Midwest Showdown 16U Top Rebounders

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I had the opportunity to watch the Midwest Showdown, at The Champion Center, specifically the 16U division. My apologies for the delay, but I spent last week tracking down accurate rosters. With that being said, Here are a handful of players that stood out to me on the glass.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2814993' first='Keith' last='Diver']</strong>-[program_tooltip program_id='2075749' first='Northern' last='Lakers'] (Cloquet, MN)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the more solid and consistent rebounders of the whole weekend. Diver, a 6-4 or 6-5? forward out of Cloquet HS, in Minnesota, used his body well sealing off the defensive glass and was a nightmare to keep away from offensive rebounds accounting for several putbacks in the games I watched.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2824156' first='Connor' last='Lemirand']</strong>-[program_tooltip program_id='2485560' first='G-Elite' last=''] (Wausau East)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lemirand, a 6-2 guard, was a handful to keep off of the offensive glass due to his anticipation and long arms. In the Friday game he totaled 6 or 7 offensive rebounds and putback several layups while drawing fouls. Saturday was more of the same as he used his endless motor to control not only the boards but also acting as rim protector blocking or altering several shots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2802443' first='Thomas' last='Freeman']</strong>-[program_tooltip program_id='3502082' first='Team' last='Compete'] (Belmont)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While there were probably more athletic "bigs" at the Showdown, none possessed the size/strength combo of Freeman (6-5). Unmovable once he established rebounding position, Freeman accounted for double-digit boards in each game and lived at the free-throw line when the opposing team had no choice but to foul him on offensive rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2423628' first='Grady' last='Elliason']</strong>-[program_tooltip program_id='2075258' first='ABC' last='Young Lions'] (Pewaukee)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Elliason (6-6) brought one of the best combinations of size and athleticism over the weekend none more evident than in the rebounding category. Elliason was a problem on the offensive glass accounting for three boards in the Friday game and four or five more in the game I watched Saturday. When not pulling down boards, Elliason was clogging up the paint blocking or altering several shots on the defensive end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2614886' first='Isaiah' last='Faulkner']</strong>-[program_tooltip program_id='2078394' first='Team' last='1848']-1 (Providence Academy)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Standing only 5-8, you would not initially think of Faulkner when it comes to rebounds but, surprisingly, he was one of the more impressive rebounding guards that I watched over the weekend especially on Saturday. Overshadowed with other primary scoring options, Faulkner took to his role well and found ways to contribute with his hustle both on the boards but also defensively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->