Battle at the Lakes: Top Backcourt Prospects

Nate Wahl May 12, 2022 @ 02:15 PM

EDEN PRAIRIE– We take one last look from Prep Hoops Next’s Battle at the Lakes from Eden Prairie High School. This time around, we look into the backcourt to see who were some key guards that played with a chip on…

Access all of Prep Hoops Next

Subscribe for access to all premium articles and rankings.

EDEN PRAIRIE– We take one last look from Prep Hoops Next’s Battle at the Lakes from Eden Prairie High School. This time around, we look into the backcourt to see who were some key guards that played with a chip on their shoulder from our Friday and Sunday in the gym. Take a look at six of our favorite backcourt prospects at the middle school level that balled out and why!

Jack Hatfield | Hudson, WI | Border Select Basketball 2027

I loved the superb awareness Jack showed off all over the basketball court last Sunday at Eden Prairie. He not only was an efficient two-level scorer but his communication with his teammates was excellent for his age in my eyes. This young man places with a significant about of grit on the court that I love to watch live and in-person. Bright future for this young man coming out of the Hudson Raiders program as he has so many key skillsets of note!

Caleb Sykes | Duluth, MN | Starks Elite 2027

Caleb was likely my favorite passer from last Sunday at Eden Prairie. He showed very precise vision and was efficient from multiple angles short to long from a passing perspective of his game. He showed a thorough ability as a game manager controlling the smooth tempo Starks Elite brought in their victory over Minnesota Opportunity. A guard prospect from the North Shore to watch coming out of Duluth.

Henry Knudsen | Little Chute, WI | Wisconsin Crusaders 2028

Henry had a feisty gene in his game defensively from Friday night that certainty caught the early eyes of this PHN scout in the first game of my weekend at EP. He was very fluid on both ends of the court and showed a significant burst when attacking the hoop for his size. Henry also showed he can score on all three levels and had a sound outside shot when needed. The Crusaders didn’t end up in the winning column on Friday night, but Henry certainly showed a bright looking future from what I caught from his game as the MVP of the Wisconsin Crusaders at Eden Prairie.

Ty Houston | Chicago, IL | Chicago Grinders 2027

If there was one point guard prospect that showed no fear this weekend it was Ty Houston of the Chicago Grinders. As mainly a football scout, I looked at the footwork on this young man and was very impressed just how quickly he could get out of his stance and get into his offensive possession like a linebacker changing his point of direction with a quick trigger. I saw Ty many times on Sunday look solidly determined to take the ball the the hoop with success which was why he was one of our top performers from the Chicago Grinders this weekend.

Jase Johnson | Andover, MN | Minnesota Fury 2028

Talk about a young man that could consistently fire if from the outside, that was Andover’s Jase Johnson on Friday night at Eden Prairie. When I start to lose track of how many threes a shooting guard prospect has, that is always a pretty great sign they are having a fantastic day in the gym. His ability to catch & shoot quickly is what really turned on the jets for Minnesota Fury in a whooping victory over Inspired Athletics.

Gabe Duliah | West Fargo, ND | ECI Basketball | 2027

Gabe looked to be a crafty & mobile guard that had a lot of speed from his guard spot I watched on Sunday morning. He also impressed me on both ends of the court, as he was one of the fastest prospects to get back on defense from every possession I got to watch at Eden Prairie. He needs to develop in the coming years his balance with his ball-handling, as the speed of the he plays with is great but I noticed at times his tempo was almost too quick for his handles. What is most surprising about Gabe from a potential standpoint for his future? This is just his first year of playing organized basketball, which based on the skillsets he possessed, he will be exciting to watch grow in West Fargo in the coming years.

Rankings

    array(4) {
  [0]=>
  object(WP_Post)#611 (29) {
    ["ID"]=>
    int(31573)
    ["post_author"]=>
    int(121)
    ["post_date"]=>
    string(19) "2022-10-17 09:31:09"
    ["post_date_gmt"]=>
    string(19) "2022-10-17 14:31:09"
    ["post_content"]=>
    string(383) ""
    ["post_title"]=>
    string(24) "National 2028 Watch List"
    ["post_excerpt"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["post_status"]=>
    string(7) "publish"
    ["comment_status"]=>
    string(6) "closed"
    ["ping_status"]=>
    string(6) "closed"
    ["post_password"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["post_name"]=>
    string(13) "2028-rankings"
    ["to_ping"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["pinged"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["post_modified"]=>
    string(19) "2022-11-16 12:47:28"
    ["post_modified_gmt"]=>
    string(19) "2022-11-16 18:47:28"
    ["post_content_filtered"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["post_parent"]=>
    int(279)
    ["guid"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["menu_order"]=>
    int(3)
    ["post_type"]=>
    string(4) "page"
    ["post_mime_type"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["comment_count"]=>
    int(0)
    ["filter"]=>
    string(3) "raw"
    ["site_id"]=>
    int(6)
    ["permalink"]=>
    string(58) "https://prephoopsnext.com/national/rankings/2028-rankings/"
    ["terms"]=>
    array(0) {
    }
    ["meta"]=>
    array(0) {
    }
    ["elasticsearch"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  [1]=>
  object(WP_Post)#4360 (29) {
    ["ID"]=>
    int(282)
    ["post_author"]=>
    int(1)
    ["post_date"]=>
    string(19) "2020-10-01 18:14:19"
    ["post_date_gmt"]=>
    string(19) "2020-10-01 18:14:19"
    ["post_content"]=>
    string(285) ""
    ["post_title"]=>
    string(24) "National 2027 Watch List"
    ["post_excerpt"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["post_status"]=>
    string(7) "publish"
    ["comment_status"]=>
    string(6) "closed"
    ["ping_status"]=>
    string(6) "closed"
    ["post_password"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["post_name"]=>
    string(15) "2027-watch-list"
    ["to_ping"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["pinged"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["post_modified"]=>
    string(19) "2022-11-16 12:47:13"
    ["post_modified_gmt"]=>
    string(19) "2022-11-16 18:47:13"
    ["post_content_filtered"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["post_parent"]=>
    int(279)
    ["guid"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["menu_order"]=>
    int(2)
    ["post_type"]=>
    string(4) "page"
    ["post_mime_type"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["comment_count"]=>
    int(0)
    ["filter"]=>
    string(3) "raw"
    ["site_id"]=>
    int(6)
    ["permalink"]=>
    string(60) "https://prephoopsnext.com/national/rankings/2027-watch-list/"
    ["terms"]=>
    array(0) {
    }
    ["meta"]=>
    array(0) {
    }
    ["elasticsearch"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  [2]=>
  object(WP_Post)#4283 (29) {
    ["ID"]=>
    int(281)
    ["post_author"]=>
    int(1)
    ["post_date"]=>
    string(19) "2020-10-01 18:14:19"
    ["post_date_gmt"]=>
    string(19) "2020-10-01 18:14:19"
    ["post_content"]=>
    string(288) ""
    ["post_title"]=>
    string(24) "National 2026 Watch List"
    ["post_excerpt"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["post_status"]=>
    string(7) "publish"
    ["comment_status"]=>
    string(6) "closed"
    ["ping_status"]=>
    string(6) "closed"
    ["post_password"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["post_name"]=>
    string(15) "2026-watch-list"
    ["to_ping"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["pinged"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["post_modified"]=>
    string(19) "2022-07-20 22:25:26"
    ["post_modified_gmt"]=>
    string(19) "2022-07-21 03:25:26"
    ["post_content_filtered"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["post_parent"]=>
    int(279)
    ["guid"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["menu_order"]=>
    int(1)
    ["post_type"]=>
    string(4) "page"
    ["post_mime_type"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["comment_count"]=>
    int(0)
    ["filter"]=>
    string(3) "raw"
    ["site_id"]=>
    int(6)
    ["permalink"]=>
    string(60) "https://prephoopsnext.com/national/rankings/2026-watch-list/"
    ["terms"]=>
    array(0) {
    }
    ["meta"]=>
    array(0) {
    }
    ["elasticsearch"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  [3]=>
  object(WP_Post)#4284 (29) {
    ["ID"]=>
    int(280)
    ["post_author"]=>
    int(1)
    ["post_date"]=>
    string(19) "2020-10-01 18:14:19"
    ["post_date_gmt"]=>
    string(19) "2020-10-01 18:14:19"
    ["post_content"]=>
    string(338) ""
    ["post_title"]=>
    string(24) "National 2025 Watch List"
    ["post_excerpt"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["post_status"]=>
    string(7) "publish"
    ["comment_status"]=>
    string(6) "closed"
    ["ping_status"]=>
    string(6) "closed"
    ["post_password"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["post_name"]=>
    string(15) "2025-watch-list"
    ["to_ping"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["pinged"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["post_modified"]=>
    string(19) "2022-07-20 22:24:55"
    ["post_modified_gmt"]=>
    string(19) "2022-07-21 03:24:55"
    ["post_content_filtered"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["post_parent"]=>
    int(279)
    ["guid"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["menu_order"]=>
    int(0)
    ["post_type"]=>
    string(4) "page"
    ["post_mime_type"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["comment_count"]=>
    int(0)
    ["filter"]=>
    string(3) "raw"
    ["site_id"]=>
    int(6)
    ["permalink"]=>
    string(60) "https://prephoopsnext.com/national/rankings/2025-watch-list/"
    ["terms"]=>
    array(0) {
    }
    ["meta"]=>
    array(0) {
    }
    ["elasticsearch"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
}

143 Players Ranked

View Full Rankings

About Our Rankings

Prep Hoops Next prospect rankings have been compiled by our staff with input from high school and club coaches from across the country. Players are ranked formulaically based on their current production as well as their long-term potential as collegiate prospects. We aim to expand and update our prospects rankings several times per year to continue to maintain the most comprehensive, accurate prospect rankings in the country. Feel like we are missing someone? Let us know here and get on our radar by submitting your profile!