Prospect Report: Lincoln Northeast and Omaha Marian
Two teams that are in the middle of the Class A wildcard race met up Thursday night at Omaha Marian, where the red-hot Rockets of Lincoln Northeast, winners of six in a row, visited the peaking Crusaders. Marian controlled most…
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Continue ReadingTwo teams that are in the middle of the Class A wildcard race met up Thursday night at Omaha Marian, where the red-hot Rockets of Lincoln Northeast, winners of six in a row, visited the peaking Crusaders. Marian controlled most of the night, hitting multiple three point shots early in the game and, aided by foul trouble for all-stater McKenna Minter, the Crusaders led by five at halftime. The Crusaders extended the lead in the third quarter, but that’s when Minter got going. Scoring seventeen in the second half, including eleven in the fourth quarter, Northeast dominated the fourth quarter and ended up winning 54-50.
I saw Omaha Marian play earlier this season, so here are some updates on their players.
Aryannah Harrison (5’7″ Junior, Omaha Marian): Harrison came into the Metro tournament averaging almost 11 points a game, and she played a very nice game today. A strong upper body helps Harrison get to the hoop well, especially going to her right. She can be a three level scorer, but is much more comfortable in the lane than from the three point line. Harrison has a very good handle, but needs to see the floor better and hit open teammates, but she has a very nice upside and a passion for playing.
Update: Harrison did a nice job of attacking Northeast’s 3-2 zone, and she was much more willing to shoot the ball from the perimeter. She hit at least one three pointer, but her strength remains attacking the hoop. Harrison did hit open players well last night, but she did get a little frustrated when Northeast made their comeback. She is a very nice player who needs a good summer to give her the necessary exposure.
CeCe Hacker (5’5″ Junior, Omaha Marian): Hacker is one of the leading scorers in the Metro, averaging 16 points a night, and she showed why in this game. She is an outstanding shooter with a very smooth stroke, but I was really impressed with her ball handling and her ability to create off the bounce. She is not just a catch and shoot player, but can create shots for both herself and her teammates. Foul trouble in this game (four fouls in the first half) really hurt her effectiveness in this game, but if Hacker puts on 10-15 pounds of muscle, she has a great upside for the next level.
Update: Like Minter, Hacker got into some foul trouble and had to sit out stretches for the Crusaders, especially in the second quarter when Minter was also out with foul trouble. My initial evaluation of Hacker remains; very nice skill set, very good shooter, willing passer, but needs to get stronger and to stay a bit more disciplined with her defense as she plays against high level guards.
Kate Asselin (5’7″ Junior, Omaha Marian): Asselin played a very nice game last night, hitting multiple three’s and guarding Minter as well as one can as the Crusaders threw a box and one on her at various times last night. She is a smart player with good upper body strength, and she is willing to do the dirty work to free up Hacker, Harrison and Parker Stafford, an Eastern Illinois commit, for the scoring. If Asselin can continue to grow, she will give Marian a very nice three guard lineup next season.
McKenna Minter (5’8″ Senior, Lincoln Northeast): Minter is far and away one of the best point guards in the state, and her athleticism and explosiveness are second to none. The Seton Hall commit did not disappoint Thursday night other than foul trouble; three early fouls, two of which were offensive, had Minter out for all but two minutes of the second quarter. Minter attacks the lane and has a pull up jump shot from 10-15′ that is second to none; think Russell Westbrook on the pull up game. Minter has never been a great perimeter shooter beyond the arc but she did hit a cluth three in the fourth quarter to spur the Rockets on to their seventh consecutive win.
A’iyana Jones (5’5″ Junior, Lincoln Northeast): Jones is an aggressive defender who does a terrific job of attacking the ball on the perimeter. You can also tell that she is working on her off the bounce shooting, but at this time, her strength lies in shooting the ball beyond the arc. Jones hit two really big three point shots in the second quarter to keep the Rockets in the game while Minter was on the bench, which allowed the gaps to open up for Minter in the second half. Jones needs to work offensively on attacking the basket to have a chance to play at the next level.
Nyathak Gatluak (5’9″ Sophomore, Lincoln Northeast): Like Jones, Gatluak made some big plays while Minter was out with foul trouble, battling inside for eight points and 11 rebounds by the end of the night. Gatluak finished a few lay-ups off of passes from Minter against alot of contact in the paint, but she needs to work on both her strength and skill this summer to help fill in the graduation loss of Minter for next season.