Lockdown Defenders from the Southwest Slam

The Southwest Slam presented by Prep Hoops brought out some outstanding talent from Oklahoma, Kansas, and all over Texas. The tournament consisted of every type of basketball prospect from lockdown defenders to floor generals. Here we take a look at the top defensive specialist that really stood out and made a huge impact on their teams and the game. Brandon Burney - Guard - Texas Swish - Cedar Hill High School - C/o 2021<img class="wp-image-1029560 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/Brandon-Burney-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="177" height="266" />Brandon Burney had another impressive weekend, he looked like one of the best defenders on the court anytime he came into the game. A true weapon on defense, excellent on-ball, and off-ball defender, he can take a man out of the game with his deny defense, Burney doesn’t give any breathing room, he stays in the chest of his assignment. An all-around defensive threat, he even does a great job of closing out, covering space. and hustling up and down the court. Brandon Burney has a game-changing defensive presence that really sets him apart from others. He also seems very levelheaded and coachable, you’ll never see him upset about not getting the ball or not getting the call, Burney understands his impact and role and he plays it to the best of his ability. Keynan Jackson - Guard - TBC 17U - Keller Central High School - C/o 2021<img class="size-medium wp-image-1029637 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/17U-PBNationMcCartyvsTBC-4297-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" />Keynan Jackson was my favorite defender to watch this past weekend, he takes pride in his defensive skills and plays defense the way it was meant to be played. A very intense lockdown defender that gives a great amount of effort and has all the intangibles on that end of the court. Jackson looked like a ballhawk on defense at times, he did an outstanding job of keeping his eyes on his man and the ball, continuously played the passing lanes and caused multiple turnovers with his help-side defense. Quick feet and hand reaction time, Keynan gets low in front of his man and doesn’t give any space, smart defender too, he did a lot of damage without fouling. I loved how he was insistent on getting into his opponent’s head and getting them out of their game, he’s a flat out pest on the court. Keynan Jackson showed high potential as a lockdown defender after making a huge impact on the floor for TBC. [player_tooltip player_id="779908" first="Brayden" last="Bradshaw"] - Small Forward - Team F.O.E. Elite 17U - Denton Guyer High School - C/o 2021<img class=" wp-image-1029648 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/0F121999-9D59-4574-AB44-78E32A359715-Edited-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="234" height="234" />[player_tooltip player_id="779908" first="Brayden" last="Bradshaw"] was brought into the game to face guard the hottest player on the court at the time who had already made 4 three-point shots before halftime. As soon as Bradshaw stepped up to his matchup, he didn’t allow his guy to score, get another shot off, and Brayden nearly kept him from even touching the ball again. Great at face guarding other players, he locks his eyes in on them and gets all in their chest, he doesn’t budge an inch. A phenomenal defensive prospect with consistency, each game I watched Bradshaw play, he did the exact same thing; he’d come off the bench, completely locked his assignment down, and did not allow them to get the ball again. He was also one of the most versatile defenders I had a chance to see, he can guard most positions on the floor with no problem. As a fan of the game, [player_tooltip player_id="779908" first="Brayden" last="Bradshaw"] was fun to watch because I don’t see many young guys take defense as seriously as he did. Ty Palmer - Guard - Houston Raptors - Bellaire High Schol - C/o 2020<img class="size-medium wp-image-1029651 aligncenter" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/IMG_3015-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" />This young man had an incredible game where he single handily brought his team back with his scoring, 3-point shooting, and effort on the defensive end, he ran after loose balls and played passing lanes like a man on a mission. Palmer played great defense on his matchup, he put the clamps on his man and was committed to giving up nothing easy. The pressure Ty put on the ball-handler caused them to get out of character, turnover the ball, and even commit a silly offensive foul. Everything Ty brought to the table defensively change the course of the game, the team fed off his energy and followed his lead. They continued to feed him the ball on offense where he was able to score 10 second-half points in a matter of minutes before falling short by one point. Although the Houston Raptors suffered a loss, Ty Palmer put everyone watching on notice with his defensive nature.