The Grind Show: Soph All-Star game

This weekend myself and Justin Vargas had our 1st annual "The Grind Show" at Phoenix College. The festivities included a 3pt contest, dunk contest, an invite only Soph All-Star game and the feature game with AZ Compass Prep vs the 2021 AIA all-stars. Xavier Dusell and Jabari Walker won the 3pt contest for AZ Compass Prep. AZ Compass Prep also won the team dunk contest. Isaiah Floyd received a perfect score pulling off a 360 dunk flawlessly on his 1st try. Frankie Collins and Maxwell Lewis were also on AZC winning team, For the AIA, Kiran "Ky" Oliver received a perfect score for jumping over 6'10 Carson Basham easily. Basham and Isaiah Broady were also on the AIA team.   Michael Dominguez did a great job of breaking down the featured game so this is the Soph breakdown.   Here were the Sophs who shined in the All-Star game: Jeremiah “Bear” Cherry PF 6'8 230 St. Mary's (16 points) -One of the top forwards in the class backed it up with 16 points. He is the younger brother of ASU forward Taeshon Cherry and is looking to try and live up to the hype. Like Taeshon, he can comfortably shoot it from the 3pt line and in plus finish on the break above the rim. He is a strong rebounder and can create for himself with a decent handle, strong hands, long arms and can muscle his way to the bucket with great size and girth. If he can lean out some moving forward, he will be a problem shortly. Nate Pickens CG 6'1 160 Paradise Honors (20 points 2 asts) -Pickens is a walking bucket. He has unlimited range and can pull-up at anytime. He uses a good handle to get the defender off of him and can hesitate to keep defenders off balanced. He can make others better when needed be but is usually looking to score. He can get into the lane with a good burst and score it or get fouled. He hit a game high four 3's. [caption id="attachment_829984" align="alignnone" width="300"] Pickens hot shooting earned him the MVP.[/caption] Mekhi Mason PG 6'2 165 Chandler (12 pts 2 asts 2 stls) -A bigger scoring lead guard has a smooth game and can score it from all 3 levels. He has good length and a nice looking jumper. He uses his length well hounding other guards and collecting steals. He can make others better and changes speeds often to get by his defender. He looks like he is still growing with his young face and length. Foune Doucoure PF 6'7 200 Liberty (4 pts 2 blocks) -Super athletic forward plays way above the rim. He is a rim runner and rim protector. He is primarily just a finisher currently and can improve his overall skill level but has a lot to like for the future. Elijah Saunders F 6'6 205 Sunnyslope (9 pts) -Skilled face-up scorer has great strength. He can fight inside and flush it down plus shoot it from the 3pt line. He rebounds strongly in his area and can hit the mid-range jumper. Andrew King SG 6'2 165 Desert Vista (10 pts 1 ast) -Skilled scoring guard who is a tough player. Not afraid to mix it up inside plus is a steady perimeter shooter. He could get a little more arc with it but it seems to go in more then it doesn't. Smart player that makes plays. Will Coates SF 6'5 165 Desert Vista (11 pts) -Long shooter who is one of the top forward shooters in the state from the class. He hit three 3's and every shot looked pure. He keeps growing (grew around two inches recently) and rebounds well in his area. He can improve his handle but his long term upside is high. Aaron Foote SF 6'5 152 Hamilton (8 pts) -Foote is another one of the top shooting forwards in the class. He hit two 3's for himself and he also has nice form and squares up perfectly. He is a little on the thinner side but once he fills in and improves his handle a little, the Huskies could have a stud. Awar Anyieth F 6'5 165 Peoria (5 pts) -An athletic shooting forward moves well end to end. He can make the open 3 plus flush it down on the break. He has good length and he will be a face-up forward for the next level. Mike Dienes SF 6'6 160 Rancho Solano Prep (9 pts) -Yet another one of the top shooting forwards in the class. He hit three 3's on five attempts. He is long and thin but has a little bounce. He can pull-up off the dribble and score it in transition. Miles Nash PG 6'0 155 Brophy Prep (7 pts 2 asts 2 stls) -We had about 4 pure PG's in the game who play as passers first then scorers and Nash is one of them. He is right around 6-foot and is really quick with a nice handle to get downhill plus can make the occasional perimeter shot. He is very quick on the ball defensively and plays confidently. He was probably the least known of all the players since he didn't play varsity last year but clearly held his own in a tough environment. Dominic Capriotti SG 6'3 170 Skyline (12 pts) -One of the top shooters in the class for the guards backed it up. He hit two deep balls plus some from mid-range. He knows how to move without the ball and has a quick shooting release. He plays very intelligently with or without the ball. The son of the Skyline head coach has a lot to like moving forward. Blessing Nwotite SG 6'1 160 Paradise Honors (5 pts 2 blks) -One of the top defenders in the class. Can defend either guard spot and is slowly improving his offense. He made one 3pt shot on the night and can attack the basket with nice athleticism. He will need to improve his perimeter consistency but he plays hard on both ends. Jayden Warren SG 6'2 183 Sunnyslope (8 pts) -Another top-tier defensive guard plays with an immense motor. He has great length and is arguably the strongest guard in the class. He can defend the 1-3 well and is a downhill scorer. He is another that can improve his perimeter shooting consistency but he is a dog on defense and the all-star game coaches mentioned how good his attitude was. Connor Barrett PF 6'7 180 Desert Mountain (14 pts) -A rare skilled big in the game played well. He can face-up from elbow and in plus rip through and score it through traffic. He showed a nice drop step plus had one dunk. He is an efficient forward that should have a big year for the Wolves. Lareon “LJ” Ginnis PG 5'8 150 South Mountain (0 pts 6 asts) -Arguably the purest PG in the class. He has great speed and quickness with the ball in his hands and has great timing making players better around him. He defends his position well with great lateral quicks but will have to start showing growth on his shooting. Oakland Fort PG 5'8 155 Sunnyslope (0 pts 4 asts 1 stl) -Another pure PG is a little stronger and also a good passer. He, like Ginnis, didn't attempt any shots in the game but could also advance his perimeter shooting seeing him in the past. He can pull-up off the dribble. He also is a dog on-ball defender. Orlando Gonzales PG 5'10 150 St. Mary's (8 pts 2 asts) -The last PG has a nice blend of scorer and facilitator. He can shoot it from the 3pt line comfortably and pull-up off the dribble plus take it all the way and use the floater. His IQ for the game is really high and can make others better as well. He was another under the radar that played well.