Hoopsgiving Standouts: Seniors

Gregg Rosenberg November 28, 2019 @ 01:48 AM

On Monday and Tuesday I attended the Hoopsgiving Basketball Tournament at Deer Valley and Sunnyslope. 16 teams are in the event and I viewed 14 of them. Friday night will be the finals of the event with home team Sunnyslope vs Ironwood. The 3rd place game will be Chaparral vs Apollo.   Here were some of the standout seniors I viewed: Dominic Gonzalez SG 6’3 Ironwood -An effortless scorer from all 3 levels. Pure jumper off the catch and has improved his handle to now create shots for himself. He can get into the lane and is exploding with confidence after a good off-season. His middle game is just as good as anyone in state. A smart positional defender and a good passer. One of the top natural scorers in the AIA. Xzavier Lino SF 6’5 Sunnyslope -Arguably the best catch shooter in the state or at least the best corner 3 shooter. He is becoming very athletic as he is playing above the rim on the break. Starting to pull-up off the dribble better than last year. He is getting stronger and plays the passing lanes well. He doesn’t put the ball on the floor often but has improved this as well. He is a classic 3 and D player that has made strides each year. Zeke Thompkins SF 6’6 Apollo -Long defensive wing is a true point forward. A good ball handler who breaks pressure easily. A very good rebounder who keeps plays alive and is very active in the passing lanes. Hesitates smartly to get downhill and scores it efficiently solely in the paint. Isaac Monroe CG 5’10 Peoria -Starting to become more of a lead guard who can score it instead of just a shooter. He has a clean looking stroke with a fast trigger. Makes good reads to teammates and his passing skills have improved. The senior leader is a fearless shooter and gets hot quickly. Tyson Legner CG 6’2 Rancho Solano Prep -Strong guard is another who has moved over to the PG spot. He is a good defender and has a high IQ to make plays for others. He can get downhill with his strong body but his best skill is his shooting. He has vastly improved it in the last two years and is a tough player. James Burries SF 6’4 Moon Valley -Athletic wing plays many positions for the Rockets. He can shoot it and get downhill with a decent handle. He rebounds well in his area and is an active defender. He can hit from mid to the 3pt line and can flush it down easily. Deandre Petty SG 6’0 Peoria -Scoring off guard who is very tough. He has good speed and is super active on defense. He talks a lot on defense and collects steals plus is a good rebounder for a guard. He can shoot it from mid-range and is a decent 3pt shooter. He is great on the break and plays with a nice chip on his shoulder. Brandon Youngkrantz PF 6’4 Cactus Shadows -An under the rim and undersized forward is a tough cover. He is extremely strong and skilled. He is very crafty to score it deep in paint and uses body well to play through contact. He can shoot it from elbow and in and has good soft hands to catch tough passes in traffic. The Falcons play though him and when he is playing well, they will be a tough out.