The Circuit League U17 – Top 5 Best Shooters
This past weekend The Circuit League hosted the first of their two-part tourney at Drive Nation DFW. Obviously, things had a twist seeing as of all of the COVID-19 restrictions, but even with them, the tournament seemed to run very…
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Continue ReadingThis past weekend The Circuit League hosted the first of their two-part tourney at Drive Nation DFW. Obviously, things had a twist seeing as of all of the COVID-19 restrictions, but even with them, the tournament seemed to run very smoothly. There was a great number of teams coming from throughout the state of Texas as well as Oklahoma and Arkansas which only lead to a more competitive environment.
Jaylon Tyson Jaylon Tyson 6'6" | SF John Paul II | 2021 State #66 Nation TX – NP Force
I really don’t know how to describe this guy other than the fact that he can get buckets on any level against any competition. Jaylon showed out this weekend, and he was able to prove himself as an elite competitor and one of the best players in Texas in the class of 2021. Tyson took the route of playing for NP Force this summer which was one of the best decisions he could have made seeing as he has led that team in every category possible. He easily has one of the crispest shots out of anyone in the DFW area, and this is backed up by the absurd amount of points he is able to drop against high-level competition. Against the U17 Drive Nation team, Jaylon was able to drop 26 points with three 3 pointers. With a lot of national coverage from this past weekend, the national scene is learning more and more about the Texas Tech commit.
Gavin Thornton – ODM Elite
The kid literally wears Luka Doncic’s number, and it’s funny to see some of the resemblances in Gavin’s game. Thornton is a true leader of this ODM Elite team, and he shows that with his ability to make clutch threes in a variety of situations. The guy has a great pull up jumper as well as the ability to always get to the right position to spot up and drain threes. Against BMM (Basketball Means More), Gavin had a total of 13 points with a couple of threes that lead his team to a close one-point victory. The overall leadership he brings to the court sets him apart from most shooters, and this is mostly because defenders never know when he’s going to pull up for a shot in their face.
Keon Edwards – Drive Nation EYBL
When talking about a three-point specialist, the immediate thought that comes to mind is Keon. He plays on a team full of elite athletes that only help each other shine against top tier competition. This past weekend, Edwards caught my eye in his game against NP Force where he had 15 points and a couple of threes with some clutch jumpers to lead his team to a 63-55 win. I love Keon’s ability to go from one side of the court as a tough defender to being in the right position on offense to pull up for a jumper. There are a variety of players I want to follow the rest of this summer, but honestly, Keon stands out as one that may be able to prove that he’s one of the best players on his Drive Nation team.
Keyonte George Keyonte George 6'5" | SG IMG Academy | 2022 State #4 Nation FL – Drive Nation EYBL
As a 6’4 guard on this team, Keyonte easily stands outs as one of the better shooters along with Keon. But the quality that makes George different from anyone in the entire tourney was his insanely quick jump shot. The kid literally reminds of me of Steph Curry with his ability to get the ball out of his hands as fast as humanly possible. The ability to be that accurate of a shooter with such a quick pull-up time is unmatched and allows Keyonte to be put in a category of his own. George also had 15 points against NP Force with 2 quickly shot three-pointers. As one of the best transition players from this past weekend, Keyonte and Drive Nation should have no problem in future tourneys this summer.
Jake Arnold Jake Arnold 6'3" | SG Katy Taylor | 2021 State TX – Texas Takeover NED
I absolutely admired Jake’s ability to lead his team to wins this past weekend. To me, Jake could be described as a true dagger shooter which essentially just means that he has the ability to make every shot he takes feel like the most important shot of the game. His ability to get around traffic and create shots out of nothing is something you don’t usually see out of a lot of 17-year-olds. In his game against RunWay Jets, Jake had 15 points with three meaningful 3 pointers in a monstrous win with a final of 72-18. Jake is a player to keep on the radar this summer as he leads Texas Takeover NED in this summer’s future tourneys.