Czar's 2024 BATL Viewing List

One of the major local spring events on the grassroots circuit is this weekend's Battle At The Lakes (BATL).  There's also the importance of it being a top level tuneup for next week's lone spring open period.  As usual in these Prep Hoops events you'll see pool play designed to get competitive matchups.  Then most teams will get a 4th cross pool game on Sunday.  The exception is the top 2 17s pools which are all 4 games of showcase play.  The premier games are in the back gym at Wayzata.  My focus here is not to mention everybody.  Too many teams to do that.  Instead I'm going to focus on what I would watch in each session.

Friday

7:00 PM: Powerhouse vs Gain Elite (Ct 2), Northstar Titans Bertsch vs Select Koch (Ct 5), Crossfire vs South Dakota Identity (Ct 6)

8:05 PM: Real Phenom Nick vs JSizzle NY2LA (Ct 5), D1 MN 16s vs Sanford UA Rise 16s (Ct 7), D1 MN 15s vs Select Altenhofen 16s (Ct 8)

9:10 PM (for those not watching the TWolves): D1 Minnesota vs Sanford UA Rise (Ct 8)

In the early session Friday, 2 teams on other shoe circuits get matched up on home turf as Puma's Powerhouse crew takes on the Gain Elite guys from New Balance.  Good perimeter play in that one with Gain Elite's Josiah Coleman and JJ Semanko taking on Aijohn Douglas and Jakhi Richmond of Powerhouse.  Titans Bertsch vs Select Koch is a fun local matchup.  Session 2 features the Minnehaha guys of JSizzle taking on Real Phenom (also a Puma affiliated group).  Miles Newton off to a nice start for Real Phenom this spring.  Then in the late session, Sanford's top team from the UA circuit gets their shot at D1 Minnesota.  Sanford has Ben Brooks and Bryon Laue as part of a big front line and that can bother D1.  Tyler Wagner has shot the ball well for D1 this spring.  Chase Thompson continues to show he's one of the top Minnesota 2025 players.

Saturday
8:00 AM MN Rise vs MN Lightning Ellersbusch (Ct 4), D1 MN Gold vs Iowa United (Ct 7)
9:05 AM Select Altenhofen 16s vs Davis Brothers 16s (Ct 7)
10:10 AM MN Rise vs WI Blizzard Hawley (Ct 6)
11:15 AM Heat Academic vs Iowa Frost (Ct 6)
12:20 PM D1 MN Gold vs SW MN Stars (Ct 2)
1:25 PM Fury Antl 16s vs Sanford UA Rise 16s (Ct 7)
2:30 PM JSizzle NY2LA vs Q6 All-Stars (Ct 4)
3:35 PM Crossfire vs Powerhouse (Ct 2), Gain Elite vs SD Identity (Ct 3), Fury Wilde vs MN Lightning King (Ct 7), D1 MN 15s vs WI Playmakers UA Rise 16s (Ct 8)
4:40 PM NoCo vs Northstar Titans Bertsch (Ct 5), Select Koch vs WI Academy Thompson (Ct 6)
5:45 PM SW MN Stars vs Iowa United Gold (Ct 4), WI Crusaders vs Select Ohnstad (Ct 7), D1 MN vs WI Playmakers UA Rise (Ct 8)
6:50 PM Fury Antl 16s vs D1 MN 16s (Ct 7)
7:55 PM Select Ohnstad vs WI Playmakers UA Rise (Ct 7)
9:00 PM D1 MN 16s vs WI Playmakers UA Rise 16s (Ct 4) 

Another good mid-level local matchup starts day 2 with Rise taking on MN Lightning Ellerbusch.  Jack Gross and Ganden Gosch on the wings with Ricky Wengert running the show for Rise make a fun squad to watch.  D1's 2nd team gets a look at 7'1 soph Arafan Diane of Iowa United.  That Iowa United squad also picked up Isiah Ayala formerly of Minneapolis Edison and Real Phenom's top team.  JSizzle's top team beat this group in Milwaukee a month ago in a tight quarterfinal game.  Rest of the day is quiet up until the loaded mid-afternoon 3:35 session.  Fury Wilde gets to take on Lightning King in an interesting matchup.  Parker Wangen and Evan Weichert on the wings with Caleb Bancroft able to play against the Fury frontline makes for a good game.  Select Ohnstad starts their tourney late with the 5:45 game vs a good WI Crusaders team.  Guard Drew Daoust can really fill it up for them.  Looking forward to seeing how Select looks now vs a month ago in St. Cloud.  Remember they played D1 tough a couple weeks ago, won 1 Scheels week and were runners up last week.  SW MN Stars had a nice outing in St. Cloud winning their pool.  One of local 16U games of the season is at 6:50 with D1 taking on Fury Antl.  Cedric Tomes and Christian Wiggins featured on the loaded D1 squad.  Terrific point guard play in this one but I think D1's athleticism is too much.  Select will have their hands full in game 2 at 7:55 against the WI Playmakers UA Rise squad.  Forward Gavin Gores will be a tough matchup.  He has significant D1 interest.  No Cooper Jesperson for the Playmakers due to injury but guard Brooks Hinson is also one to watch.

Sunday
8:00 AM Pool C winner vs Pool D winner (Ct 2), Pool C 2nd vs Pool D 2nd (Ct 3)
10:10 AM Select Ohnstad vs Sanford UA Rise (Ct 7)
11:15 AM Powerhouse 16s vs MN Splash 16s (Maple Grove Ct 2)
1:25 PM MN Lightning King vs North Dakota Phenom (Ct 8)
2:30 PM Select Ohnstad vs ECI Prospects (Ct 8)

Day 3 means Select gets their shot at the Dakota teams.  ECI won the Comets Shootout and Sanford's front line will be a tough challenge for Omar Kaba.  North Dakota Phenom has most of the top guys in North Dakota.  Its a long athletic squad with skill led by Karson Ouse and Walker Braaten so they'll be a tough out.  Pool C vs Pool D in cross-over play.  That means we get SW MN Stars, D1 MN Gold and Iowa United against Sanford's White team, Q6, Real Phenom Nick and JSizzle NY2LA.  So whatever we end up with will be a good challenge for those teams.