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<p>Flying under the radar can sometimes be the best position for a team to be in, and that's exactly the mindset the <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">[program_tooltip program_id='2337876' first='James' last='Valley Thunder'] 16U</span></strong> squad embraced this club season. Made up largely of players from small towns who don't always get the spotlight, this group quietly put together a season full of success, with individual improvement on display across the roster.</p>
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<p>A big part of that growth traces back to the man leading the way. Coach Trey Skoglund, who plays college basketball at Jamestown, brought a level of basketball knowledge and maturity to the sideline that belies his age. His approach went beyond just X's and O's, emphasizing lessons in hard work, communication, and leadership that his players could carry both on and off the court. It's the kind of coaching that not only builds better basketball players, but sets up a bright future for Skoglund himself if he chooses to continue down the coaching path.</p>
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<p>From clutch, close-game finishes to players stepping into bigger roles throughout the season, the Thunder had plenty to be proud of this summer. Here's a closer look at how their season unfolded.</p>
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<p style="font-size:25px"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Player Comments via Coach Skoglund</span></strong></p>
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<p class="text-gray-700">"<em>Freak athlete with a strong muscular frame. Very good at getting to the rim, can score from all 3 levels. I really saw improvements in Brennan's leadership abilities this summer. He will be ready to help lead the charge for his squad this winter. Brennan has the potential to be an All-Conference First Team player or maybe more.</em>"</p>
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<p class="text-gray-700">"<em>Long, lengthy guard who is tough to stop when he looks to attack the rim; he becomes even more of a threat in the open court where he can show off his slithery speed. Impressive point-of-attack defender who often guarded the best player for us.</em> [player_tooltip player_id='2608506' first='Grady' last='Hulscher']<em>Ethan really improved his footwork throughout the summer, which helped his finishing and his dribble pull-up game. Ethan also showed improvements in ball handling; he really grew into a good point forward roll for us. All-conference potential.</em>"</p>
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<p class="text-gray-700">"<em>Dead-eye 3-point shooter, college range and beyond. Has good positional length and has sneaky athleticism around the rim. Led the team with the most 15+ point games. He was much improved attacking the rim throughout the summer. He learned to play off his 3-ball, and he really exploded. Potential for All-Conference and state leader in 3's made.</em>" </p>
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<p class="text-gray-700">"<em>Strong physical kid who is a playmaker in the paint, has good footwork and loves the turnaround middy. Shay was a main ball handler for us, so he caught the nickname "shifty shay". His biggest improvement was confidence; he can shoot, dribble, and finish, but he didn't have the confidence. He opened up and started playing his style of ball late summer. All-Conference potential.</em>"</p>
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<p class="text-gray-700">"<em>All-around dude, great 2 way player; don't let the slow pace play fool you, the kid can ball. He has a very impressive IQ. He can defend 1-5. Jace saw big improvements in his shooting this summer and where his spots are on the court and how to get to them.</em>"</p>
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<p class="text-gray-700">"<em>Absolute workhorse, great at boxing out and grabbing boards, type of player any coach likes to have. I saw improvements in Gage's outside game. All around, he became more comfortable out on the perimeter.</em>"</p>
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<p class="text-gray-700">"<em>Lockdown defender, can guard 1-5, savvy getting position around the rim and a great hustle guy. JJ got really good at finding the correct positioning under the hoop, along with improving his driving game as well. He was our squad's best defender.</em>"</p>
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<p class="text-gray-700">"<em>Good catch-and-shoot guy with an impressive skill set around the rim, really a gritty baller. I saw Jace really learn to attack the rim and grab offensive rebounds to help assert himself in a good offensive role off the bench.</em>"</p>
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<p class="text-gray-700">"<em>Sharpshooter with a gritty play style, tough kid who can get to the basket even with a lack of size. Easton improved at his on-ball defense this summer. He really learned how to apply his already gritty play style to his defense.</em>"</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/QA.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/QA.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-2511663" style="width:343px;height:auto" /></a></figure>
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<p style="font-size:25px"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">With Trey Skoglund</span></strong></p>
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<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">PHD: Can you tell us about a memorable play or game that sticks out to you?</span></strong></p>
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<p>"<em>One of our biggest games was against a Sanford squad that we played twice and beat twice. One of the games we played them was a 1-point game, and we had the ball, and [player_tooltip player_id='2475032' first='Ethan' last='Kroll'] got to the basket and laid it in for the win.</em>"</p>
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<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">PHD: Who was your "go-to" player when you needed a basket?</span></strong></p>
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<p>"<em>Go-to players were Grady Hulsher, [player_tooltip player_id='2475375' first='Brennan' last='Wolf-Donat'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2475032' first='Ethan' last='Kroll']. They all had certain skill sets we could use throughout different games.</em>"</p>
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<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">PHD: What lessons from this season go beyond basketball?</span></strong></p>
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<p>"<em>I focused on teaching my squad 3 things that relate to the court and life. They were <strong>Hard Work</strong>, <strong>Communication</strong> and <strong>Leadership</strong>. These 3 things show up in our everyday lives, and these boys bought into learning about them all and improving at all 3. Seeing them<br>do so was bigger and better than any tournament win.</em>"</p>
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<p style="font-style:italic;font-weight:1000">BEST OF LUCK TO ALL THE JVT BALLERS THIS COMING SEASON!!</p>
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Flying under the radar can sometimes be the best position for a team to be in, and that's exactly the mindset the James Valley Thunder
16U squad embraced this club season. Made up largely of players from small towns who don't always get the spotlight, this group quietly put together a season full of success, with individual improvement on display across the roster.
A big part of that growth traces back to the man leading the way. Coach Trey Skoglund, who plays college basketball at Jamestown, brought a level of basketball knowledge and maturity to the sideline that belies his age. His approach went beyond just X's and O's, emphasizing lessons in hard work, communication, and leadership that his players could carry both on and off the court. It's the kind of coaching that not only builds better basketball players, but sets up a bright future for Skoglund himself if he chooses to continue down the coaching path.
From clutch, close-game finishes to players stepping into bigger roles throughout the season, the Thunder had plenty to be proud of this summer. Here's a closer look at how their season unfolded.
"Freak athlete with a strong muscular frame. Very good at getting to the rim, can score from all 3 levels. I really saw improvements in Brennan's leadership abilities this summer. He will be ready to help lead the charge for…
"Long, lengthy guard who is tough to stop when he looks to attack the rim; he becomes even more of a threat in the open court where he can show off his slithery speed. Impressive point-of-attack defender who often guarded…
"Dead-eye 3-point shooter, college range and beyond. Has good positional length and has sneaky athleticism around the rim. Led the team with the most 15+ point games. He was much improved attacking the rim throughout the summer. He learned to play off his 3-ball, and he really exploded. Potential for All-Conference and state leader in 3's made."
Evaluations are normally subscriber-only but when an athlete subscribes, theirs becomes free for all readers.
Subscribing doesn't change who the Scout covers, it changes who gets to see it.
"Strong physical kid who is a playmaker in the paint, has good footwork and loves the turnaround middy. Shay was a main ball handler for us, so he caught the nickname "shifty shay". His biggest improvement was confidence; he can shoot, dribble, and finish, but he didn't have the confidence. He opened up and started playing his style of ball late summer. All-Conference potential."
Evaluations are normally subscriber-only but when an athlete subscribes, theirs becomes free for all readers.
Subscribing doesn't change who the Scout covers, it changes who gets to see it.
"All-around dude, great 2 way player; don't let the slow pace play fool you, the kid can ball. He has a very impressive IQ. He can defend 1-5. Jace saw big improvements in his shooting this summer and where his…
"Absolute workhorse, great at boxing out and grabbing boards, type of player any coach likes to have. I saw improvements in Gage's outside game. All around, he became more comfortable out on the perimeter."
"Lockdown defender, can guard 1-5, savvy getting position around the rim and a great hustle guy. JJ got really good at finding the correct positioning under the hoop, along with improving his driving game as well. He was our squad's best defender."
Evaluations are normally subscriber-only but when an athlete subscribes, theirs becomes free for all readers.
Subscribing doesn't change who the Scout covers, it changes who gets to see it.
"Good catch-and-shoot guy with an impressive skill set around the rim, really a gritty baller. I saw Jace really learn to attack the rim and grab offensive rebounds to help assert himself in a good offensive role off the bench."
Evaluations are normally subscriber-only but when an athlete subscribes, theirs becomes free for all readers.
Subscribing doesn't change who the Scout covers, it changes who gets to see it.
"Sharpshooter with a gritty play style, tough kid who can get to the basket even with a lack of size. Easton improved at his on-ball defense this summer. He really learned how to apply his already gritty play style to his defense."
Evaluations are normally subscriber-only but when an athlete subscribes, theirs becomes free for all readers.
Subscribing doesn't change who the Scout covers, it changes who gets to see it.
Highlights
With Trey Skoglund
PHD: Can you tell us about a memorable play or game that sticks out to you?
"One of our biggest games was against a Sanford squad that we played twice and beat twice. One of the games we played them was a 1-point game, and we had the ball, and Ethan KrollEthanKroll
6'2" | SG
Groton | 2028 StateSD
got to the basket and laid it in for the win."
PHD: Who was your "go-to" player when you needed a basket?
PHD: What lessons from this season go beyond basketball?
"I focused on teaching my squad 3 things that relate to the court and life. They were Hard Work, Communication and Leadership. These 3 things show up in our everyday lives, and these boys bought into learning about them all and improving at all 3. Seeing them do so was bigger and better than any tournament win."
BEST OF LUCK TO ALL THE JVT BALLERS THIS COMING SEASON!!
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Ethan
Kroll
6'2" | SG
Groton | 2028
State
SD
got to the basket and laid it in for the win."
Brennan
Wolf-Donat
6'3" | SG/SF
Warner | 2028
State
SD
, and
Ethan Kroll
