#PHMidwestMelee: Max’s Minnesota Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Prep Hoops Midwest Melee took place in the Chicago area over the weekend, and these are seven of the Minnesota prospects who impressed in the games I watched!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1288695"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Tysen proved to be better than I knew of heading into the weekend, as he put in a pair of strong performances in the games I watched for BSB. At 6'7 he has the strength to play on the low-block where he had no problem establishing deep position and then backing his man down before finishing with a right handed hook shot. Even when being guarded by a 6'8 post with long arms, Tysen went right at him to score down low. Against ET21 Buckeyes he knocked down four 3's, showcasing his shooting touch away from the basket. Could also draw out opposing bigs and then had the handle and athleticism to beat them off the dribble and get to the rim. Tysen rebounds the ball hard and can either find a quick outlet pass, but also has the ability to put the ball on the floor and bring it up himself if there's some space. Impressive weekend from the 6'7 forward out of St. Paul Academy.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1612342"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Deidrick seemed to be all over the place making plays in a win for Real Phenom-Ivan on Saturday morning. Defensively he's a pest on the ball, but has great instincts off the ball to jump passes or cut off driving lanes. Once he forces a turnover he has so much speed in the open floor to get all the way to the basket. Taylor may be one of the smallest players in every game he plays, but his body control around the basket allows him to hang in the air and finish over bigger players. Unselfish point guard who gets the ball in the hands of his teammates in openings, and can also get into the paint to create better looks for them.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1284139"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Real Phenom came up against a 3SSB team and a UA Rise team over the weekend and ultimately came up short in both matchups. [player_tooltip player_id='1284139' first='Grayson' last='Okoronkwo'] had some nice moments in those two games however. Real Phenom got down big against Indiana Game, but Grayson took over the second half and had his team in it down the stretch. When he looked to get to the rim, he was just about unstoppable as he's one of the best finishing guards in Minnesota who can score off the glass with either hand. If his defender overcommitted to the drive, Grayson showed the ability to stop on a dime for a pull-up jumper.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1451145"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Ethan made a variety of plays in a strong weekend for BSB. Defensively he moves his feet well on the ball, and is a good shot blocker as a guard. Whether it was sticking with his man to the hoop and elevating at the right time, or utilizing his off-ball positioning to slide in and make a play at the rim, he was blocking a a handful of shots in the two games I watched. On the offensive end he has a dangerous pull-up jumper off of limited dribbles, and he was knocking them down from both mid-range and three. When he wasn't knocking down jumpers, he did a great job of feeding his bigs in the post with accurate post-entry passes, and also made smart reads in the open floor. 2024 guard that can make plays both as a scorer and facilitator.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1139981"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Hanif Muhammad continued his strong spring going right at a 3SSB team in Team Rose on Sunday. Real Phenom was up at halftime but couldn't hang on in the second, but Hanif impressed with some of his individual play going right at a talented backcourt. Even against a a team of high caliber athletes, Hanif may have been the quickest player on the floor. Defenders couldn't stay in front of him as his change-of-speed on the ball was just too much. Able to explode to get to the rim, or crossover to create space for a mid-range jumper. In transition he can absolutely fly up the floor weaving in-and-out of defenders to get to the rim and finish. On the other end he's a pest with his on-ball defense and is constantly applying heavy ball pressure. He fights to get over the top of screens and constantly cuts his man off on the ball.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["1647832"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Isiah emerged over the winter with Minneapolis Edison, and has had some strong showings this spring as well. Good off-ball movement allows him to catch the ball in dangerous spots as he cuts hard to the rim, but can also pop up to the high post and face up to hit a short/mid-range jumper. Flashed a three point shot as well, and then utilized shot fakes to get his man off guard before blowing by on the baseline. He's a good athlete at 6'5-6'6 allowing him to beat other players his size up the floor in transition and finish acrobatically at the rim. Defensively he moves his feet well laterally to defend on the wing, and has good effort on the glass to rebound against bigger players. Good shot blocker on the help-side as well.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["1284086"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"Anthony had an impressive second half in a big win over The Work Foundation on Saturday. He plays with great change of speed, lulling defenders to sleep and then being able to accelerate right by them to get two feet in the paint. Does a nice job playing off two feet which allows him to finish over the top with a floater, or pivot to locate passes. Was able to stop, scan the floor, and either kick it out to the perimeter or find one of his bigs with a quick bounce pass. Had a highlight play in which he split two defenders with a behind-the-back crossover, and then fakes a behind the back pass to freeze a defender before finishing at the rim.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":7,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-646ccefe1a82f"} /-->