Team LaVine 16u Preview

One of the fastest growing programs in Washington has been Team LaVine, sponsored and named after NBA star, Zach LaVine. This year's 16u group has multiple top 2021 and 2022 prospects on their roster and figures to be one of the best 16u teams in the northwest and possibly beyond. Program Background: Tony Willis, the director of Team Lavine, started training Zach when he was in Middle School. Zach told Tony that if he ever got a shoe contract team that he could run it. That came to fruition last year as Zach got the Adidas Gauntlet ticket. Tony is in charge of quality control of training/coaching for Elite Sports Academy, thus the connection between Elite Sports Academy (Based in Preston) and Team LaVine. 2018 was the first year in the Adidas Gauntlet. 6 players from that team received college offers. Freddy Brown III is playing at Univ of Montana. Elijah Pepper signed with UC Davis and will play for them in 2019-2020. Head Coach Chris O'Connor will lead LaVine's 16u group. He is a very successful coach that has been on various levels and really made his mark on the Washington high school basketball scene by leading Bellevue HS to 8 state tournament appearances in 12 seasons. He does an excellent job of allowing his players to feel loose and able to make plays, while still playing within a fundamental system. Roster: <div> 2022 6'0 PG Bennett O'Connor (Mt. Si HS) - 2nd Team 4A All-State Tournament, Team finished 2nd place in 4A State Championships Tough, smart, and very poised point guard. Extension of the coach out there. Has excellent speed and quickness and gets to the paint and makes good decisions. 2021 5'11 G Myles Philips (Bothell HS) - 2nd Team All-Kingco Super quick combo guard with ability to score in bunches. Has a nice pull up jumper. He can pick up full court and harass opposing guards on the defensive end. 2021 6'3 SF Chike Ezeonu (Seattle Prep HS) Very athletic guard that is an excellent defender and rebounder. Capable of hitting the three and has a nice pull up jump shot. Plays hard and competes. 2021 6'3 G Ja'Von Ervin (Lakes HS) Athletic strong physical guard that can play the wing too. Can defend multiple positions. Has a nice skill set to go along with his athleticism. Takes ball to basket hard. 2022 6'6 SF Quin Patterson (Mt. Si HS) An excellent catch and shoot shooter. He is also getting better at creating space and shooting off the dribble. Runs the floor well. His inside game is improving too. 2021 6'5 F Charlie Dietiker (Issaquah HS) All around solid player. Hustles and plays hard. Excellent nose for the ball and rebounds well. Gets to the rim well. He also has a motor and is a tough kid. 2022 6'7 PF Tyler Linhardt (King's HS) - 6-7' / 1st Team 1A All-State Tournament, 1st Team All-League, Place 3rd in 1A State Championships Skilled inside/out player with ability to score. Very effective at the high post. Has good hands and footwork. Can pick and roll well and pop as he is a very good shooter. 2022 6'7 F Kaeden McGlothin (Stanwood HS) Athletic long wing player with incredible bounce. He is getting better with his interior game and can stretch the defense with his ability to hit the open 3 ball. 2021 6'9 F Derek Kramer (Interlake HS) - First team All KingCo and Defensive Player of the Year Strong and physical interior player who is agile and mobile enough to be able to defend the perimeter too. Plays with hands up and has good timing on his blocks. Finishes strong. 2021 6'1 G Garrett Long (Wenatchee HS) Combo guard with high basketball IQ. Solid shooter off the catch and off the dribble shooter. Physical guard who can defend the perimeter well. </div> Coach's Outlook: "Excited to coach this team! Looking for all of them to improve individually and get them to focus on making their teammates look good. We will compete with all our energy every game and strive to play well enough to be considered one of the best 16U teams locally and nationally." Scout's Outlook: Although this group is newly put together and it will be most player's first year on the circuit, I fully expect this team to be competitive in the 16u Gauntlet. They have a very good mixture of guard play and size at the wing/forward positions. If this team hones in on the defensive side of the ball, then they will be tough to beat, as scoring should not be too much of an issue. The biggest measure of how good this team can be will be when they play the elite athletic teams. College coaches will have their eye on multiple sophomores and some very good freshman in this group. Schedule: April 12-14 Adidas Gauntlet Qualifier, Irvine, CA April 26-28 Adidas Gauntlet Qualifier, Dallas, TX May 17-19 NW Premier Shootout, Bellevue, WA July 11-14 West Coast Elite Summer Championships, Anaheim, CA July 18-21 Adidas Gauntlet Finale, Ladera Ranch, CA