I was at Wayzata High School today and yesterday watching D1 Minnesota in the Battle of the Lakes Tournament. If you haven't had the opportunity to watch them play yet, I highly recommend doing so. They are so fun to watch, move the ball extremely well, and have so much talent across the board. Every game was a 20-point blowout.
16U:
I watched one D1 Minnesota 16U game that included Gopher targets Ben Carlson (East Ridge) and Dawson Garcia (Prior Lake). I was extremely impressed with Garcia's all-around offensive game. He's extremely smooth for a 6-10 post, with multiple scores at the three-point line as well as a few back to the basket post moves mixed in to finish with 18. He will be a nightmare offensively as he continues to develop and gain strength.
Carlson started off a bit slow, but returned to full form in the second half finishing with 19 points. A lot of his scores came off drop offs and basket cuts near the rim as well as a three-pointer that showed off his range. He finished with 8 boards as well in the championship game win. He looks to have some solid muscle on him already in his career.
17U:
The main event here was the 17U team and boy, they are good. The first two games Matthew Hurt wasn't called upon to do much as they were huge blowouts, but the last two games I watched he was unstoppable finishing with 25 and 26 points, respectively. Team Rose & KC Spurs had no answer for him inside as he finished whatever he wanted. Hurt has an unbelievable ability to go up strong with the ball, but put great touch on the ball to finish softly through contact. He hit multiple three-pointers in every game I watched. Lived up to his Top 10 hype.
Next, I walked away very impressed with recent Gopher offer Tyler Wahl from Lakeville North. If there was any doubt regarding his athleticism or ability, there shouldn't be anymore. I saw him dunk on at least five guys throughout the weekend and finish with a dunk on almost every drive of his. A lot of time, I wouldn't expect him to dunk and he would rise up almost out of no where. When Tyrell Terry is on the bench, he plays as the team's primary PG which showcased his ability to handle the ball well. I hope the Gophers are in a good spot with him.
Tyrell Terry runs the show for D1 Minnesota. He plays with such a fast, electric pace that once they get out in transition, they are nearly impossible to stop. Terry has great quickness and had multiple tough finishes at the rim including a one-handed throw down in transition that made the whole gym gasp. He's skinny, but he is quick and defensively he plays the passing lanes extremely well. I believe he had 2-3 steals every game. Tyrell often showed flashy no-look passes but also a fair amount of the time this led to careless passes/turnovers. That will need to be cleaned up as he moves forward.
Hopkins forward Zeke Nnaji has the most high major offers out of the group (besides Hurt) and it is easy to see why. He stands nearly 6-9/6-10 with bounce and doctors say he can get up to 7-0. Multiple alley-oops were thrown his way that made the gym gasp. I think there is some development left to be done as far as ball-handling (to me he seems like more of a SF) but obviously he is oozing with potential.
The last guy worth mentioning from this group with Jamison Battle out of DeLaSalle High School. Not widely as known as the others, he played a pivotal part in D1's success this weekend. The lefty wing stands around 6-6 and was the best shooter on the court in every game that I watched. His made probably about 50% of his three-point attempts, most of them from the corner and showed some athleticism on a few transition dunks. He may not be the quickest/most talented, but any team can use a shooter like that. He currently holds offers from Air Force, UW-Milwaukee, Canisius, and Montana.
16U:
I watched one D1 Minnesota 16U game that included Gopher targets Ben Carlson (East Ridge) and Dawson Garcia (Prior Lake). I was extremely impressed with Garcia's all-around offensive game. He's extremely smooth for a 6-10 post, with multiple scores at the three-point line as well as a few back to the basket post moves mixed in to finish with 18. He will be a nightmare offensively as he continues to develop and gain strength.
Carlson started off a bit slow, but returned to full form in the second half finishing with 19 points. A lot of his scores came off drop offs and basket cuts near the rim as well as a three-pointer that showed off his range. He finished with 8 boards as well in the championship game win. He looks to have some solid muscle on him already in his career.
17U:
The main event here was the 17U team and boy, they are good. The first two games Matthew Hurt wasn't called upon to do much as they were huge blowouts, but the last two games I watched he was unstoppable finishing with 25 and 26 points, respectively. Team Rose & KC Spurs had no answer for him inside as he finished whatever he wanted. Hurt has an unbelievable ability to go up strong with the ball, but put great touch on the ball to finish softly through contact. He hit multiple three-pointers in every game I watched. Lived up to his Top 10 hype.
Next, I walked away very impressed with recent Gopher offer Tyler Wahl from Lakeville North. If there was any doubt regarding his athleticism or ability, there shouldn't be anymore. I saw him dunk on at least five guys throughout the weekend and finish with a dunk on almost every drive of his. A lot of time, I wouldn't expect him to dunk and he would rise up almost out of no where. When Tyrell Terry is on the bench, he plays as the team's primary PG which showcased his ability to handle the ball well. I hope the Gophers are in a good spot with him.
Tyrell Terry runs the show for D1 Minnesota. He plays with such a fast, electric pace that once they get out in transition, they are nearly impossible to stop. Terry has great quickness and had multiple tough finishes at the rim including a one-handed throw down in transition that made the whole gym gasp. He's skinny, but he is quick and defensively he plays the passing lanes extremely well. I believe he had 2-3 steals every game. Tyrell often showed flashy no-look passes but also a fair amount of the time this led to careless passes/turnovers. That will need to be cleaned up as he moves forward.
Hopkins forward Zeke Nnaji has the most high major offers out of the group (besides Hurt) and it is easy to see why. He stands nearly 6-9/6-10 with bounce and doctors say he can get up to 7-0. Multiple alley-oops were thrown his way that made the gym gasp. I think there is some development left to be done as far as ball-handling (to me he seems like more of a SF) but obviously he is oozing with potential.
The last guy worth mentioning from this group with Jamison Battle out of DeLaSalle High School. Not widely as known as the others, he played a pivotal part in D1's success this weekend. The lefty wing stands around 6-6 and was the best shooter on the court in every game that I watched. His made probably about 50% of his three-point attempts, most of them from the corner and showed some athleticism on a few transition dunks. He may not be the quickest/most talented, but any team can use a shooter like that. He currently holds offers from Air Force, UW-Milwaukee, Canisius, and Montana.
