Happy Live Period!. Ryan and I are at Prep Hoops¡¯ Battle at the Lakes this weekend, but GI will still keep you updated with Gopher targets this weekend. Today¡¯s recap is longer than it will usually be because I provided some background info on all the guys for those that need a refresher.
Nike EYBL in Hampton
Howard Pulley beat Nike South Beach 55-52 thanks to a spectacular EYBL-debut performance from Gary Trent Jr. ¡°JR¡± went for 25 on 10/17 shooting, including ⅘ three-point shooting. He also grabbed four boards and had two steals. The other 2017 Minnesotan to hold an offer is Champlin Park¡¯s Theo John. Big Theo also had an impressive first EYBL showing, producing eight points, five boards and three blocks. Maple Grove sophomore Brad Davison, who was recently offered by Nebraska, went scoreless on three shots but had three assists. Brock Bertram made the one shot from the field and two free throws that he took to finish with four points and three rebounds.
Minnesota offered Bruce Brown around this time last year. He plays high school ball for former Gopher Alex Popp at Vermont Academy. Brown was the best player for BABC last year, and will be their best player this year as well. He had a fairly strong first game, going for 19 points on 6/13 shooting and 6/11 free throws, nine rebounds, and five assists. He also had seven turnovers, so I imagine he¡¯s a pretty high usage guy for BABC.
Tyrique Jones plays with Brown at Vermont Academy, but plays for Expressions Elite in AAU. He¡¯s an athletic, great-rebounding 4 man that the Gophers offered this winter. Jones had a rough night, scoring just two points on ⅕ shooting from the floor and 0/2 from the line. Expressions Elite lost to E1T1 62-54.
Willie Jackson is a slashing wing that the Gophers offered last summer. He shot 4/13 from the field and 4/12 from the free throw line to finish with 12 points for King James Shooting Stars in their win over Mac Irvin Fire. Jackson gets to the line a lot, so the free throw shooting will have to improve. His high school coach told me he¡¯s probably the best rebounding wing he¡¯s ever coached (he¡¯s coached a lot of D1 guys), and yesterday he grabbed nine boards so he contributes even when his shot isn¡¯t falling.
Frankie Hughes plays with Willie Jackson at Garfield Heights. While Jackson is one of the best slashers in the Midwest, Hughes is one of the best shooters. Hughes had six points on 3/6 shooting and grabbed four rebounds in All Ohio Red¡¯s loss to Playaz Basketball Club.
Xavier Sneed was one of the first 2016 offerees and Eric Bossi reported that the Gophers (RJ said Ben Johnson would likely be at EYBL) watched him play. Sneed had an efficient 11 points, shooting ⅘ from the field, including ¨ú from long range. That¡¯s encouraging because he¡¯s been pegged as an athletic slasher that needs to develop a consistent jumper. He¡¯s #81 in Bossi¡¯s 2016 Rivals150.
Adidas Gauntlet in Dallas
D1 Minnesota started the Adidas Circuit by falling to DC Thunder 75-72 yesterday. Michael Hurt scored 16 on ¨ü shooting from the floor and a perfect 10/10 from the line. Football target Tyler Johnson had four points and three boards.
Quentin Goodin made his debut playing for Hoop Dreams, after suiting up for EYBL¡¯s St. Louis Eagles last year. He didn¡¯t disappoint; Goodin had 21 points on 7/11 shooting, seven rebounds, and four assists in Hoop Dreams¡¯ 65-56 win over Texas D1 Ambassadors. Goodin is an explosive combo guard that Dan McHale spent a lot of time recruiting.
Rawle Alkins had a huge night, going for 29 points on 10/20 shooting from the floor and 6/7 from the line. The combo guard also grabbed seven rebounds. Alkins was at one point being contacted a lot by Kimani, but I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s still the case. I¡¯ve also been told that his Alkins¡¯ college choice is likely to be an Adidas school.
Under Armour Association in New Orleans
Birthday boy Sidney Wilson made his 17U UAA debut yesterday in New Heights¡¯ 57-49 win over We-R1. I have yet to check, but I have to imagine Kimani Young was there to watch his old AAU program take on another East Coast program that they¡¯ve heavily recruited. Sid is a long and super athletic wing that contributed in a variety of areas. He recorded five points on 2/7 shooting and had four points and two blocks. Thoughts and prayers go out to Sid and his family as his mother passed away a week ago.
Minnesota offered sophomore wing Hamidou Diallo in the fall, and they were one of his first high-major offers. He¡¯s now #38 in the 2017 Rivals150. He had 18 points on 5/13 shooting, including 3/7 on threes. He also grabbed eight boards and had two assists and a steal in NY Jayhawks¡¯ 64-54 win over Team Superstar. Diallo plays both AAU and high school ball with Mamadou Diarra (say those two names five times fast). Diarra had 18 points on ¨þ shooting, in addition to grabbing three boards and blocking a shot. The Gophers were Diarra¡¯s only high-major offer, but Seton Hall and St. John¡¯s instantly offered after watching that performance.
Net Gain defeated Juice All-Stars 73-61. Champlin Park sophomore McKinley Wright had a great performance, scoring 13 points on 5/9 shooting, and recording five boards and three assists. That sort of statline will get a sophomore a high-major offer, which I imagine will happen in the next month or two (not expecting that to be the Gophers though). Illinois kid Jerry Myles had an efficient 11 points. Myles was once offered by Minnesota, but they haven¡¯t contacted him in a while to my knowledge. Maple Grove¡¯s Reed Nikko had eight points on ⅗ shooting and added two boards and three blocks.
Non-Major Circuit
Few prospects are on the rise as much as Steffon Mitchell. The evidence being that Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa coaches are all flying in to Minneapolis instead of being at one of the major circuits. He had the opportunity to join Pulley, D1 MN, or Net Gain, but chose to be loyal and stay with MN Fury. Steffon is an incredibly versatile; he¡¯s a 3 but played point in high school and has the size to defend 4s. Mitchell can shoot, handle, board, post up, you name it. Only thing with Mitchell is that he¡¯s not very quick on his feet, but he¡¯ll go high-major no doubt. He didn¡¯t play last night, but plays tomorrow at 9:10 at the Colin Powell Center.
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Nike EYBL in Hampton
Howard Pulley beat Nike South Beach 55-52 thanks to a spectacular EYBL-debut performance from Gary Trent Jr. ¡°JR¡± went for 25 on 10/17 shooting, including ⅘ three-point shooting. He also grabbed four boards and had two steals. The other 2017 Minnesotan to hold an offer is Champlin Park¡¯s Theo John. Big Theo also had an impressive first EYBL showing, producing eight points, five boards and three blocks. Maple Grove sophomore Brad Davison, who was recently offered by Nebraska, went scoreless on three shots but had three assists. Brock Bertram made the one shot from the field and two free throws that he took to finish with four points and three rebounds.
Minnesota offered Bruce Brown around this time last year. He plays high school ball for former Gopher Alex Popp at Vermont Academy. Brown was the best player for BABC last year, and will be their best player this year as well. He had a fairly strong first game, going for 19 points on 6/13 shooting and 6/11 free throws, nine rebounds, and five assists. He also had seven turnovers, so I imagine he¡¯s a pretty high usage guy for BABC.
Tyrique Jones plays with Brown at Vermont Academy, but plays for Expressions Elite in AAU. He¡¯s an athletic, great-rebounding 4 man that the Gophers offered this winter. Jones had a rough night, scoring just two points on ⅕ shooting from the floor and 0/2 from the line. Expressions Elite lost to E1T1 62-54.
Willie Jackson is a slashing wing that the Gophers offered last summer. He shot 4/13 from the field and 4/12 from the free throw line to finish with 12 points for King James Shooting Stars in their win over Mac Irvin Fire. Jackson gets to the line a lot, so the free throw shooting will have to improve. His high school coach told me he¡¯s probably the best rebounding wing he¡¯s ever coached (he¡¯s coached a lot of D1 guys), and yesterday he grabbed nine boards so he contributes even when his shot isn¡¯t falling.
Frankie Hughes plays with Willie Jackson at Garfield Heights. While Jackson is one of the best slashers in the Midwest, Hughes is one of the best shooters. Hughes had six points on 3/6 shooting and grabbed four rebounds in All Ohio Red¡¯s loss to Playaz Basketball Club.
Xavier Sneed was one of the first 2016 offerees and Eric Bossi reported that the Gophers (RJ said Ben Johnson would likely be at EYBL) watched him play. Sneed had an efficient 11 points, shooting ⅘ from the field, including ¨ú from long range. That¡¯s encouraging because he¡¯s been pegged as an athletic slasher that needs to develop a consistent jumper. He¡¯s #81 in Bossi¡¯s 2016 Rivals150.
Adidas Gauntlet in Dallas
D1 Minnesota started the Adidas Circuit by falling to DC Thunder 75-72 yesterday. Michael Hurt scored 16 on ¨ü shooting from the floor and a perfect 10/10 from the line. Football target Tyler Johnson had four points and three boards.
Quentin Goodin made his debut playing for Hoop Dreams, after suiting up for EYBL¡¯s St. Louis Eagles last year. He didn¡¯t disappoint; Goodin had 21 points on 7/11 shooting, seven rebounds, and four assists in Hoop Dreams¡¯ 65-56 win over Texas D1 Ambassadors. Goodin is an explosive combo guard that Dan McHale spent a lot of time recruiting.
Rawle Alkins had a huge night, going for 29 points on 10/20 shooting from the floor and 6/7 from the line. The combo guard also grabbed seven rebounds. Alkins was at one point being contacted a lot by Kimani, but I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s still the case. I¡¯ve also been told that his Alkins¡¯ college choice is likely to be an Adidas school.
Under Armour Association in New Orleans
Birthday boy Sidney Wilson made his 17U UAA debut yesterday in New Heights¡¯ 57-49 win over We-R1. I have yet to check, but I have to imagine Kimani Young was there to watch his old AAU program take on another East Coast program that they¡¯ve heavily recruited. Sid is a long and super athletic wing that contributed in a variety of areas. He recorded five points on 2/7 shooting and had four points and two blocks. Thoughts and prayers go out to Sid and his family as his mother passed away a week ago.
Minnesota offered sophomore wing Hamidou Diallo in the fall, and they were one of his first high-major offers. He¡¯s now #38 in the 2017 Rivals150. He had 18 points on 5/13 shooting, including 3/7 on threes. He also grabbed eight boards and had two assists and a steal in NY Jayhawks¡¯ 64-54 win over Team Superstar. Diallo plays both AAU and high school ball with Mamadou Diarra (say those two names five times fast). Diarra had 18 points on ¨þ shooting, in addition to grabbing three boards and blocking a shot. The Gophers were Diarra¡¯s only high-major offer, but Seton Hall and St. John¡¯s instantly offered after watching that performance.
Net Gain defeated Juice All-Stars 73-61. Champlin Park sophomore McKinley Wright had a great performance, scoring 13 points on 5/9 shooting, and recording five boards and three assists. That sort of statline will get a sophomore a high-major offer, which I imagine will happen in the next month or two (not expecting that to be the Gophers though). Illinois kid Jerry Myles had an efficient 11 points. Myles was once offered by Minnesota, but they haven¡¯t contacted him in a while to my knowledge. Maple Grove¡¯s Reed Nikko had eight points on ⅗ shooting and added two boards and three blocks.
Non-Major Circuit
Few prospects are on the rise as much as Steffon Mitchell. The evidence being that Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa coaches are all flying in to Minneapolis instead of being at one of the major circuits. He had the opportunity to join Pulley, D1 MN, or Net Gain, but chose to be loyal and stay with MN Fury. Steffon is an incredibly versatile; he¡¯s a 3 but played point in high school and has the size to defend 4s. Mitchell can shoot, handle, board, post up, you name it. Only thing with Mitchell is that he¡¯s not very quick on his feet, but he¡¯ll go high-major no doubt. He didn¡¯t play last night, but plays tomorrow at 9:10 at the Colin Powell Center.
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