It seems like any time I watch this Minnesota Fury team play, Santiago is saving his best for the last 8 minutes. In what was a pretty close game in the second half, Santiago blew things open late when he drained three straight threes, as well as dishing out an assist to one of his forwards within a couple of minutes to push Fury ahead. He has a bit of an unorthodox shooting form, but is a streaky shooter who can string together a few makes in a row to put points on the board quickly. Santiago is a vocal player on the floor, works hard to compete defensively, and looks to get all of his teammates involved throughout the game.

Minnesota Fury was sticking in the game against 7070 Athletics, but was waiting for someone to step up to push them ahead late. That ended up being Santiago Connell Santiago Connell 6'0" | SG/PG Shakopee | 2027 MN who would connect on three jumpers while dishing out an assist in about a 2-3 minute span that would help put his team up by 10 late in the game. That run also included Connell diving on the floor to poke the ball free for his teammate to gain possession. He’s someone that may not always put up eye catching numbers, but is an unselfish and vocal point guard who is going to share the ball and compete on the defensive end.

Santiago is now at Shakopee, where he’ll look to fill in for some of the available minutes after losing just about their entire rotation to graduation. Against Richfield he really impressed as a shooter, able to hit shots from well beyond the arc, or beat a bad closeout with one-two dribbles to get into a mid-range shot. Does a nice job of handling under pressure as well. He’s someone who’s caught my attention in the past as a vocal leader and high IQ passer playing with Minnesota Fury .

Santiago is a true floor general who impressed with his play on both ends of the floor yesterday with Minnesota Fury . Offensively he’s a pass first point guard who can handle it under pressure to get his team into their sets, and keeps the ball moving in the half-court. He was racking up assists with drive and kick passes, and finding his cutters slashing to the rim. Defensively he was the loudest player in the gym, as he was in constant communication with his teammates. Helped lead his team to a win in their opening game of the day.

Connell is quite the scorer, providing timely buckets all game long. He shoots it with great rhythm and mechanics and doesn’t need any breathing room to rise up and let one fly over his defender. I like how he carries himself on the floor. He knows he can fill it up quickly and is always looking to make the defense pay. Connell doesn’t force shots either, making it difficult on the defense as he is a willing passer. Given his dynamic skillset as a perimeter scorer and smart playmaker, Connell becomes a challenging cover.

Santiago Connell Santiago Connell 6'0" | SG/PG Shakopee | 2027 MN – Connell is a five-foot-eleven-inch guard from Prior Lake and played for the Minnesota Fury . Connell seems decently skilled in all the places for a guard, I liked when he attacked his defender and got into the painted area.

I had seen Santiago at previous showcases and he stood out to me again on Sunday in the 3v3 portion of the camp. He is at his best when creating off the dribble, having a smooth pull-up jumper he likes to go to often in the mid-range. Connell was also making a difference getting his teammates involved and playing off the ball.

Connell was the captain of the ship for Minnesota Fury , and his presence on the floor made a huge difference. Santiago had a calm demeanor that seemed to carry over to his teammates, he seemed very present in big moments and hit some big shots as a result. He plays very efficiently and without much wasted movement or dribbles. He delegated in a major way at the helm, and his shot selection and decision making was graded pretty high in my eyes. He shared the spotlight with his team while still leading the team in scoring which is a tough task when being a primary ball handler. His opponents had a tough time reading him as he was a threat to make the scoring pass, drive, and shoot the ball at a high level.