Liam left it all out on the floor on Wednesday, flying around and making plays all game. The Southwest offense completely revolved around him and he was forced to have the ball in his hands for most of the game. He scored a game-high 28 points and is fearless when attacking the basket. He was converting on super tough finishes and was drawing fouls to get to the line at a high rate. The senior guard was knocking down contested looks from the perimeter as well. Farniok has left his legacy at Minneapolis Southwest and will be headed to St. John’s next season.

Liam came alive in the second half to help lead Southwest past South. South was defending him tight, so Liam was constantly working off the ball to try to get himself into space with an opportunity to shoot or drive. His ability to get his defender in the air with a quick shot fake led to some driving opportunities, but if he saw the space to get off a jumper, his quick release allowed him to do so off the catch. Farniok had some strong finishes through contact, and had a clutch 4 point play as his team was trailing to help them complete a comeback win.

Liam got off to a slow start in the first half, but still finished with 19 points against Washburn. This season he looks a bit quicker with his first step, and with how good of a shooter he is, this makes him so dangerous blowing by his defender after a shot-fake. He constantly has defenders jumping or freezing with a shot fake or hesitation dribble, and it allows him to consistently beat his man off the dribble. Good footwork to stop and play off two feet around the basket, and he has the soft touch to knock down turnaround jumpers. Having a productive senior year scoring 22.4 ppg for the Lakers.

Liam Farniok Liam Farniok 6'3" | SG Minneapolis Southwest | 2024 State MN is a six-foot-three-inch guard from Minnesota Southwest. Farniok was a primetime scorer in 2022-23 scorin 24 points per game. Athletic enough to finish above the rim, shifty enough to get seperation for mid-range jumpers, and has solid vision in screen actions. Farniok can finish at the rim, and is strong enough to battle through defenders for tough baskets.

The Minneapolis Southwest sharpshooter suited up with Starks Elite over the weekend and had a pair of strong showings in the games I watched. On Saturday night against Minnesota Select he helped make things close in the second half with a few threes, and then on Sunday against a very good Milwaukee Trailblazers team he took the game over with bucket after bucket to lead his team to a win. Liam has deep range and a quick release with the ability to put up points in a hurry once he sees one or two shots drop. Does a great job of utilizing a quick head-fake and then blowing by a poor closeout to get to the rim where he can make plays as a finisher or dump it off to one of his forwards. A bit more explosive than some people know as well, as he threw down a dunk after driving down the lane on Saturday.

Liam Farniok Liam Farniok 6'3" | SG Minneapolis Southwest | 2024 State MN is a six-foot-three-inch shooting guard from Minneapolis Southwest. At Southwest Farniok had some big games scoring and rebounding in 2022-23, a season he averaged 24 points per game. More than capable of spotting up and shooting behind the arc, pull-up off the dribble, or cut off others, Farniok scores from just about everywhere.

They nicknamed him the “lethal weapon” for a reason, as Liam hit some huge shots on Thursday night against Columbia Heights. With just a couple of minutes left in a tight game, Liam hit a key three, and also hit two free throws to give his team the lead, and ultimately the win. Farniok has a quick release on his three with no shortage of confidence, combined with range that extends to well beyond the arc. Defenders were left chasing him off the ball all game long, but he still found ways to get off clean looks. He’s not just a shooter though, as Liam showed the ability to put the ball on the floor and get two feet in the paint due to his agility to quickly change directions. Once in the paint he showcased the touch to score, but also had the vision to find a cutting teammate and quickly zip the ball to them. Finished with 30 points on the night.

There aren’t many players who are more dangerous running off screens than Liam is. He works hard off the ball to get into space, and is so skilled at catching and squaring up with the basket in one fluid motion that defenders are at his mercy if he gets out in front of them. Liam’s lightning quick release allowed him to hit a handful of threes without even needing a dribble against Edison on Wednesday night. He’s not just a shooter though as Farniok displayed some wiggle off the dribble to get into the paint where he was able to dish it out for 3+ assists. Liam has had a breakout season and has developed into one of the top players in the Minneapolis City Conference as a junior.