Weekend in Review: Standout forwards

<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The players listed below were among players I was able to watch, exclusively. These players participated in either the MAYB tournament in Edmond and the Fadeaway Hoops event in Oklahoma City.</span></p> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="1015853" first="Kyler" last="Mann"] | OK PWP PF | Owasso ’21</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>Mann did not handle as much of a scoring role for PWP as Journee, but he played a pivotal role in handling all of the clean-up duties. A scrappy, athletic figure with about a 6-foot-4-inch frame, Mann was relentless on both ends in gathering boards, stopping the ball at the perimeter, protecting the interior and even pushing the pace, at times. He was still able to put points on the board by putting back missed offensive tries or keeping possessions alive for his teammates to score.</p> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="1015854" first="Bryce" last="Journee"] | OK PWP SF | Owasso ’21</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>Jornee paired with Mann for a high-low interior presence for PWP that helped its production in numerous ways. The wing-forward has a catalog of talents, and one of his most conducive to PWP’s success was his shooting capabilities, stretching defenses and helping unclog the paint for his teammates and himself. Also a powerful presence in the mid and short ranges, Journee was an impressive rebounder and put-back specialist.</p> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="1015840" first="Chad" last="Milne"] | H&amp;H Elite SF | Allen ’21</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>Milne did fantastic work at the high and low posts for H&amp;H while frequently exploring his perimeter talents, as well. Milne has an above-average scoring iQ as his adaptive and versatile skill-set allowed him to score from numerous positions on the floor: a quick turnaround from the catch at the high post, a slithery spin move into a fervent finish at the rim, a one-dribble pull-up, a corner 3 out of the catch and more. </p> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 21px;"> <tbody> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 100%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="955385" first="Michal" last="Wooldridge"] | Team Buddy Buckets C | Bethany ’22</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>Wooldridge, whose versatile skill-set has been overshadowed by his scoring capabilities, was showing off his full arsenal of talents at the OKC event. An underrated passer whose game can switch between aggressive, overpowering and skilled, habitually outsmarted defenders depending on what the situation necessitated for TBB; Wooldridge could back-down opposing defenders, overpower them en route to the rack before breaking into a smooth maneuver and finishing around the rim with finesse.</p> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="1015855" first="Jay" last="Gilliand"] | H&amp;H Elite SG/SF | El Reno ’21</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>A tremendous athlete with smooth operation on the offensive side of the ball, Gilliand has exceptional slashing talents and could, almost at will, find his way to the rim with elevation. Though he struggled early in the weekend to complete shots, Gilliand settled in and became a potent offensive weapon for H&amp;H, converting on tough shots and, less saliently, concentrated defenders in the lane to open the perimeter for H&amp;H’s shooting corps.</p>