled
- Elite defender, skilled finisher, serious 3-pt threat, high-level playmaker
Vance Borchers Vance Borchers 6'2" | SG SF Roosevelt | 2022 State SD (2022) |6-3 G/F| SF Roosevelt
- Lanky, long arms, athletic, versatile defender, shot blocker
- Above the rim finisher, capable 3-point shooter, slasher
Marcus Phillips Marcus Phillips 6'6" | SF SF Roosevelt | 2022 State SD (2022) |6-6 F| SF Roosevelt
- Excellent size, athleticism, versatility, matchup nightmare
- 3-level scorer, big-time finisher, impressive dunker
Hayden Brown Hayden Brown 6'2" | SG SF Roosevelt | 2022 State SD (2022) |6-2 SG| SF Roosevelt
- Catch-n-shoot 3-point sniper
- Good, feet, hands, soft release & keeps defenses honest with his shooting ability
Rugby Ryken Rugby Ryken 5'11" | PG Yankton | 2023 State SD (2023) |6-0 G| Yankton
- Can score from all over, quick release, handles the ball well & creates for others
- Veteran guard even though just a jr, creates TO’s, does well in the open court
Jaden Kral Jaden Kral 6'3" | SF Yankton | 2022 State SD (2022) |6-5 F| Yankton
- High NRG player, hard worker, long arms, a nice rebounder
- Can hit the 3-ball, gets deflections & steals, shot-blocker & rim protector
Dylan Prouty (2022) |6-0 SG|
- A smooth 3-pt shooter that can get his shot off in a hurry
- Opportunistic scorer that makes plays in up-tempo situations
Andrew Walter Andrew Walter 6'3" | SG Harrisburg | 2022 SD (2022) |6-3 G| Harrisburg
- Sets up teammates, amazing first step, great at getting 2 feet in the paint
- Shooting 40% from 3pt land, exciting athlete that demands attention
Ethan Determan Ethan Determan 6'2" | SG Harrisburg | 2023 State SD (2023) |6-2 G| Harrisburg
- He has been putting up big points all season
- Great shooter, skilled slasher, smart, natural scorer, scary pull-up game
Jacoby Mehrman Jacoby Mehrman 6'4" | PG Harrisburg | 2024 State SD (2024) |6-3 G| Harrisburg
- A big, long, strong, bright left-handed floor general, efficient finisher & can drill the 3-ball
- Passes well, unselfish, will post up with mismatches, very physical, playmaker
Caden Hinker Caden Hinker 6'6" | PF Mitchell | 2022 State SD (2022) |6-8 F| Mitchell
- Star Augustana commit, ultra-skilled, makes everyone around him better
- 3-level scorer, highlight dunker, skilled passer, gifted rebounder, all-around DUDE
Steele Morgan Steele Morgan 6'5" | PF Mitchell | 2023 State SD (2023) |6-5 F| Mitchell
- Can hit the 3-ball & also score from the block, a very good rebounder
- Long player that runs & jumps well, has good feet, matchup problem
Dylan Soulek Dylan Soulek 6'3" | SG Mitchell | 2023 State SD (2023) |6-3 G| Mitchell
- A smooth athlete that can score in a hurry in a variety of ways
- Cutter, slasher & and a bouncy slam dunker
David Alpers David Alpers 6'5" | PF O Gorman | 2022 State SD (2022) |6-6 PF| O’Gorman
- Division 1 (SDSU) football commit, strong & physical athlete
- A monster on the boards and never backs down from contact, gets many AND 1’s, stout defender
Matt Eng Matt Eng 6'0" | PG O’gorman | 2023 State SD (2022) |6-2 PG| O’Gorman
- One of the top three-point shooters in South Dakota
- Playmaker, pushes tempo, creative finisher, nice ball skills
Rush Landry Rush Landry 6'5" | PF O Gorman | 2022 State SD (2022) |6-5 F| O’Gorman
- Lanky, long, moves well and he can light it up from deep
- Tough going downhill, nice spin move, team player
Chad Ambroz Chad Ambroz 6'4" | PF O’gorman | 2022 State SD (2022) |6-5 F| O’Gorman
- Good size, strong, tough & gritty, gets it done on D
- Has a nice shooting stroke from beyond the arc & scores in the paint
Gavin Muirhead Gavin Muirhead 6'7" | PF O'gorman | 2023 State SD (2023) |6-7 F| O’Gorman
- Wildly athletic and a crazy impressive dunker
- Long defender that can board & protect the rim, can hit jumpers on O and score at the rim
JT Rock JT Rock 7'1" | C Sioux Falls Lincoln | 2024 #37 Nation SD (2024) |7-11 C| SF Lincoln
- High Division 1 level recruit with multiple offers
- Game changer with height & length, very skilled for youth and size
Elliot Whitney Elliot Whitney 6'0" | CG Sioux Falls Lincoln | 2023 State SD (2023) |6-0 G| SF Lincoln
- Having a breakout year for the Patriots, looking like a stud lead guard
- Shooter, slasher, creator, tight handles, big scoring ability
Khalil Cisse Khalil Cisse 5'11" | SG SF Lincoln | 2022 State SD (2022) |6-1 G| SF Lincoln
- An intriguing athlete that can change the game with athleticism
- Has had some huge scoring games, slasher/shooter that can do it all
Caleb Hiatt Caleb Hiatt 6'5" | PF SF Lincoln | 2022 State SD (2022) |6-5 F| SF Lincoln
- A strong player that can score at the rim and drill the 15-foot jumper
- Gritty & a hard worker, sees the floor and passes well, battles for boards, sprints the floor
Angok Akot Angok Akot 6'7" | SF Sioux Falls Washington | 2022 State SD (2022) |6-8 F| SF Washington
- Very long, a special athlete, game-changer, smooth J, above the rim finisher
- Skilled like a guard, big-time shot blocker & rim protector
Joe Uttecht Joe Uttecht 6'0" | PG SF Washington | 2022 State SD (2022) |6-1 G| SF Washington
- Very tough going downhill and getting into the lane to make plays happen
- Impressive finisher, strong guard, high IQ, hustler
Mikele Kambalo Mikele Kambalo 5'8" | PG Washington | 2022 State SD (2022) |5-9 PG| SF Washington
- Electric and dynamic
- Spark plug, creates his own shot, shooter, attacker, creates
Kaden Year Kaden Year 6'2" | SF O'gorman | 2023 State SD (2023) |6-6 F| SF Jefferson
- Does work inside and beyond the arc
- Long, moves well, skilled, fluid 3-point shooter, rim protector
Taylen Ashley Taylen Ashley 5'11" | PG Sf Roosevelt | 2023 State SD (2023) |6-0 G| SF Jefferson
- Next-level athlete and one of the top PG’s in SD
- His pull-up jumper is almost unstopable, tough defender, facilitator