Just Play August 17U Game-Changers

<p>The Courts continued their run of putting together quality tournaments with solid play from top to bottom and plenty of competition. In the 17U division, not a single team went undefeated, which told the story of how close the games were. Here are some game-changers from 17U.</p> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id="916964" first="Gino" last="Corridori"] – Knights Elite</h2> <p>Corridori is a player that does not have to put up substantial scoring numbers to understand that he is affecting the game. With his size, while he is not a bruiser, he makes his way on the block, and it opens up the rest of the offense. He has excellent footwork as he gets around big defenders with nifty spin moves, drop steps, and up and unders. He also is a big man with vision as they throw it to him on the block to generate the offense, and he can kick it out to open teammates, shoot the mid-range shot or get to the rim and finish with a strong move. One of the things that stand out to me about Corridori is his ability to always be in the right spot. He positions himself well in games, and it was seen on his buzzer-beating tip-in to win the game and send the Knights to the championship game. Corridori is showing improvements from the start of the summer to now and appears to be finding a groove.</p> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id="916976" first="Gavin" last="Poxson"]— Colorado Chaos</h2> <p>In the Chaos’s win over Pro Skills, they were the scrappier team that just appeared to want it more. They were swarming the guards and getting out on the break for transition baskets, and one player that continuously scored in transition was Poxson. Poxson is comfortable with the ball in his hands and has great court awareness. He knew where he wanted to get and got there. He also moved without the ball to open spaces and slashed to get the offense going. On defense, he is a player that gets after it. Poxson was all over the floor and was finishing both inside and out. He rebounds hard and goes straight up for finishes as a player that made the difference in the game.  </p> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id="759248" first="AJ" last="Kula"] – Colorado Miners</h2> <p>Kula gives you a bit of everything, and with his size and length with his ability to get to wherever he wants on the floor, it is seemingly causing problems for the defense. Kula is knocking down jumpers from mid-range extended, stepping out and shooting the 3 as well as showing off crafty finishes. In the open court, it is difficult to slow him down as he has excellent footwork and deception. Kula is growing, and that makes a tall and talented frontcourt that have similar skill sets. Kula also is a defensive anchor for the group whose impact goes beyond scoring the ball.</p> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id="916954" first="Kendale" last="Johnson"] — Colorado Soldiers</h2> <p>On offense, Kendale is very active, and the Colorado Soldiers made it a point to put the ball in his hands. Johnson is a player that is comfortable running the baseline, stepping out and knocking down 3-pointers, and also banging down low at times, but on this team, he is the team’s primary ballhandler, and he is working on being a playmaker. Johnson’s jumper was on, and he was continually making plays off of the dribble. He hit a few deep 3-pointers to shake up the defense, but he also can put the ball on the floor and use his size to score amongst the trees. He had a few finishes inside with floaters and mid-range jumpers. Once he applies himself with the same energy on the defensive end as the offense, he is setting himself up to be a complete player.</p> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id="916984" first="Quint" last="Geck"] – Colorado Hoops Academy</h2> <p>Geck is a player that stood out on a Colorado Hoops Academy squad that plays together as a unit. They are a scrappy bunch that works in unison, but their leading scorer on the day was Geck. Geck was scoring both inside and out. His jumper was working in one game, so he extended the defense from beyond the arc; in another game, he was getting to the rim and finishing down low. Geck is a player that is always moving and finding holes in the defense and is a creative finisher around the basket. He scored in various ways, but also passed the ball up to make the right play. Geck affected the game on both ends of the floor, and when he gets going, he is difficult to slow down.</p> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id="965742" first="Jeremiah" last="Warren"] — Knights Elite</h2> <p>With multiple players out for the Knights, it was up to Warren to take over guard duties, and he did a great job of filling in. Warren is an under the radar talent that is skilled and balanced. He is comfortable with the ball in his hands, is a playmaking combo guard, and he is a capable scorer with a confident mid-range pullup. Warren gets to his spots on the floor and applies pressure to the defense. He generated offense, got fouled often, and was in control for the Knights. Warren is a high IQ player that plays within the offense, but when he decides to be aggressive, he is a tough cover.</p>