2021 Comets Shootout Review

Great to have the Comets Shootout return after being called off due to COVID last year.  This was my 1st tourney seeing COVID protocols in place in person.  The back to back scheduling is different but there's something to be said for it.  Get in, get out and be done.  While we didn't have the full usual crowd of fans and college coaches, there was enough there to have a reasonable game time feel.  Regardless, great to be back in the gym.  With many metro teams only getting 1 practice in before the tourney due to the quick turnaround and early week curfews, we'll definitely see much different basketball from these teams later in the season.  But that's also the great equalizer of this tournament.  

Show Me (but not in Missouri):  Good runs by WOTN Bertsch and Crossfire Barger to the 16U Blue semifinals.  Liked what I saw from 16u ECI Prospects freshman Isaiah Schafer (more that on later), Isaac Nyakundi (Duluth East) of Starks Elite and JT Thornton (Lakeville North) of WOTN.  Jasper Hedin (Winona), Brandon Melchoir (Elk River), and Hakeem Ford (Mpls SW) caught my eye in the 17s.

Team that Most Surprised Me:  Real Phenom-Nick 17s lost their opener to Heat MacDonald but then ran the table with wins over Comets Belka, WI Swing Bredesen and Heat Grow to finish 3-1 and win the consolation side of the 17U Blue bracket.  Productive weekend for Davion Evans (Robbinsdale Cooper).

Best Finish of the Weekend: 17U Team GetShook vs WI Swing Bredesen.  In the Saturday opener, GetShook was down 3 with the ball with under 30 seconds to go.  Swing had 3 fouls to give and gave 1 of them.  But they couldn't give another.  Donald Ferguson (Osseo) hit a tough 3 to tie and then after Swing went too quick at the end we had a scramble with 5 seconds left.  GetShook picks up and throws it ahead for a Keyon Broussard (Roseville) layup to beat the buzzer and a 42-40 win.

Clap Along (if you feel like like happiness is the truth): One thing that really stuck out in 17s was the lack of size.  Lots of bigger wing types but in terms of real post guys, they're hard to find.  That was a key edge for Select Ohnstad having Pharrell Payne (Park of Cottage Grove) in the middle.  His impact was definitely felt this weekend and as a breakout guy during the regular season, the progression will be fun to watch.  Particularly since he's playing for Mitch Ohnstad who's known for his work with bigs.

Jump Off My Page: I saw only 1 15u game all weekend and that was the 15U blue championship.  North Dakota's top ranked 2024 Jeremiah Sem highlighted that game. H was the most explosive player I saw all weekend, regardless of age level.  Athletically he was at another level than anybody he played.  The game was a defensive struggle but Sem sealed it with a 3 point play and dunk in the last minute to give ECI Prospects the 39-32 championship over Team GetShook.  That ECI roster has 3 of the top 4 ranked freshman in North Dakota and the 4th plays up on their 16s (and played well).  Looking forward to see that group in the coming years with 2 good guards and 2 solid bigs. 

17U Blue Bracket Results
4-0 - Select Ohnstad (1st)
3-1 - Fury Wilde (2nd), Heat MacDonald (3rd), Comets Elite (5th), Real Phenom (9th) 
2-2 - WOTN Johnson (4th), Team GetShook (6th), MN Rise (7th), Heat Grow (10th), WI Swing Bredesen (11th), MN Lightning Ellerbusch (13th)
1-3 - Team 1848 (8th), ECI Prospects (12th), Fury Narum (14th), Comets Belka (15th)
0-4 Magic Premier (16th)

16U Blue Bracket Results
4-0 - Fury Antl (1st)
3-1 - Playmakers Showcase Wausau (2nd), WOTN Bertsch (3rd), WI Swing Bredesen (5th), Team 1848 (9th)
2-2 - Crossfire Barger (4th), Heat Pratt (6th), ECI Prospects (7th), Starks Elite (10th), Hall of Fame (11th), MN Lightning Ellerbusch (13th)
1-3 - MN Rise (8th), Fury Hayes (12th), Magic Premier (14th), Comets Elite (15th)
0-4 - Real Phenom (16th) 

15U Blue Bracket Results
4-0 - ECI Prospects (1st)
3-1 - Team GetShook (2nd), Fury Zurn (3rd), Playmakers Showcase (5th), Heat Bohrer (9th)
2-2 - Team 1848 (4th), MN Rise (6th), Crossfire Ronning (7th), Heat PB&J (10th), WI Swing Bredesen (11th), MN Rush (13th)
1-3 - MN Lightning Lyga (8th), MN Select Altenhofen (12th), WOTN Mitchell (14th), Magic Premier (15th)
0-4 - Comets Elite (16th)

16U White Bracket: MN Bounce 4-0 (1st) for the Maple Grove based group who got to play all 4 of their games at Whitney.  Great balance from that crew in the championship game with 9 of the 10 guys scoring at least 2 buckets and nobody in double figures.  Fun team to watch play.