13U Standouts from Las Vegas

The Bigfoot Hoops Las Vegas Classic was at the forefront of national media attention last weekend. The 13U Platinum Elite bracket, hosted at the prestigious Democracy Prep at Agassi Campus, saw guest appearances from a few popular faces; Lebron James, Blake Griffin, and Migos frontman Quavo were among the names that made headline-news spectating the young talents. These are some of the players whose play demanded attention in Las Vegas:

Rodney Gallagher Blue Chips North Coast Guard

Gallagher is an athletic player whose footwork and quickness are unmatched in his age division. He is noticeably one of the quickest players on the floor and makes an impact especially when he chooses to go the rim. A player with a lot of basketball IQ, Gallagher is always looking for fast break opportunities and is an all-around elite scorer.

Bronny James Blue Chips North Coast Guard

James is quick and has great ball-handling skills. He has exceptional footwork and can spot up to hit shots before defends can get a hand up. James is a true floor general who has great vision and makes great passes. He does not seem to predicate his play style upon any positional standard other than to do everything he needs to do on the floor for his team to be successful. 

Ricky Hatch Oklahoma Chaos Guard

Hatch plays really fast and with a high motor. He is a player whose style of play is easy to appreciate. Hatch takes long, difficult 3-pointers and makes big plays for his team. He is intense on the defensive side of the ball and takes risks to get steals. Hatch is also a very good ball-handler and can create shots off the dribble.

Mike Price The Truth Guard

Price has great hands and locks up ball-handlers across all 84 feet. He is an especially scary player to bring the ball up the floor against. He is fast and moves well laterally. Price is always aware and alert to potential turnovers and his defensive IQ is next-level. 

Giovanni Goree The Truth Guard

Goree is a ridiculous shooter and pulls up off the dribble from deep. He is a good ball handler and has honed footwork, which allows him to create open shots with the dribble. Many of the shots he puts up and smashes are college range and beyond. Goree was easily the best shooter I watched last weekend.

Will Norman New York Rens Post 

Norman gets rebounds, passes, and rids himself of the ball when he does not have a shot down low. He plays defense and hustles back on the floor. He closes out on perimeter shooters when he needs to and is not selfless when it comes to helping on the defensive end. He is not selfish with his touches, wither. Norma is the focal point to New York Rens’ scoring attack, in credit mostly to his toughness and high motor.

Jayden Nicholson Team Griffin Wing

Nicholson is a talented offensive player who has catalog of scoring moves that he freely uses. Nicholson has surpassingly tight handles for his size and is a hard-to-stop force when he decided to get to the bucket. Nicholson is a threat from anywhere on the floor and allows his teammates to have more scoring opportunity when he’s on the floor.

David Oyana Team Griffin center

David Oyana is a player who bumped up his stock this weekend with his defensive play. He towers over opposing players and is starting to understand how to use his length to deny scorers without getting in foul trouble. Oyana had a block party in the Platinum Elite bracket and was a catalyst in Team Griffin’s advancement into the Semifinal game.