Event Preview: Three Stripes Alliance
As we previewed yesterday, a large group of Colorado teams are in Dallas this weekend participating in the Great American Shootout. Another strong batch of teams are in St. Louis this week for the Three Stripes Alliance tournament — the…
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Continue ReadingAs we previewed yesterday, a large group of Colorado teams are in Dallas this weekend participating in the Great American Shootout.
Another strong batch of teams are in St. Louis this week for the Three Stripes Alliance tournament — the Colorado Hawks, Billups Elite and the Rocky Mountain Vipers.
You can track the tournament results HERE.
Let’s take a closer look at each team participating:
Colorado Hawks 17U
The Hawks are back on the road after taking part in Summer Havoc last week in South Carolina. Among the players who stood out for the Hawks was 2019 6-11 big Assane Diouf, who is starting to come on strong after battling through injuries for much of the grassroots season. The Hawks should also benefit from the return of 2017 6-2 guard Braxton Bertolette, who was at the Elite 100 camp in California last week, where he earned a spot in the Top 20 game.
Another positive development for the Hawks last week was the play of Brendan Boatwright, the 2017 forward from New Mexico who showed off explosiveness and a leaner frame after working hard on his development in June.
The Hawks begin pool play at 8:10 a.m. MDT on Friday against the Illinois Bears.
Billups Elite 17U
The Colorado-Nebraska combination that has been created by the Billups program this season has resulted in favorable results. They went 2-2 at the adidas Gauntlet Finale last week and had a winning record on the Gauntlet overall this season.
Jalen Sanders, the 6-5 small forward from Valor Christian, put up big numbers last week, averaging better than 10 points over four games. Would not be a surprise to hear him pick up a couple more offers before the summer is up.
The same goes for Elijah Blake (6-2, Rangeview) and Jaizec Lottie (6-0, Cherokee Trail), who both bring a lot to the table at the point guard spot.
Billups begins pool play at 12:50 p.m. MDT on Friday against Missouri Hustle Central.
Colorado Hawks 16U
After beating a pair of ranked teams in the Louisville Magic and Team Loaded N.C. at the Gauntlet Finale, the Hawks cracked the IndiHoops national 16U grassroots team rankings at No. 21.
The Hawks’ two losses came to a pair of other ranked teams — D.C. New World and D1 Minnesota — by one point each.
Two Hawks — 6-4 wing Daylen Kountz and 6-1 guard Deven Nelson — picked up offers from Air Force after the tournament, and a number of other Hawks picked up new recruiting interest.
If they continue sharing the ball the way they did in South Carolina, where they averaged four double-digit scorers per game, the Hawks have a good shot of taking the tournament crown.
The Hawks open up play on Friday at 8:10 a.m. MDT against the Illinois Iceman.
Billups Elite 16U
We chronicled the strong play last week of John Harge, the 6-7 forward who received an offer from Cal State Fullerton after the Gauntlet Finale (Billups went 1-3), while adding interest from a number of high-major programs.
Kaison Hammonds, the 6-3 ThunderRidge guards, picked up his first offer from the University of Denver back near the end of the spring. Might it be time for 6-2 guard Sam Bannec, out of Regis Jesuit, to join the club. The smooth-shooting and rangy guard with good athleticism has displayed the tools this grassroots season that could really help a program.
Billups was set to kick off its pool play on Thursday afternoon.
Also playing in the tournament is Billups Elite Red 16U, which trailed Indiana Elite Central 2017 in its first pool game.
Rocky Mountain Vipers 16U
This will be a good chance for the Vipers to test themselves against out-of-state competition after playing at the Rocky Mountain Nationals last week.
Jalen Talbott, a 5-11 rising junior at Eaglecrest, has been a solid floor general for the Vipers this season.
Billups Elite 15U
Another team we think that has a good chance at capturing the crown under the Arch, Billups is led by Ronnie DeGray, who last month picked up his first offer from the University of Denver. The 6-5 and growing guard also played well at the Crossroads Invitational in Indiana and has seen his stock rise in a big way over the past couple months.
And DeGray isn’t the only player on this 2019 with a D-I offer. Billups and Chaparral teammate Bryce Matthews (6-4 guard/small forward) has already earned a baseball offer from powerhouse Arkansas, so the athleticism is clearly there.
Add them to 6-3 guard Joseph Dalton, 6-5 small forward Joel Scott and 5-10 2020 point guard Kobe Sanders, with other talents like Caleb Tamminga and JoVon Nelson adding depth, and this team can really go.
Colorado Hawks 15U
When we last saw this club in the spring, it seemed like some of the pieces were starting to come together well. Particularly intriguing is 6-6 big Matt Wheelock, whose work to improve his footwork and burst was evident at the Top of the Rockies tournament.
And the team certainly has capable guard play between 6-3 Stephen Hayes, who will most certainly play a big role for Overland this season, 6-3 Kwane Marble and 6-0 Payton Egloff.
The player to really watch this weekend may be 6-4 wing Chase Hettinger. The Castle View product is coming off a strong performance at Elite 100, where he made the 2019 all-star game, and is among the biggest risers in his class right now.