The Finale: Day Two Kansas Standouts

<p>For most club players, Sunday at the Finale tournament in Kansas City was the last day to show off for scouts and hone their skills in live competition. The Kansans at the tournament did not disappoint.</p> <p>Look for lots of coverage from the weekend, but here’s a peek at some of the top performers from day one of the Finale (in alphabetical order and with club and high school listed):</p> <p><strong>Chase Harris B2B Elite 16U, Wichita Heights:</strong></p> <p>For just a rising sophomore, Harris is a defense wrecker. He can create his own shot anywhere on the floor, and the acrobatic quality of some of his scores is impressive. He takes the ball right into the teeth of the defense and finds a way to convert. He also draws a ton of fouls. Behind the arc or at the free throw line, he has a soft touch. As a 6-foot-2 point guard with blazing quickness and a grade-A handle, he’s a mismatch for most guards. On defense, he has his hands on a stunning number of passes.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="730611" first="Alston" last="Mason"], MoKan Select 17U, Blue Valley Northwest:</strong></p> <p>Perhaps the most impressive player on display Sunday (which is saying something!) Mason is as smooth and effective with the ball as anyone you’ll find. The second team 6A rising senior makes driving and dishing for scores look remarkably easy. But when his team fell behind with :13 remaining, he broke down a defender well beyond the arc and knifed through an entire defense to lay a shot in at the rim for the win. He scores and sets up scores at a prodigious rate, and at 6-foot-2, he’s an effective rebounder too/</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="946269" first="Sam" last="Somerhalder"], Team KC Derrick 16U, St. James Academy:</strong></p> <p>The 6-foot-7 wing is smooth and versatile, a calm presence in the midst of chaos. He doesn’t try to do too much, but what he does is impressive. He can shoot from anywhere, but he’s most proficient when he’s putting the ball on the floor to drive end to end. He kicks effectively to teammates, but when he shoots, he scores. He has the quickness to guard much smaller players on the perimeter, and his size makes him a mismatch for most wings and guards.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="885561" first="Elijas" last="Watson"], Kansas Hoggs 17U, Shawnee Heights: </strong></p> <p>When the Hoggs showed up with just six players Sunday, Watson was in for a long day. But he continually broke down defenses to create scoring opportunities. Watson is a veteran, having graduated from Shawnee Heights last spring. He’s played a lot of quality basketball, so it’s not surprising that he took the reigns for the Hoggs and showed he could quarterback a team, break down defenses, score in the lane or set up teammates.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="889475" first="Dawson" last="Zenger"], SSA White 17U, Rock Creek:</strong></p> <p>Zenger is just simply a scorer. The first team 3A pick just knows how to put points on the board, and sometimes you wonder just how he does it. He can shoot from deep, and he can run out for scores. But when he’s driving into the lane for acrobatic jumpers, you recognize his true gift. He never stops hustling and applying constant pressure on a defense.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>