City of Roses Live: Top Eye-Openers

<p>Among the standouts at the City of Roses Live tournament this past weekend were a number of guys who may not have been as highly regarded going in but yet made an impact on the games they participated in. Here's our look at the players that caught our eye for a number of different reasons.</p> <p><strong>Emanuel Steward, Team P.U.S.H. (2020 Grant)</strong> - Steward had a bit of an up and down junior season at Grant and received inconsistent playing time. With P.U.S.H. this past weekend, he got extended minutes and was very productive. Steward hit long range threes as we have gotten used to seeing him do, but also put the ball on the floor a little to hit some mid-range pull-ups. One area where he surprised was on the defensive glass where he may have been the team's second-leading rebounder after Nate Rawlins-Kibonge.</p> <p><strong>Elijah Munyan, Team P.U.S.H. (2021 Columbia Christian)</strong> - Munyan's physical skills are evident. He's blessed with a mature body and because he jumps out of the gym he was able to finish plays around the rim and deliver some highlight shot blocks. He also has a nice perimeter jumper with range. The key for Munyan is how he develops with his decision making as there were times he tried to create when it wasn't there and also struggled with some turnovers, but the tools are definitely there.</p> <p><strong>Justin Hamilton, Team P.U.S.H. (2021 Crescent Valley)</strong> - At 6-foot-5, Hamilton adds size to the P.U.S.H. roster and while he's not the most mobile or athletic guy out there, his willingness to battle and play hard helps make up for those deficiencies. He ran the floor fairly well and played solid position defense in the lane. Hamilton struggled a bit finishing at the basket but he has a nice touch and when he gets that going, he'll be more of a force on the offensive end. Certainly a guy whose development is worth keeping an eye on.</p> <p><strong>Jayden Vranes, Team P.U.S.H. (2020 Crater) </strong>- Vranes is much more than the guy at Crater who gets Nate Bittle the basketball.  He's also very slight in frame, but don't let the boyish looks fool you - Vranes can definitely play.  The 5-foot-10 lefty point guard is very crafty with the basketball and somehow finds a way to penetrate and get into the lane to make plays.  Despite the usual size difference he was capable of converting layups around and over bigger players and he finished well in transition.  Vranes showed a nice touch from the outside and also really got after it on defense - in fact his motor may be his best attribute.</p> <p><strong>Isaac Jessup, Colorado Titans (2020 Resurrection Christian)</strong> - Every team needs that proverbial glue guy and Jessup was certainly that for the Titans as they moved on to the Showcase division title game. At 6-foot-3, he's a little undersized but isn't afraid to throw his body around on the block yet has the ability to step out and knock down the open three. Jessup was all over the place on defense either down low or on the perimeter and if there was a 50/50 ball, you bet he would win it.</p> <p><strong>Jordan and Brandon McCray, Team Bradley (2021 Lakes)</strong> - To be honest, we had a tough time discerning exactly which twin was which but the truth of the matter was, both of them made plays that caught our eye. Both are long, lanky, and athletic at 6-foot-4, and both are very aggressive offensively taking the ball to the basket. There's no doubt as both continue to grow physically and develop their skills, they will be extremely tough to handle both on the circuit and in high school.</p> <p><strong>Cam Feik, Deep III (2019 Wilsonville)</strong> - Feik didn't play this past season at Wilsonville, but kept in shape physically and went to just about every open gym that he could. And on Deep III, a team filled with guys that can shoot and score, Feik played the role of facilitator. On several occasions he made some pure point guard plays, driving and finding open teammates either near the basket or out on the perimeter. And as we have seen from him in the past, he showed a good motor and the willingness to scrap on the defensive end.</p> <p><strong>Matt Eidler, Maeko (2020 Trinity Lutheran)</strong> - Most of Maeko's roster hails from the Portland Metro area and from large schools, but Eidler is from Bend and Trinity Lutheran plays at the 1A level. No matter, if you saw Eidler play you wouldn't have guessed either of these things. The 6-foot-5 wing/forward played confidently whether it was using his lefty stroke from three-point range or battling for buckets down low. We caught up with Eidler at the tournament and will have an updated posted soon.</p>