Windsor’s 17U Reebok Nationals Tournament Standouts

<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 who stood out.</p> <h6 style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="770414" first="Boston" last="Stanton"] – Knights Elite</span></strong></h6> <p>Knights Elite made it to the championship game as they squeezed by some close games and worked on their late-game execution. The player that everyone came to see is their combo-guard [player_tooltip player_id="770414" first="Boston" last="Stanton"], who happens to be one of the state’s top players and is poised for a big season. While it is in a different setting, there was still the usual showing from Stanton, where he shows off one of the most versatile and balanced games in the state. Stanton does not showcase many flaws in his game, as he can score from all three levels. Stanton shot the ball well, got to the rim, and finished it with ease as he consistently knocked down the mid-range jumper. In the game to get to the championship, he took over. Stanton had half of the team’s points at the halftime intermission to get his team out to a big lead. He took on the challenge on the defensive end as he demanded to defend the opposing team’s best player at times, and he makes Knights a dynamic team. Stanton will build on one of the first tourneys that he had this summer and only get better.  </p> <h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="759196" first="Taeshaud" last="Jackson"] Jr. – Knights Elite</strong></span></h6> <p>Jackson Jr. is an elite athlete who has a great blend of size and strength, and he combines that with tenacity. Nobody in the entire event attacked the rim the way that he did, and once he knows that a player cannot defend him, he goes right after them – over and over. Jackson showcased the athleticism with a dunk after dunk on defenders that stood no chance, and when he gets in the open court with the ball, he is dangerous. For the Knights, Jackson is the team’s point guard and floor general. They make sure to keep the ball in his hands as he is a versatile 6’6 point-forward. He gathered momentum with the ball in his hands from halfcourt and either found the open man or got to the rim for an explosive finish. Jackson continued to make plays for others with getting the team involved but still found his own. Jackson had a solid showing this weekend and led his team to a couple of victories.</p> <h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="916972" first="Cade" last="Palmer"]— Colorado Miners</strong></span></h6> <p>Palmer was lights out this weekend from beyond the arc, and it was fun to see him in that light. It looks as if the Miners switched some things up with their team, and with that came more usage for Palmer. His usage gave us a glimpse of what it will look like for his high school team. Palmer got inside the thick of the defense and kicked it out to open teammates, he shot floaters at the rim and also showed that he could create for himself off of the dribble. Palmer is a high IQ guard that scored in double figures in every game and led his team to multiple wins. Palmer has excellent court awareness and his ability to knock down shots from virtually anywhere on the court made it easier for others to free themselves up. Palmer is a fierce competitor that I feel fits into every situation, and it was a delight to see him with the ball in his hands more. Cade the point guard, now that has a ring to it.</p> <h6 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>Noah Ragsdale— The Force</strong></span></h6> <p>Ragsdale looked like the youngest player on the court at all times, but when you watched his game, it was apparent that he was the Force’s best offensive weapon. Ragsdale played well above his size and made plenty of winning plays on the weekend. Ragsdale was a marksman from deep that knocked down open shots, came off of screens, and got shots up while also getting to the rim and finishing. Ragsdale had a couple of finishes that got the crowd on their feet, and he also was an instant scorer that went on shooting runs of his own. Ragsdale was productive in the two early games that I saw him in as the teams leading scorer; he held his own on the defensive end with quick hands that picked off a couple of steals and had to be guarded as soon as he crossed halfcourt with teams sending double teams in which he got it out of his hands quickly and moved well without the ball to get it back. Ragsdale is a solid guard and floor general with a jump shot – great combination to have, and it was in display.</p> <h6 style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-size: 18pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="916968" first="Curtis" last="Stovall"]— Colorado Miners</span></strong></h6> <p>This was maybe the best that I have seen Stovall play, and there are causes for optimism moving forward. When he is as aggressive offensively as he was this past weekend, the Miners are good. With the changes made to the team, it opened up more opportunities and shots for Stovall, and it gave flashbacks to when we first saw him. He was shooting the ball with confidence, creatively finishing at the rim, and also finding gaps in the defense for easy finishes at the rim. Stovall is also a defender that can guard multiple positions, and he used his defense to create offense. He played hard this weekend, and the smooth lefty brought it on both ends of the floor. Hopefully, this was a step in the right direction of what Stovall is capable of, and he looks back and realizes that he is best when he decides to take over and play with that edge.</p>