Max’s Midweek Prospect Standouts
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Seven prospects who stood out in the two games I’ve seen this week! I watched Concordia Academy vs St. Croix Lutheran on Monday while witnessing an overtime finish between Bloomington Jefferson and Chanhassen on Tuesday. Aj Greene MN #85 PG…
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Continue ReadingSeven prospects who stood out in the two games I’ve seen this week! I watched Concordia Academy vs St. Croix Lutheran on Monday while witnessing an overtime finish between Bloomington Jefferson and Chanhassen on Tuesday.
Aj Greene Aj Greene 6’1″ | PG Concordia Academy | 2023 State MN is just so smooth with the ball in his hands, and on Monday night St. Croix Lutheran didn’t have anyone who could keep up with his change of speed. He has that ability to just float with the ball and then explode in the opposite direction to get into space or get downhill towards the rim in a hurry. Displayed his dangerous pull-up jumper from both mid-range and three that he loves to get into with a right-to-left crossover. His passing his definitely progressed a bit over the past two seasons as well, as he was keeping his teammates involved with kickout passes right into their hands, as well as a couple of flashy dimes in the paint to a teammate waiting by the rim. Finished with 23 points and a handful of assists in the win.
Daniel is a unique player to watch at the high school level because he’s a guard at the next level, but for his high school team you’ll see him splitting time between handling the ball and manning the paint for his team. With their only true big man out injured, Daniel will often guard opposing teams’ size and manages a big rebounding load. As a guard he’s exceptional on the glass with his ability to not only elevate, but also time his jumps so he can high point the ball and snatch it out of the air above anyone else. Daniel was likely in double-double territory just in the first half, also showcasing his ability to score in a variety of ways. As a standout football player as well, Daniel possesses a frame that most high schoolers don’t, so he’s capable of taking opposing guards into the post and playing some bully ball for high percentage buckets. Once he saw a few of those drops he was extending his game to the perimeter where he’s a gifted shot creator and gets good lift on his pull-up jumper. Added in a few clutch free throws down the stretch to help lead his team to an overtime win.
Highlights
Luke Olson
Luke Olson
Luke Olson was shooting the lights out for Concordia in their win over St. Croix Lutheran. He went on to put up 18 points, knocking down 3 after 3 to extend Concordia’s lead and put the game out of reach. With Aj Greene Aj Greene 6’1″ | PG Concordia Academy | 2023 State MN doing a lot of the creating off the dribble, it left Luke open to move off with ball and find space to get off open looks from three, including some well beyond the high school line. Defensively he was tasked with face guarding Lutheran’s best player, and I thought he did a nice job of making it difficult for him to even get touches on the ball in the first half.
Maxwell Woods Maxwell Woods 5’10” | PG Chanhassen | 2024 MN is one of the quickest players you’ll find in the state, and with that quickness he was able to create shots for both himself and his teammates at a high level. Came out with a tough make off a crossover into a spin move on his team’s first possession of the game, but struggled to hit his shots the rest of the half. In the second half is when he took over though, knocking down some pull-up threes, and using his quickness to get all the way to the rim for some tough finishes. His ability to get into the paint draws in extra defenders, and with that he was able to dump it off to his bigs or kick it out to open shooters for some key assists late in the game. Is able to elevate off two feet to get up over the defense and contort his body to deliver difficult passes through traffic. Ended the game with 25 points in a tough overtime loss.
Jaden Neish Jaden Neish 5’9″ | PG St. Croix Lutheran | 2024 MN is typically a knockdown shooter, but on Monday night his shot just wasn’t falling for most of the game. Because of that he was finding other ways to contribute, particularly as a playmaker. He knows he’s not the tallest or most athletic guy on the floor, but what Jaden does know how to do is use his body to gain an edge on his defender. He’s so good at gaining a slight angle on his man, and just pinning him on his shoulder/hip so there’s nothing he can do. With that Jaden was able to get past his man and see the floor, allowing him to deliver accurate passes to open shooters while also getting into the mid-range for pull-up jumpers or floaters. In the second half he hustled for a pair of steals, including one where he dove on the floor, got the ball, and from the ground delivered a pass up the floor to pick up an assist. Skilled guard with a nice feel for the game.
Blake Mamalakis-Linderman
Blake Mamalakis-Linderman
It seemed like whenever his team needed him most Blake stepped up with a key play. His 9 points may not be eye catching, but the buckets came at key moments down the stretch for Jefferson. With Daniel Freitag Daniel Freitag 6’1″ | PG Breck | 2024 State #142 Nation MN out with foul trouble, Blake had a couple of strong finishes inside that provided Jefferson with enough production to hold off the Chanhassen comeback. Was really aggressive in the paint looking to rebound over taller players and go right back up with them on the offensive end. Thought he did a nice job staying patient and delivering some good passes out of the high post.
Chanhassen was missing some good looks in the first half, but Evan’s ability to knock down shots was giving them the offensive spark to stay in the game. He’s so good at quickly squaring up off the move in order to get off a good look from three, and does so in one smooth motion allowing him to get a shot off before the chasing defender catches up. He has a bit of an unorthodox kick when he shoots the ball, but knocks them down at a high percentage nonetheless. High level shooter in the 2024 class that has to be accounted for at all times.