Players Only League Day 2: 5 Things We Learned

<p>Showcase events provide great chances for players to prove themselves against good competition. Strong performances in these events can lead to a big rise in their stock. The second day of the Players Only League was a prime example of that as players showed out throughout the day. Here are the five things we learned from the second day of the Players Only League.</p> <p><strong>1. NJ Panthers 15U are an elite defensive team</strong></p> <p>The NJ Panthers 15U may not have a ton of size, but they play with great intensity on the defensive end. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1013101" first="Chris" last="Ross"] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1013086" first="Nate" last="Pluvoise"]</strong> played tough on-ball defense while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1013098" first="Noah" last="Taylor"] </strong>patrolled the back end. Off the bench, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1013103" first="Jonathan" last="Nsenkyire"]</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1013104" first="Jack" last="Sakowski"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1033132" first="Josh" last="Williams"] </strong>were tenacious on the defensive end, creating havoc for the Unity Legends ballhandlers. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1013100" first="Khalid" last="Brown"] </strong>provided the Panthers wing with a lanky wing who can attack the basket, but also play tough defense. The NJ Panthers 15U team is a scrappy, tough defensive team that makes it hard for their opponents to get easy buckets.</p> <p><strong>2. [player_tooltip player_id="1032081" first="Steeve" last="Dorvil"] is the perfect glue guy for Unity Legends</strong></p> <p><strong>Logan</strong> <strong>Howland </strong>is the go-to scorer for the Unity Legends 16U team, but he was not the reason they knocked off the NJ Panthers 17U Blue. Dorvil led the Unity Legends 16 U Gold team in scoring as his motor did not stop on both ends. The athletic 6’3 wing was a force on the glass as he ripped down offensive rebounds for put-backs. Dorvil attacked the basket hard in transition and even showed off his range with a three-pointer. He may not be the go-to guy for the Legends, but Dorvil’s combination of athleticism, motor and toughness makes him the perfect glue guy.</p> <p><strong>3. [player_tooltip player_id="1012951" first="Ethan" last="Garita"] has the opportunity to explode onto the scene</strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="900353" first="Isaiah" last="Hill"]</strong> had a dominant second half for the NJ Panthers 17U team, but he was not the only player on that team who had a strong second half. Garita had a big second half as he was able to truly establish himself down low. The athletic 6’8 forward got good position down low and threw down a couple of dunks. Garita played with nice footwork in the paint and showed off some of his range with a mid-range jumper. If he is able to put together more performances like he did in the second half, Garita will see his stock rise tremendously this summer.</p> <p><strong>4. [player_tooltip player_id="929527" first="Kyle" last="Rolon"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1016635" first="Joe" last="Lardaro"] are capable of carrying the Hoop Heaven offense</strong></p> <p>Rolon and Lardaro had solid performances against the NJ Panthers 17U squad as they were the driving forces of the Hoop Heaven Hawks’ offense. The former attacked the basket hard as Rolon used his strong frame to score. Lardaro may have been giving up some size down low, but that did not stop him from ripping down offensive rebounds and muscling shots through contact. The 6’5 forward showed off a nice touch on his mid-range jumper, while Rolon moved extremely well off the ball. Lardaro’s high school teammate <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1016637" first="Anthony" last="Barthel"]</strong> was also a spark for the Hoop Heaven Hawks Elite team, but it was Lardaro and Rolon who paced the offense on day 2.</p> <p><strong>5. NJ Panthers 17U Select and Unity Legends 17U are filled with shooters</strong></p> <p>The final game of the day was loaded with quality shooting as the two teams combined to knock down 16 three-pointers. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="929513" first="Ryan" last="Cassels"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1018552" first="Ezra" last="Budashewitz"] </strong>both knocked down three shots from behind the arc with the former starting the game on the bench. <strong>Kevin Dittman </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1013005" first="Colin" last="King"]</strong> hit a pair of three-pointers for the Unity Legends as they provided spacing on offense. Cassels’ high school teammate <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="900338" first="Sebastian" last="Giannotti"] </strong>started off the game with a triple and even got fouled shooting a three in the second half. Both teams are capable of making it rain from behind the arc and it was on display in the last game of the Players Only League.</p>