Adidas Championship Team Spotlight: Team Bayless
Team Bayless and Team M’Phasis were the only Arizona teams that participated in the 16U Adidas Summer Championships. Team Bayless has been up and down in their success in the clubs first season as Christian Polk as the head coach.…
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Continue ReadingTeam Bayless and Team M’Phasis were the only Arizona teams that participated in the 16U Adidas Summer Championships. Team Bayless has been up and down in their success in the clubs first season as Christian Polk as the head coach. Towards the end of the club ball season, they were able to see more success as the team went 4-1 at their last event and 3-2 at the Summer Championship. Despite dropping their first game in an undesirable fashion, the team was able to come together and compete at an extremely high level. In fact, they were able to compete well with a national power in Mass Rivals despite not having the team’s leading scorer, 6’2 2018 G/F Jaden Lee Mesquite.
Honorable Mentions:
Deven Breckner 5’9″ PG 2018 Deer Valley – The more and more I watch Team Bayless, the more clear it becomes that Breckner is the most fundamentally skilled player in the group. Despite the team’s struggles in the first game, his ability to handle pressure and shoot the basketball from deep were huge reasons for the team’s success. His biggest struggle seemed to be his ability to play on-ball defense. Although he has great energy and effort and puts himself in good positions, stronger guards are able to enforce their will. If he matures and spends time in the weight room, he has tremendous potential due to his skill.
Xavier Dussell 6’3″ PG/SG 2020 Mesquite – Although he is a top tier freshman who played up and had a lot of success, Dussell did demonstrate at times that he needs to make better decisions with shot selection and his passes. With that said, he has improved as a player greatly since his first game with the organization. He is a very talented athlete who is a capable shooter. He looks poised to be a huge issue for Arizona opponents for the next four years.
David Exline 6’4″ G/F 2018 Mesquite – Exline shot the basketball better than he has in the past. If this becomes the new norm for Exline, this could spell trouble for Arizona opponents. He is one of the best players in the state at enforcing his will off the dribble due to his physical skillset and hard noised mentality. His ability to keep the defense honest with a shot from deep will improve his stock greatly and make him an absolute force to be reckoned with.
Jaden Lee 6’2 G/F 2018 Mesquite – Despite missing the team’s last game, Lee had a good showing this weekend. He was able to get a couple of transition buckets in which he demonstrated his freakish athleticism. Moreover, he seems to be a more confident shooter as he is shooting more and more from that range and connecting at a higher percentage.
Lunden Taylor 6’1″ PG 2018 San Joaquin (California) – Taylor’s physical style as a point guard fits him well. He does a nice job of using his body to displace the defender and gain an advantage. Defensively, he has good lateral movement and is strong enough to cut the ball handler off. He has a lot of upside and was a great addition to this Arizona based team.