Colorado Teams Shine During Live Period No. 2 — Part I
The second live evaluation period of the summer brought some strong buzz for teams and players from Colorado, from Anaheim to St. Louis. While Prep Hoops Colorado wasn’t on the road this weekend, we kept close tabs on the action…
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Continue ReadingThe second live evaluation period of the summer brought some strong buzz for teams and players from Colorado, from Anaheim to St. Louis.
While Prep Hoops Colorado wasn’t on the road this weekend, we kept close tabs on the action while consulting other Prep Hoops reporters in the field about the teams they were able to see.
Our recap of the period will include two parts. Below is part No. 1.
Boykins Academy 15U wins AAU nationals
Buoyed by a game-winning, buzzer-beating 3-pointer from T.J. Boykins in the semifinals and a monster game from the rising sophomore guard in the championship, Boykins took home the ninth grade division title at the West Coast National Championships.
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Davon Walker also came through in the clutch for Boykins, which counted wins among teams from Louisiana, Arizona and Washington during its 5-1 run through the tournament.
Coach Earl Boykins also lauded the effort of 6-1 2018 guard/forward Jaylen Randle out of Kansas, who was a major asset with his ability to defend multiple positions on the floor.
Two Hawks teams reach finals at Three Stripes Alliance
Both Colorado Hawks 16U and 17U teams were undefeated until their respective title games at the Three Stripes Alliance Tournament outside of St. Louis.
For the Hawks 16U squad, it was a narrow 72-70 loss in the championship game to the Arkansas Hawks — a game that came down to the final possession.
Will Becker, a 6-8 2018 forward, was a big standout for the Hawks, averaging nearly a triple double of 10 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks per game.
Earl Austin Jr., who runs our Prep Hoops Missouri website, told me he was also highly impressed with the play of 6-2 guard Sam Masten, particularly noting that he was shooting the ball well over the weekend. Masten poured in 29 points in the championship game.
The Hawks 17s went 5-1 before losing to Gateway in the title game. The Hawks reported 6-2 2017 guard Braxton Bertolette and 6-2 2016 guard Jervae Robinson as players who really stood out.
Another player in St. Louis who caught the attention of our Prep Hoops Indiana contributor was Matt Haarms, the 7-2 center for Billups Elite.
“He went against one of Indiana’s best true power forwards and held his own,” Gardner said. “Showed a solid elbow jumper, couple face-up blocks and good touch in the six-foot range. I asked Derrick Smits (Rik Smits’ son) about him, and he said people in the Netherlands are going crazy about him.”