Sweden Get Recruited annual showcase has become one of the premier exposure events for potential college players in Northern Europe. In last year’s event, players like Purdue’s commit William Berg, South Dakota’s incoming freshman Felix Broström and highly-touted Wake Forest commit Bobi Klintman, were all in attendance and stood out from the pack.
In the latest edition of ‘P.I. Pulse,’ Pro Insight’s Ignacio Rissotto highlights five different players who stood out at this year's rendition of the Sweden Get Recruited Showcase, which took place in late May:
Max Andersson
6’2” Guard | Team: RIG Mark | Class of 2023
Standing at 6'2" with a 6'6" wingspan, Andersson doesn't have elite size but his combination of strength, quickness, speed and body control allow him to be a factor as a driver, as he’s able to create advantages with the ball in his hands due to his fluid and creative dribble and his ability to change speeds and directions. He does a good job of protecting the ball on the drive, withstanding contact and finishing against contact and size.
Andersson is also a threat from range. He showed interesting moments of self-creation at the event, especially from midrange, being able to create space with his footwork and handling ability before shooting off movement. While he didn’t have many situations in this showcase, he has shown the versatility in previous events to shoot in pick-and-roll situations, making defenders pay for going under on screens.
While these types of settings generally don't allow players to display their full capabilities as offensive initiators, Andersson showed an interesting ability to make reads and deliveries in pick-and-rolls and the ability to take advantage of his scoring gravity to attract multiple defenders, which he exploited with simple drive-and-kick passes. On the defensive end of the floor, he was especially pesky as a point-of-attack defender, pressuring opponents high and picking errant passes.
Andersson had already been one of the standouts for his club (RIG Mark) at the U19 GBA Invitational in the Czech Republic earlier this year, and he performed at a similar level here, showing an interesting combination of scoring instincts, playmaking ability and perimeter defense which could certainly help many D1 teams in the future.
Eddie Hedqvist
6’4” Guard | Team: Fryshuset Basket | Class of 2024
Hedqvist stood out immediately among his peers due to his optimal physical tools for a guard, standing at 6’4” with long arms and having a strong frame for his age. Hedqvist plays as a versatile combo guard who is able to make plays for others and also call his own number.
As a passer, he was able to make reactive plays on the move, but also mix in some advanced reads and deliveries in the half-court, showing an impressive ability to read off-ball defenders and hit teammates who were “two passes away.” As a scorer, he showed impressive footwork to self-create in the perimeter, using sidesteps, step-backs and an arsenal of moves to create space and convert shots off the dribble.
He has a solid first step and even though his second and third steps aren’t as powerful and don’t allow him to create a ton of separation, he’s able to use his size against smaller defenders to get to his spots. He does a good job of finishing off balance and protecting the ball against contact.
Hedqvist is one of the top 2005-born players in Sweden, already seeing minutes for Fryshuset at the Basketligan level (first tier of Swedish Basketball) as a 16-year-old. He was the top performer among the 2024 players attending the showcase and given his combination of size, passing and scoring ability, I expect him to become one of the most coveted players in Sweden during the next few years.
Herman Kihlman
6’7” Forward | Team: Hogsbo Basket (SWE) | Class of 2023
Kihlman stood out due to his combination of size and perimeter abilities. Standing at 6’7” with a 6’8” wingspan and a strong frame, Kihlman might not have the quickness or explosiveness to play at the wing full time, but he has enough size to hang with forwards and smaller bigs at the college level.
The most interesting aspect of his game is the potential to stretch the floor, showing compact and well-aligned mechanics (despite a somewhat exaggerated two-motion wind up) and some intriguing moments of shooting off the bounce. Kihlman definitely possesses a level of touch which allows him to solve situations late in the shot clock, draining shots against heavy defensive pressure and after simple dribble moves.
Kihlman is also able to make things happen with the ball in his hands. While the explosiveness is not there, he’s poised and patient on the move exploiting mismatches and getting to the rim against smaller opponents with his combination of physicality, fluid handles and ball control in traffic. When it comes to finishing at the rim, Kihlman has the same high level of touch that he shows in his jumpers.
Overall, Kihlman’s combination of size and floor-spacing potential alone is definitely valuable at the D1 level. When you add his ability to get to the rim and his flashes of passing vision, it’s easy to see Kihlman contributing offensively from day one at the D1 level.
Mikai Klintman
6’0” Guard | Team: RIG Mark | Class of 2023
Klintman was one of the better-known players coming into the tournament not just because of his family connections (he’s the cousin of both Bobi Klintman and Central Arkansas’ Ibbe Klintman) but also due to his previous performances in regional tournaments and recruiting events.
Klintman is an aggressive scorer who possesses effective offensive weapons in his first step and his ability to change directions with the ball in his hands, which allowed him to beat defenders and get to the rim with consistency. Klintman also showed flashes of versatile shooting, by getting to his spots in the mid-range and shooting off the bounce. While Klintman didn’t exactly run a lot of half-court offense due to the nature of the event, he did show the ability to recognize and find teammates on the move and an unselfish approach to the game.
Despite his lack of elite size, Klintman showed enough offensive skills and a level of defensive engagement on the perimeter for me to be enticed by his potential as a scoring guard who offers a level of playmaking out of gravity at the next level of competition.
Ademar Santos
6’6” Wing | Team: Central Basket | Class of 2023
Santos was one of the most interesting prospects in attendance from an athletic standpoint. Standing at 6’6” and possessing good length, speed, body control, and leaping ability, Santos seems to have the requisite tools to thrive as a college wing. Beyond the tools, however, Santos also shows an interesting skillset as a potential three-and-D player.
Santos was able to put pressure on defenders consistently, finding straight lines to the rim and attacking them with solid speed. His combination of length and hang time helped him convert tough baskets at the rim, being able to finish at awkward angles. When he’s off the ball, Santos is also able to make an impact by spacing the floor. He shows a repeatable and quick shooting stroke off the catch and some flashes of shooting off the dribble as well, with mid-range fadeaways and off-rhythm jumpers over opponents beyond the three-point line.
The defensive technique is a work in progress but the energy is there, as shown by a couple of highlight-worthy chase-down blocks he had in the competition. Overall, considering his combination of tools, driving ability and shooting potential, it’s easy to envision Santos making an impact as a D1 wing pretty early into his college career.
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