High Energy and Hustle

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is another take on the original <a href="https://prephoops.com/2024/01/dakotas-all-hustle-team/">Dakotas All Hustle Team</a> article. We have too many players across the Dakotas for just one piece.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>PHD has info on <strong>eleven </strong>ND &amp; SD ballers and we are excited to tell you about them!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline">What is HUSTLE all about?</span></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size">You have never to take a play off, give full effort, dive on the floor, board up, take charges, get stops on D, sprint, make plays in transition, do the little things, play aggressively, step up to the challenge, positively affect your team, never give up, play inspired ball, recover quickly, be resilient, stay positive, being versatile, accepting your role, being a leader, have a great work ethic, commitment to the team, play with high NRG, play relentless defense, giving 100% in practice, being mentally tough, create TO's, get deflections, take away passing angles, by closing out hard but under control, playing physically, scarping it up, getting jump balls, holding box outs, helping the helper, and many, many others!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"large"} --> <p class="has-large-font-size"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">High Energy &amp; Hustle</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2244976' first='Ashton' last='Fairbanks'] (2025) |6'1 G| Elk Point-Jefferson</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He constantly runs the floor hard in transition and finishes at the rim often. There are very few times when Fairbanks is not on the floor after a loose ball or catching a pass in transition and finishing at the rim. Ashton is a big-time hustle &amp; NRG player.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1273709' first='Carter' last='Maasjo'] (2024) |6'4 PF| Central Cass</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He is a team captain and a vocal leader for the Squirrels. Maasjo does a great job communicating on the floor and is always willing to attack all 50/50 game situations. He is a physical player who does not back down from physical situations. Carter battles in the paint and he never gives up on a rebound. He is also quick to dive on the floor for a loose ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cody Thompson (2024) |5'8 G| Waverly-South Shore</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He is the defensive specialist for the Coyotes. Thompson will guard the opposing team's best player to prevent them from doing offensively what they want to do. Cody is super quick and aggressive, so when the Coyotes run their 2/3 zone half-court defense, it is extremely difficult for the opposing teams to get comfortable shooting 3's. He dives, hustles, and throws himself to get rebounds and steals. Thompson is also a pest when the Coyotes run their full-court press, he gets after the entry player and then traps quickly in the corner. Cody makes the Waverly-South Shore press effective. Without Thompson's speed and quickness, the Coyote press would be exposed. Cody has accepted his role this year and has been a huge addition to the varsity squad.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Colt Kopren (2025) |6'1 F| Bison</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cardinals have a baller who plays with tremendous effort and he is always hustling. Kopren absolutely works his tail off on the basketball court. He is a great team player, understands his role, and plays it well. Colt brings a toughness and effort to the game that coaches love to see. He works hard at defending the rim and rebounding the basketball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1320252' first='Gavin' last='Olson'] (2024) |5'10 G| Horace</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you look up the word "competitor" in the dictionary, you may find a picture of Mr. Olson! Gavin plays selfless basketball player who gives great effort and is a vocal leader for the Hawks. He recently committed to UJ for football and one thing that quickly catches your eye is his speed and quickness on the court. Olson can lock in defensively like a DB, run the court like a WR, or dive on a loose ball like he is recovering a fumble!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Grayson Girard (2025) |6'0 G| Elk Point-Jefferson</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He is all heart and hustle! Girard rebounds well, is constantly getting after loose balls, and is diving out of bounds to save the rock. Grayson has hit the deck numerous times this year because he is fouled for crashing the offensive glass and people undercut him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hayden Rock (2026) |5'10 G| Sturgis</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He is a 2-guard who defends well. Rock is shifty and athletic, he does a good job of getting into passing lanes defensively. Hayden has knocked down a couple of three-pointers this season in big moments. Mr. Rock plays with great enthusiasm and energy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1207499' first='Kaden' last='Christmann'] (2024) |6'1 G| Shanley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He does all the little things that don't always appear on the stat sheet. Kaden does whatever is asked of him, often guarding opposing team's best players. Despite being just 6'1", he has also guarded some of the best posts in the state at AA in [player_tooltip player_id='1144600' first='Carter' last='Zeller'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1164786' first='Tony' last='Leal']. Christmann leads the Shanley team in steals, and assists, on top of taking 11 charges so far through 9 games. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1925700' first='Kayden' last='Moore'] (2024) |5'10 G| Elk Point-Jefferson</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He always guards the other team's best player. Moore is constantly working to be an effective defender. Kayden is on the floor after loose balls and he takes on numerous screens throughout a game because he is guarding top talent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Landon Johnsen (2025) |6'2 F| Elk Point-Jefferson</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He has earned a lot of minutes just by constantly flying up-n-down the floor and being aggressive on the glass. Landon rebounds extremely well for his size and is constantly getting after loose balls and diving to save balls. He is not afraid to sacrifice his body. Johnsen moves well without the ball and he finds holes in defenses due to his constant movement. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Taiton Ortlieb (2025) |6'1 G| Sturgis</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He made this article because of his high motor and energy. Taiton is a good on-ball defender, does well getting to the rim, and is a solid lefty 3-point shooter. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2121089,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/AllHustle.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/AllHustle.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-2121089" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->