Its time once again for the Daytona 500. Teams make their annual trip to St. Cloud to open the spring and summer season at the Comets Shootout. Here's a look at what I'll be focusing on in my 2 days at the Whitney Rec Center.
17U
As always the 17s get the night session. Its back to the old days of pool play rather than bracket play. Its 24 teams split into 8 pools of 3. Both pool games on Saturday with the 8 pool winners advancing to the championship bracket on Sunday. As always its a grind for the champion with that 3rd game in a short window on Sunday.
Pool A
The top Comets squad headlines this pool. Zeke Austin, Keller Hanson, Trey Borchers and Jake Schultz are a guard group that can really shoot it. Sam Hondl and Spencer Swenson are versatile forwards who can also play away from the rim. Heat Leo also starts their season in this pool. Select Meitz has the advantage of having a week of games under their belt.
Pool B
Preston Thielke (Champlin Park) of Crossfire Young is the player I'm watching in this pool. They're joined by SW MN Stars and Playmakers South. SW MN Stars vs Crossfire at 2:30 gets my viewing of 17s underway.
Pool C
Heat Presbi brings in east metro guards Marquivion Beasley (Woodbury) and Anthony Giyadu (Park) to go with Deng Lueth (Roch JM). Mareng Kang of Tennessee Prep is a wildcard. Team X Magic has Dhal Rehan as one to keep an eye on. Comets Schumann rounds out the pool. Heat Presbi vs Team X Magic at 5:45 is the pool game that should decide who moves on to the championship bracket.
Pool D
Fury Wilde headlines this pool They're a tight knit group where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Forwards Luke Wherley, Tray Lenzen, Nik Domier and Cole Wilcek all fit their euro ball screen system as mobile skilled forwards. Keaton Ressler, Devin Pass and Isaiah Mahal can all knock down shots. Buffalo Legacy is a sleeper here as its a group of Buffalo juniors who have played together. Fury Wilde vs Buffalo Legacy at 4:40 PM. TC Elite Bock is the last member of the pool.
Pool E
This is easily the deepest pool. Fury with a couple forwards in Hudson Greene and Wyatt McBeth who can step out and shoot it. That goes with a solid guard group of Alex Kopetzki, James Martin, James Fager and John Schmidt. Nate Chavez and Cooper Carlson lead the guards for Heat Academic to go with Colin Kirk and Finn Norman on the front line. Jake Dedominces and Isaac Tollefson lead the Select Koch guards. Emerson Droubie is a forward who can step away and shoot it for them. I like Fury here but should be 3 good games. Fury Shepherd and Heat Academic match up at 3:35 PM on Sat in the top game of that session. Fury Shepherd vs Select Koch should be the top game of the 6:50 PM session.
Pool F
Northstar Titans Bertsch highlights this pool after a buzzer beating loss in Ames last week to MN Lightning Ellerbusch. Ryan Beckwith (Farmington) is a top guard. Nathan Johnson (Hutchinson) is a player I want another look at. WC United Select also was in Ames last weekend. Once again their guard play will lead them. Cadyn Dahl (Ada Borup West) is one to watch for them. ECI Select rounds out the pool. This pool drew the short straw and gets their 3 pool games at the Sartell Community Center.
Pool G
Comets Allen features a couple of critical pieces from Cherry's state championship squad in wings Carson Brown and Noah Sundquist. ECI Prospects features guards Pearce Parks, Parker Brodina and Aric Winczweski. Ben Bye leads the West Central Wildcats.
Pool H
Select Ohnstad highlights this pool as a heavy favorite. This is a high powered group with the addition of shooters Brooks Johnson (Duluth Marshall) and Riley Johnson (Chanhassen). Max Lorenson (Eden Prairie) and Brogan Madson (Mankato East) return as handlers. All can fill it up in a hurry. They've also added Omar Kaba (Blake) as a mobile big man who I think is ready for a breakout summer and really fits this team well as a rebound and defend big who doesn't need touches. Nothing available about their opponents MN Kings Roseman and MN Chill
17U Predictions
Quarterfinals: Comets Lewis over Crossfire Young, Fury Wilde over Heat Presbi, Fury Shepherd over Northstar Titans Bertsch, Select Ohnstad over Comets Allen
Semis: Comets Lewis over Fury Wilde, Select Ohnstad over Fury Shepherd
Championship: Select Ohnstad over Comets Lewis
16U Bracket
On the 16U side, its a 32 team bracket with 2 early games Saturday and then up to 3 on Sunday to win it all.
Top Quarter: This group features the top Comets squad. They have Talan Witt from Alexandria, big man Isaac Asmus from Aitkin, stretch forward Maddox Lewis from Sartell and productive guard Kale Misegades from Henning. Crossfire Thompson, ND Attack Green, WC United, Starks Elite, MN Swish Radtke, WC Wildcats and SW MN Stars round out this group. PG Boston Cranston of ND Attack Green is one of the top 2026 PG in North Dakota. No reason to see top Comets not moving thru this group easily.
Second Quarter: Northstar Titans Squires is a group of Becker kids including their top 3 sophomores were double figure varsity guys this season. The bottom half of this quarter could see a Scheels league matchup between top ECI and top Heat in the 2nd round. Winner of their game gets a fun one in the quarters vs the Titans. WOTN Hannah, Fury Reyes, Select Brewer, Comets Aguilar round out the remainder of the quarter.
Third Quarter: This quarter is headlined by the top Select crew. Select Altenhofen is very well rounded with a guy in Brady Lam out of Wayzata who I need to see. Breuer Wolff gets overshadowed by his teammate Ryan Krueger at Faribault but he's very good in his own right. Hamze Yusuf can run the show with shooters Carson McMichael and Tanner Rose plus the athleticism of JP Musoke. The potential quarterfinal matchup is with MN Swish Dahl. Belle Plaine lefty wing Ethan Martin and Norwood-Young America forward Micah Fenney are 2 names I've seen on this roster. Martin is a guy many teams wanted and he had a terrific HS season. Looking forward to seeing him again. Lakes 16U, Fury DLR, ECI Select, WOTN Kranz, Comets Petermeier, Mid MN
Bottom Quarter: Fury Antl is the big prize here. The guard play is loaded with Isaac Olmstead, Will Kirsch, Bennett Skinner and Luke Gustafson. Casey Fliehe and Alex Schroepfer are skilled wings. Not much size or physicality but like last year, they can really execute and shoot it. MN Splash is on the opposite side of them. Cameron Cramble (Irondale) is a nice big man pickup for that squad that I look forward to seeing. Select Michaels also solid here. Northstar Titans Martinson, MN Chill, WI Playmakers South and Northern Elite also in this group.
16U Predictions
Semis: Comets Elite over Northstar Titans Squires. Fury Antl over Select Altenhofen
Championship: Fury Antl over Comets Elite