Branch scored 21 points a game last season as a junior for SSP and now he is headed to Tartan and will play for one of the best teams in the state. Branch can shoot it and fill things up quickly, but he can do things off the dribble and we saw him handle the one with Powerhouse too. Branch has a lot of potential and I think that potential will take a step this winter and could really take a step at the juco level for a year or two, and then have three or four years to play at a four year (now five year) school.

Donte almost willed his team to a win on Friday night, catching fire from the perimeter. He is a very confident shooter, never hesitating to let it fly from deep if a defender did not have a hand up. He was creating pretty much all of the offense for Powerhouse, scoring from in and out, and hitting open teammates. Branch also showcased his ability to get to the rim, showing some physicality on finishes inside through traffic.

Donte is running with Powerhouse MN this spring, and it’s easy to see the big impact he’s going to have with them. In his first game of the weekend Donte started off on fire, scoring at least 17 points in just the first half. Those consisted of multiple threes, a pair of transition dunks, and a couple more finishes right at the rim. He doesn’t do anything overly flashy, and is extremely efficient with the shots he takes. Donte does a nice job of using his 6’2+ frame to force turnovers defensively, and once out in the open floor he rarely fails to convert.

Donte had another impressive scoring performance for South St. Paul in a win over St. Cloud Tech. Despite missing some time in the first half with two fouls, Branch managed to put up 29 points, and was mostly doing so within the flow of the offense. Rather than over dribbling for tough isolation shots, a lot of Donte’s buckets came from off-ball cuts, catch-and-shoot threes, or transition finishes. Utilized his length defensively to come up with some steals on the ball, as he moves his feet well at 6’3 and picks his moments well to poke the ball free. He’s been putting together a big junior season for a 10-4 SSP team.

Donte was unstoppable down the stretch in a win for South St. Paul. Coming up against a ranked Holy Family squad, defenders just didn’t have an answer for his blend of length and athleticism. He got to the rim for some acrobatic finishes, showing good body control to hang in the air and score against the Holy Family size. Can lull his defender to sleep and then explode by off the dribble to get into the lane. Donte finished the game with 37 points including some clutch buckets late in the overtime win.