Weekend in Review: Standout wings

<p>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.</p> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="938864" first="Ian" last="Sluice"] | OK PWP CG | Metro Christian ’21</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>Sluice was playing with his usual <em>bombs away</em> fervor with the rock in his hands. A crafty scorer with a game that translates to college production, Sluice could hit pro-distance shots out of the dribble at an uncanny efficiency, but it was his ability to hit them on consecutive possessions that lent PWP the greatest scoring advantage with numerous <em>quick-six </em>sequences. As an off-ball presence, Sluice was a player who should have been and frequently was subject to face-guarding and tightly adherent defenders in the half-court as any space at all allowed him the opportunity to fire off a quick shot. Once his deep game was established, it was really showtime for Sluice; once he could beat on-ball defenders on the ignition pump or hesitation move, he had what seemed like a football field of spacing to put on a highlight-worthy move, take the ball to the hole or weave an excellent pass through traffic to an interior teammate.</p> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="953451" first="Anthony" last="Turner"] | Oklahoma Chaos CG | Classen SAS ’21</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>Turner continues to impress each weekend with outstanding skill, diverse scoring capabilities and a great head for the game. Turner could handle primary passing necessities in the half-court, helping defenders drive with accurate passes on the drive-and-kick or finding off-ball cutters, while he was also exceptional in finding down-court plays in transition. Also a touted scorer, Turner can do just about everything with the ball. He can hit shots from deep out of the catch, beat defenders on the drive, finish at the rack and pull-up from mid-range. With an arsenal of scoring weapons, his attack was unpredictable to opposing defenders; even if he was unable to score, the crowd he formed in the interior allowed him to find open teammates on the wing or corners.</p> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="1015785" first="Lamondo" last="Cargille"] | Oklahoma Chaos SG | Southeast ’21</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>Cargille, who has been a remarkable scorer in his high school career, typically plays a more subservient role for Chaos; last weekend, however, I saw him utilizing his talents to score the basketball on a few occasions, and it was apparent why he has been so able to shred 5A defenses. Cargille’s hand-work and rapid handle make it so easy for him to create separation; it was easy as a quick hesitation-and-shift or even a simple crossover to put mislead defenders and give him meters of spacing in the half-court. The ability to convert on a pull-ups, floaters or easy finishes at the rim were the only tasks to complete after that. </p> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="938860" first="Ethan" last="Ganaway"] | Next Level SG | Midwest City ’21</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>Ganaway was surely awake last Sunday. He played with an over-the-top, seemingly endless reserve of energy for Next Level. With an impeccable combination of a wide, tall stature and uncanny foot-speed, Ganaway utilized all of his advantages to score the basketball at the rim, pile defenders in the perimeter, hit shots from deep and, especially, keep opposing players from a try at the rim.</p> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 21px;"> <tbody> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 100%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Javeon McAlister | Next Level SG | Del City ’21</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>McAlister’s scrappy, high-energy play always comes up big for Next Level. An athletic off-ball guard with a propensity for the defensive game, McAlister and his high motor helped Next Level in getting stops while also coming up big in when facing pressure on the offensive end. He has gained confidence with the ball in his hands from his junior season, and he handled opposing defenders well last weekend.</p> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="1015791" first="Luke" last="Winslow"] | OK Flight SG | Christian Heritage ’21</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>One of the most prolific small-school scorers in the state, Winslow is fast-on-his-way to becoming one of the top scorers in the grassroots scene. Last weekend, Winslow was electric as both an off-and-on-ball shooter while displayed impressive hand-work at the rim. Winslow has a lot of craft with the ball in his hand, and his scoring attack is exceptionally adaptive. He has exceptional offensive vision in the half-court, and his floor-stretching bombs from deep made it all-but-impossible for opposing defenders to figure out how to handle the 6-foot-2-inch scoring guard.</p> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="938849" first="Curtis" last="Rose"] | OK Flight SG | Carl Albert ’21</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>Rose was excellent last weekend for Flight, showcasing a diversity of talents on both ends of the floor as well as an aggressive scoring presence. Rose was, at any given time, one of the fastest players on the floor, and his pairing of pure speed and ball-control helped him to slash through defenses just from blowing-by defenders before elevating at the rim for easy production. As an off-ball presence, Rose was able to spot-up from deep and even pin defenders in the interior to outsource the ball elsewhere.</p> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="1015788" first="David" last="Castillo"] | H&amp;H Elite SG | Bethany ’21</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>Castillo has smooth shot-creating skills out of the handle as well as from the catch. From deep, his quick release beat most defenders, while his ability to hit shots from the hip in movement were all-but-unguardable. Once he established his deep game, he was able to utilize a rather polished one-dribble pull-up maneuver to sink an easy mid-range shot; and if there is any word to describer Castillo’s play, it’s <em>easy.</em> He made double-digit scoring appear so easy that I could do it thanks to his well-developed catalog of shooting skills.</p> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="745387" first="Cooper" last="Gudell"] | Next Level SG | Crossings Christisan ’21</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>Fulfilling something that resembled a <em>3-and-D</em> role for Next Level, the senior converted on some shots from the long, <em>long</em> wing even with defenders in his pockets. Guddell played some of his best offensive basketball, toying with defenders on the perimeter, at times, before launching a college-range shot or handling the ball around defenders to open more opportunities for himself. Defensively, I was impressed by his tenacity and capabilities to handle the tasks of guarding shifty ball-handlers and scorers with precision.</p>