If you’re looking for a kid who’s gritty, works hard, and does a little bit of everything, Dylan is the kind of guy you’d want on your team.

As a power forward, his ballhandling skills are already so finely tuned. He dribbles well, he’s a great passer, he can bring the ball up the floor, he’s able to control the tempo of the offense. This might be the most well-rounded player that I saw at this year’s Midwest Melee.

If you want to dive a little deeper into his skillset, his size is already giving him a serious advantage over his opponents. At 6’3″ heading into high school, he’s going to be a serious problem for the next four years. He’s already in possession of a crafty hook shot, his reach allows him to corral rebounds anywhere in the paint, and he’s got an inspired level of toughness that seems ingrained. Right before halftime of one of his games, I saw him score a putback layup right as the buzzer sounded; giving his team momentum going into the break.

And we can’t overlook how deep he took his team in this year’s tournament. Few teams could compete with the highly lauded Breakaway Academy out of the Chicago suburbs, but Dylan and his Wisconsin Legends group took them to double overtime, before eventually losing in the semifinals. And Dylan’s defensive efforts against one of Illinois’ best players was a huge reason why they were able to keep pace in that game.

This is a kind of leader that you can tell has the respect of his teammates, and he’ll be a player to watch in Wisconsin over the next few years.

Dylan nearly led his team to an upset of Breakaway in the semifinals of the Gold tournament bracket. And in spite of the 2OT loss, he showed incredible talent throughout his 4-game weekend.

Entering high school at 6’3″, Dylan is already a monster in the paint. He has tremendous reach, and can track down tough rebounds on both offense and defense. And his handles are already so advanced that he’s capable of bringing the ball up the floor after a defensive rebound, or driving hard to the bucket for contested layups; which present plenty of and-1 opportunities.

Dylan has great footwork, and it’s easy to be naturally drawn to his hard work and overall skillset. He’s got a nice hook shot, and seems to have mastered the inside game. But he’s not afraid to pull up for a 3-pointer when he has an open look.

Dylan is exactly the kind of player you want in the post on defense. Few players could keep up with James Rydberg this weekend, but Dylan did better than any other player I saw, giving James fits inside-forcing him to work much harder than normal to find his way to the hoop.

Dylan is another kid who’s obviously put a lot of time into honing his craft, and his talent is paying off for his Wisconsin Legends team.

Dylan is extremely tough in the lane-he battles hard for boards, and his tremendous length allows him to track down rebounds from the opposite side of the rim. He already possesses terrific footwork as well, giving him the ability to work out of tough defensive situations.

Dylan can do it all: passing, dribbling, rebounds, posting up for 3s… it’s easy to be drawn to the skill he shows on the floor. And you can tell that his teammates rely on him when they need a basket in crunch time.

Nowak brought consistency and effort to both ends of the floor. Defensively, he was solid when boxing out, rotating effectively, and sacrificing his body for 50/50 balls. On offense, his versatility was equally important. Whether pushing the break or filling lanes in transition, Nowak’s ability to run the floor and cover ground provided Team 1848 with reliable energy and production.