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Basketball fans were in for a treat on Thursday night when the nation’s No.1 junior Emoni Bates faced the nation’s No.1 senior Chet Holmgren.
Bates is billed as the high school’s best prospect since LeBron James, but it was the skinny 7-foot-1 Holmgren who was the star of the game. Holmgren’s Minnesota team, Team Sizzle, defeated Bates’ Ypsi Prep, 78-71, and both players finished with a double-double. Bates had 36 points (11v22 on the court) and 10 rebounds while Holmgren dominated both ends of the court with impressive blocks, long threes and powerful dunks in the lane, finishing with 31 points (13v18 ) field), 12 rebounds and six blocks.
Who is Chet Holmgren?
Holmgren burst onto the scene his second season when he cross Steph Curry and dived at the SC Select Camp in Curry. “Steph is one of the coolest guys in the NBA and afterwards he laughed and said, ‘good move’ while shaking his head,” Holmgren told Yahoo Sports.
Fast forward to his final year and he’s one of the most dominant players in high school basketball. Holmgren has a lightweight frame and is built the same way as Kevin Durant. He has been told he is too skinny but ignores all the social media noise.
“Most of the people who tell me this are people on Twitter and have never seen me play basketball in person or understand basketball to begin with,” Holmgren said. “At the end of the day, I’m not too worried about what they say. I’m just going to get used to it and keep working on my game. ”
He moves extremely well for his size. He can defend the lane with his sniping blocking ability and sits with smaller players on the wing. Holmgren has been nicknamed “Baby Porzingis” after Dallas Mavericks center Kristaps Porzingis, showing glimpses of being another unique unicorn on the pitch.
Holmgren is America’s top high school shot blocker, showcasing his blocking ability at the Pangos All-American Festival in Phoenix, where he averaged 21.5 points, 15 rebounds and 11 blocks in his two games. Holmgren also faced tough competition last weekend where he faced off with senior top five Jabari Smith Jr.
“It was nice to be back on the pitch competing with guys from different regions,” said Holmgren. “We haven’t had an AAU season so it’s nice to be back in the gym and facing guys like Jabari [Smith Jr.] and Paolo [Banchero]. “
Where could Chet Holmgren end up in college?
The Minnesota native plays high school basketball at the Minnehaha Academy outside of Minneapolis and has seven potential colleges: Gonzaga, Minnesota, Ohio State, Michigan, North Carolina, Memphis and Georgetown. Holmgren told Yahoo Sports he plans to make his college announcement mid-season in January or February.
His former high school teammate Jalen Suggs is playing Gonzaga this season and is a scheduled lottery pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. The Zags, Minnesota, Ohio State and Michigan are the preferred schools. “It’s all about form. You don’t want to go somewhere where they have to change the whole offense to accommodate you or change the defense, ”Holmgren told Yahoo Sports. “So I’m just looking at where I stand with the coaching staff, the team players and my peers at school.
The G League course is always a possibility for the top prospects, but Holmgren is determined to go to college. “Obviously G League crossed my mind and I thought about it, but for the most part I’m focused on going to college,” Holmgren said.
NBA scouts watching Thursday night might have tapped into Bates initially, but quickly realized it was Holmgren who was the best prospect on the pitch. We’ll have to wait two short years to see how his game translates into the NBA, but if this last game is any indication of the type of player Holmgren may be at the next level, he has the potential to be an All-Star. .
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