Had a blast taking in the Timberwolves Shootout on Saturday in the Target Center. All 4 games were won by MN teams, and 3 of the 4 games weren't even close. Was very fun seeing lots of stars on the court competing from 3 other states (Iowa, WI, and TN). Sorry this is so long...
First up was Champlin Park MN vs Lincoln High School (Council Bluffs). This game was out of hand very quickly, so a lot of the game it looked like Theo John was bored. The guard play of McKinley Wright and his CP teammates was way too much for Lincoln. Theo had a nice game, but on the defensive end I didn't really see him trying too hard against Tony Bonner. Bonner probably had a fair amount of points, but a lot of the time TJ would just put his hands up flat-footed to avoid fouls that would slow the game down. I'm sorry to bring up Bohannon because I know many Hawkeye fans want to give him the benefit of the doubt just because he's committed to Iowa and he's a home-grown player, but McKinley Wright is the type of player that reminds me of why I'm not excited about JB. McKinley has offers from Illinois, KSU, ISU, Dayton, and others so his offer list backs up my point: he's a much, much better player than JB (although a year younger) and is almost the exact same size as him. He's lightning quick on both ends of the court, can find many ways to score, and he looks like he could be a good PG at the D1 level.
The next game was Rochester John Marshall (MN) vs a team from Milwaukee/Riverside. This was my first chance to see the talented Hurt brothers from Marshall play, and I was impressed. Older brother Michael (Gopher commit) scored somewhere in the 20s and reminded me a lot of Connor McCaffery. But freshman brother Matthew is the one people are most excited about. He's the #1 prospect in the state of MN for the class of 2019. I was very, very excited after watching him play to learn that he has received an offer from Iowa (ISU also has offered). Funny thing is, before I even knew who he was I said to my buddy when he walked onto the floor before his teammates "wow, that kid passes the eye test." And then as I watched him play, he looks like he is ready to play at the D1 college level NOW with some parts of his game. At 6'8", even though he's listed as a PF in HS, I would expect him to become a wing player in college. Give this kid a few years to gain muscle and develop his game, and he could be special. Marshall ran away with this one, even though the Milwaukee team had some good athletes - they were a very undisciplined team, though: their offense looked like they watch too many NBA games (stand around and wait for someone to go one-on-one). Here are a few YouTube videos from Matthew's 8th grade varsity season that I just found:
Next up was Iowa City West vs Maple Grove (MN). This was a pretty competitive game, and it would have been more so if Lohaus had played (he was wearing a boot). I have never seen ICW play before, but I'm going to guess that Connor McCaffery usually isn't stuck guarding someone like Reed Nikko, which Connor was forced to do most of the game without Lohaus. Reed really was unstoppable when Maple Grove passed him the ball inside, especially in the 2nd half when Connor was visibly winded at times. I think trying to guard Reed also affected Connor's offense although he still had a good game (20 points). Reed had 18 (9-11 from the field, with a few dunks) but he could have scored 30 if he received a few more passes over the top. Reed's just too long, and can jump too high, for a kid like Connor to try to front without a double-team. I thought it was a pretty interesting coaching choice to have Connor guarding him instead of Parks, since as I mentioned Nikko was very taxing for McCaffery. Also, Reed had 7 blocks - most of them against Wali Parks, who was getting some good-natured heckling from some of the MG parents under the hoop about all the blocks. Connor was guarded very closely (especially in the first half) by a talented MG wing player, 6'4" Tywhon Pickford (who is also a junior) who had 25 in the game. The MG game plan was obviously to try to limit Connor's touches, and I think it made a big difference for them. Connor showed some very good handles, quick feet breaking down the defender to score, a sweet jump shot, and his body looks Big Ten ready - I'm glad he will be a Hawk! I would have liked to see him run the point some, but that doesn't look like it's his role as ICW has some really good guards like Lane. I barely knew when Patrick McCaffery was on the floor, so about the only time I saw him was during warmups. Looks like he has a weird looking jumpshot, and he doesn't seem like his coordination has caught up with his growth quite yet. MG won by about 13 and were in control most of the 2nd half, but it was a 1 point game at halftime and was nip and tuck in the first half.
The final game was Apple Valley (MN) against a prep school from Tennessee (Lausanne Collegiate Prep HS). I don't know if the TN team had jet lag or what, but they were never in this game and AV won by 33, even though AV struggled with their shooting. Gary Trent Jr missed plenty of shots, especially in the first half, and still scored 27 (5 below his average). I was sitting courtside right by Gary Trent Sr (asst coach of the TWolves) and it was interesting to hear the types of things Sr barked at the AV players (mostly his son). Sr was a great player himself, so it was fun to hear his game observations and what advice he gave Jr and his teammates. Tre Jones looked terrific as usual in all aspects of the game, with his brother Tyus sitting courtside before his own TWolves game was set to begin a few hours later. Only bright spot for the TN team was their superstar inside player, junior Isaiah Stokes, who will probably be an NFL draft pick in a few years. It's obviously extremely rare to see a high school kid that is 6'9" 285 pounds with the kind of foot speed as Isaiah. I was astounded how little he got the ball, because he made something happen everytime he got it against AV's 7 footer. He scored 17, but I think he could have had much more if his teammates would have found him during their offensive set more often.
Here are a few great pictures from the event, taken by a TWolves photographer: http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/gallery/photo-gallery-2016-timberwolves-shootout
First up was Champlin Park MN vs Lincoln High School (Council Bluffs). This game was out of hand very quickly, so a lot of the game it looked like Theo John was bored. The guard play of McKinley Wright and his CP teammates was way too much for Lincoln. Theo had a nice game, but on the defensive end I didn't really see him trying too hard against Tony Bonner. Bonner probably had a fair amount of points, but a lot of the time TJ would just put his hands up flat-footed to avoid fouls that would slow the game down. I'm sorry to bring up Bohannon because I know many Hawkeye fans want to give him the benefit of the doubt just because he's committed to Iowa and he's a home-grown player, but McKinley Wright is the type of player that reminds me of why I'm not excited about JB. McKinley has offers from Illinois, KSU, ISU, Dayton, and others so his offer list backs up my point: he's a much, much better player than JB (although a year younger) and is almost the exact same size as him. He's lightning quick on both ends of the court, can find many ways to score, and he looks like he could be a good PG at the D1 level.
The next game was Rochester John Marshall (MN) vs a team from Milwaukee/Riverside. This was my first chance to see the talented Hurt brothers from Marshall play, and I was impressed. Older brother Michael (Gopher commit) scored somewhere in the 20s and reminded me a lot of Connor McCaffery. But freshman brother Matthew is the one people are most excited about. He's the #1 prospect in the state of MN for the class of 2019. I was very, very excited after watching him play to learn that he has received an offer from Iowa (ISU also has offered). Funny thing is, before I even knew who he was I said to my buddy when he walked onto the floor before his teammates "wow, that kid passes the eye test." And then as I watched him play, he looks like he is ready to play at the D1 college level NOW with some parts of his game. At 6'8", even though he's listed as a PF in HS, I would expect him to become a wing player in college. Give this kid a few years to gain muscle and develop his game, and he could be special. Marshall ran away with this one, even though the Milwaukee team had some good athletes - they were a very undisciplined team, though: their offense looked like they watch too many NBA games (stand around and wait for someone to go one-on-one). Here are a few YouTube videos from Matthew's 8th grade varsity season that I just found:
Next up was Iowa City West vs Maple Grove (MN). This was a pretty competitive game, and it would have been more so if Lohaus had played (he was wearing a boot). I have never seen ICW play before, but I'm going to guess that Connor McCaffery usually isn't stuck guarding someone like Reed Nikko, which Connor was forced to do most of the game without Lohaus. Reed really was unstoppable when Maple Grove passed him the ball inside, especially in the 2nd half when Connor was visibly winded at times. I think trying to guard Reed also affected Connor's offense although he still had a good game (20 points). Reed had 18 (9-11 from the field, with a few dunks) but he could have scored 30 if he received a few more passes over the top. Reed's just too long, and can jump too high, for a kid like Connor to try to front without a double-team. I thought it was a pretty interesting coaching choice to have Connor guarding him instead of Parks, since as I mentioned Nikko was very taxing for McCaffery. Also, Reed had 7 blocks - most of them against Wali Parks, who was getting some good-natured heckling from some of the MG parents under the hoop about all the blocks. Connor was guarded very closely (especially in the first half) by a talented MG wing player, 6'4" Tywhon Pickford (who is also a junior) who had 25 in the game. The MG game plan was obviously to try to limit Connor's touches, and I think it made a big difference for them. Connor showed some very good handles, quick feet breaking down the defender to score, a sweet jump shot, and his body looks Big Ten ready - I'm glad he will be a Hawk! I would have liked to see him run the point some, but that doesn't look like it's his role as ICW has some really good guards like Lane. I barely knew when Patrick McCaffery was on the floor, so about the only time I saw him was during warmups. Looks like he has a weird looking jumpshot, and he doesn't seem like his coordination has caught up with his growth quite yet. MG won by about 13 and were in control most of the 2nd half, but it was a 1 point game at halftime and was nip and tuck in the first half.
The final game was Apple Valley (MN) against a prep school from Tennessee (Lausanne Collegiate Prep HS). I don't know if the TN team had jet lag or what, but they were never in this game and AV won by 33, even though AV struggled with their shooting. Gary Trent Jr missed plenty of shots, especially in the first half, and still scored 27 (5 below his average). I was sitting courtside right by Gary Trent Sr (asst coach of the TWolves) and it was interesting to hear the types of things Sr barked at the AV players (mostly his son). Sr was a great player himself, so it was fun to hear his game observations and what advice he gave Jr and his teammates. Tre Jones looked terrific as usual in all aspects of the game, with his brother Tyus sitting courtside before his own TWolves game was set to begin a few hours later. Only bright spot for the TN team was their superstar inside player, junior Isaiah Stokes, who will probably be an NFL draft pick in a few years. It's obviously extremely rare to see a high school kid that is 6'9" 285 pounds with the kind of foot speed as Isaiah. I was astounded how little he got the ball, because he made something happen everytime he got it against AV's 7 footer. He scored 17, but I think he could have had much more if his teammates would have found him during their offensive set more often.
Here are a few great pictures from the event, taken by a TWolves photographer: http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/gallery/photo-gallery-2016-timberwolves-shootout
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