Battle at the Lakes: Iowa Mavericks 16U Player Evals

<p><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Grey</strong></span></p> <p><strong>PG [player_tooltip player_id="1376711" first="Coy" last="Kipper"] (Pleasant Valley)</strong></p> <p>A tough, physical 5-9 lead guard, Kipper really takes pride in his work on the defensive end of the floor. He sits in his stance and moves his feet and he isn’t afraid to switch onto a bigger body and bang with them in the paint. His toughness shows up on the offensive end as well, battling through contact and finishing around the bucket. He’s a good ball-handler and decision-maker who can get others involved effectively and is the type of player whose impact goes well beyond the box score. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PG [player_tooltip player_id="1256306" first="Caden" last="Rubel"] (Pleasant Valley)</strong></p> <p>Rubel led the Mavs with 15 points in their loss to BSB, showing a quick release off the catch on his jumper with a pretty stroke and unlimited range. He moves well without the ball in his hands and gets the ball into his shooting pocket quickly. He also showed that he’s a strong ball-handler and passer who gets others involved at a high clip. He’s a good finisher around the rim who can absorb contact and finish through it. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/122-Cooper-Webb.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1290529" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/122-Cooper-Webb-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>SF [player_tooltip player_id="1288878" first="Cooper" last="Webb"] (Liberty)</strong></p> <p>Webb is an intriguing young prospect with excellent size at 6-6 which he pairs with a silky smooth stroke that makes him a difficult player to defend. He has a smooth release and extended range on his jumper as well as the ability to put the ball on the floor and get to his spots for jumpers. Mavs coaches have been working with him on becoming more assertive, and it’s working. When he’s aggressive and looking to score, it makes things easier for everyone else on the floor as well. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/David-Gorsline-crop-3226x2118-1652403852.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1454219" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/05/David-Gorsline-crop-3226x2118-1652403852-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a><strong>PF [player_tooltip player_id="1256301" first="David" last="Gorsline"] (Pleasant Valley)</strong></p> <p>Another Pleasant Valley standout whose impact goes beyond the box score, Gorsline is an undersized big man at 6-2, but he plays much bigger than that. He’s a bouncy athlete who loves to bang in the paint against bigger players. He seems to get stronger the more physical the play is. He’s an outstanding rebounder on both ends of the floor with good touch around the rim. He doesn’t shoot it often, but he showed a pretty smooth-looking jumper from the perimeter, suggesting that he may be able to become a more potent offensive weapon with added repetition and confidence. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>SG [player_tooltip player_id="1288866" first="Dezmund" last="Jackson"] (Rock Island, IL)</strong></p> <p>A lanky and athletic 6-3 wing who is at his best when he’s playing downhill and attacking the rim, Jackson scored 14 points in the Mavericks’ overtime loss to BSB. He handles the ball well and has good footwork on his drives along with good touch around the bucket with either hand. He’s a capable playmaker who sees the floor fairly well and is a willing passer when he gets the defense to collapse. On the defensive end, he flashes a lot of potential and if he can become a more consistent defender, he will turn into a dynamic two-way player for Rock Island and a solid lower-level scholarship prospect. There is a lot of ability here. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/146-Nicholas-Kennedy.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1290557" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/146-Nicholas-Kennedy-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>SF [player_tooltip player_id="1198430" first="Nicholas" last="Kennedy"] (Senior)</strong></p> <p>Kennedy is a player that stood out on both ends of the floor. He does a lot of little things on each end - getting into passing lanes, setting strong screens off the ball to free up teammates, rebounding on both ends of the floor, etc. He does everything well. He flashed the ability to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim for a few tough finishes, and also showed a nice two-dribble mid-range pull-up jumper.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Purple</strong></span></p> <p><strong>SF Trey Williams (Liberty)</strong></p> <p>I was keeping an eye on Purple’s game against Play4Him Academy while watching another game, but any time I looked over, it seemed like Williams was making an impact (I also went back and watched the full game on BallerTV). A 6-3 wing with length, he showed the ability to score from all three levels, opening the game with a strong catch and drive from the wing for a finish, then following it up a few possessions later with a trail 3 with a smooth stroke. He can rebound effectively on both ends of the floor and showed good touch around the rim. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PG [player_tooltip player_id="1440273" first="Aiden" last="Heth"] (Cedar Falls)</strong></p> <p>Heth plays much bigger than his listed 5-8, competing hard on the glass on the defensive end. He’s a heady lead guard who handles the ball well and loves to get others involved. He sits in his stance and moves his feet well on the defensive end, making life difficult for opposing ball handlers, and he embraces contact on the offensive end of the floor. A solid passer who sees the floor well, he can impact the game on both ends.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>CG [player_tooltip player_id="1454905" first="Sage" last="Suntken"] (West Fork)</strong></p> <p>Suntken really jumped out on my rewatch of their game against Play4Him Academy on both ends of the floor. He crashes the glass hard on the defensive end of the floor and has the ability to pull down a rebound and lead the break with his ball-handling and court vision. He stood out as a shooter as well, both off the dribble and the catch. Off the bounce, he gets the ball into his shooting pocket quickly and has a pure stroke, and off the catch, he has a quick release and has his feet squared. This was a strong all-around showing for the combo guard from West Fork. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>SF Braylon Freese (Linn-Mar)</strong></p> <p>An active perimeter defender with some length, Freese uses his 6-0 frame effectively on that end of the floor to get into passing lanes and contest shots. He handles the ball fairly well and sees the floor, getting others involved. He did a nice job utilizing ball fakes, including a notable sequence where he caught on the right wing, faked a pass to the corner shooter and got the defense to move, then put the ball on the floor for one hard dribble into a pull-up jumper that was smooth. </p>