Prep Hoops Live: Teddy’s Friday Notebook

Prep Hoops Live: Teddy&#8217;s Friday Notebook

Teddy Bahu April 28, 2023 @ 10:56 PM

I had a last-minute location change and spent the evening at Island Lake Elementary. I'll be back there again during the day and at Maple Grove in the evening on Saturday.   Team Teague 16U Felder Shows Washington Team how the Midwest Rolls   I saw this team quite a few times in Indy last summer and they're loaded with high-level prospects. [player_tooltip player_id='1297093' first='Michael' last='Cooper'] showed off his range early with two quick corner threes, while [player_tooltip player_id='1373105' first='Mark' last='Zackery'] IV had a fast break slam. It was 10-0 from the start. On the interior, Josiah Thomas forced numerous difficult shots and was a monster on the glass, winning almost every board in his area. He even posterized an opponent midway through the first half.   With 7 mins to go in the first half, [player_tooltip player_id='1297093' first='Michael' last='Cooper'] had five three's to fall. What stand out most are his off-ball cuts and his ability to get open. He found numerous easy looks both inside and out throughout the contest. He made a terrific feed to a running [player_tooltip player_id='1296998' first='Cedric' last='Horton'] in transition. Horton had a pair of dunks in the first half and Cooper knocked down another triple. Sooner or later, it was Cooper's turn to get in on the dunking with a breakaway slam of his own. Teague rolled past the World Class Renegades from Washington State     Team Teague 2027 Shines Playing up   Team Teague has its 2027 team playing up on the 15U level. The first name that caught my attention was Bryce Curry. The 6'3” G has already got the body of a high-level point guard and was an impressive player on both ends. He started the game with a block and added a tough layup and midrange jumper shortly after. His ceiling is exceptionally high and he's capable of scoring at all three levels. He reminds me a lot of former Chicago-area PG Tyler (TY) Johnson, who currently starts at UC Davis.   Another player I like is Deon Johnson. The 6'3” eighth grader is capable of finishing inside and threw down a dunk, which not many eighth graders can do, en route to eight first half points. He did a great job throughout the game filling open holes and scoring the basketball. One final player, Guard Cooper Zachary, is an outstanding defender who knocked down several three's and made flashy assists. He ended up with six three's in the game while Team Teague rolled to an easy win behind a 2026 squad. In fact, they went 4-0 playing two years up last week in Indy.     2025 Michigan Goonies Close out the Night   The 2025 Michigan Goonies are a team i've watched quite a few times last year and I got to see them again in Minnesota. But it was Team Teague/The Factory 2025 Hillard/Mixon who showed out early. Especially with the play from [player_tooltip player_id='1934014' first='Nathan' last='Smith'], who had five quick points and an assist. But sooner or later, the Goonies got going. Point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1438254' first='Leo' last='Perettie'] was one if my favorite players on this squad last season, and one of his biggest improvements over the past year is his defense. He constantly frustrated defenders and displayed tons of awareness and speed on that end of the floor. He was also very solid in the midrange game and hardly turned the ball over. Very smart decision maker. In addition, Guard Joseph Decases made several key offensive plays including a spinning fadeaway jumper and some solid finishes slashing inside. D2/D3 schools would love to have these players.    I don't know if I can say this or not, but the refs were awful. Missed so many foul and goaltending calls and wouldn't keep up with the game.

I had a last-minute location change and spent the evening at Island Lake Elementary. I'll be back there again during the day and at Maple Grove in the evening on Saturday.