New 17U Names who emerged in the Reebok Nationals

<p>The Reebok Nationals tournament brought some heavy hitters into town from Colorado and the surrounding areas in a tournament setting and let players go at it for the weekend. It was an organized and competitive event that had great showings. Here are some players that we have not written about in a while who stood out.</p> <h4><strong>Keegan Phillips— Knights Elite</strong></h4> <p>Phillips was the new kid on the block for Knights Elite, a team that has played together for a couple of years now and has plenty of chemistry, and he fit right in. Phillips adds a different dimension to that second unit as a proven scorer in iso situations that also made winning plays. Phillips has excellent size to battle inside but also a nice outside touch that keeps the defense honest. He was shot ready on passes, hit gaps in the defense, attacked the boards, and scored in bunches. I liked what I saw from him in the Reebok tournament, and he will only continue to mesh well with the group around him with time.  </p> <h4><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="916982" first="Brad" last="Kerr"]— Knights Elite</strong></h4> <p>Kerr was another player from the Knights that we had not seen in a while, and he seemed to come back better. A chiseled Kerr moved well without the ball, had a couple of and-1 finishes to show his inside game, and also filled the gaps. Kerr also showed off a bit of athleticism by crashing the boards and defending multiple positions. When all else fails with Kerr, what you know that you’re going to get is a knockdown shooter. With all of the attention around the other players, it opens things up for Kerr to find holes in the defense and lets it fly. Kerr shot the ball with confidence and was able to see some shots go in. He adds the outside attack for a talented Knights squad.  </p> <h4><strong>Cooper McBride — Flight Elite</strong></h4> <p>This was my first time ever even hearing about Flight Elite. Although it was a new team, one player that we did know was McBride. McBride is a player that has continued to work on his game this summer with the constant shooting challenges that were put on twitter, and he showed out in every single one. It was great to see it come to fruition as the 6’6 sharpshooter carved defenses up from beyond the arc. McBride is a solid role player that plays his position well. He has unlimited range, good size to see over the defense, is a stretch big that is used well in pick and pop situations, and also has a very high IQ. He was consistently knocking the 3-ball down as they came his way, and it opened up the rest of his game.</p> <h4><strong>Michael Jackson – Colorado Mayhem</strong></h4> <p>Jackson was one of the most exciting players on the day as he is a must-watch player for Mayhem. His understanding of the game, ball control, and ability to creatively finish at the rim was something to watch as he popped out in every game that I watched for with this particular Mayhem unit. Jackson controlled the game despite being down and was ultra-productive in the games I watched. In his game against the Knights, he either scored or assisted on about 80% of the offense, and that was with so many different looks. He did not back down to competition, he welcomed it and held his own. Jackson is a crafty ball-handler with a deadly midrange pull-up, he finishes at the rim, and his smooth game gave his team opportunities. Great showing for him and a stock-boosting event for a solid sleeper.  </p> <h4><strong>Brayden Lagette – Colorado Mayhem</strong></h4> <p>Lagette was named the MVP of the Big East Division and with good reason. The Mayhem team was fun, played extremely hard and for one another. The reason that they were so relaxed and winning games was because of their floor general and leader, Lagette. Lagette made plays happen. He played unselfishly, led by example with outworking the opposing guards, and also got everyone involved. He also made it a point to stay on the attack. Lagette is a player to watch and plays winning basketball, it was my first time watching him, but he is now on my radar.</p>