Standout bigs at Underground Invitational IV

<p>Another week, another solid outing at the underground run. This was one of my favorite ones, so I was not able to do it by class but rather by position. Here are my top bigs on the day. </p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="759280" first="Zach" last="Keller"] — ThunderRidge</strong></h2> <p>Keller had another solid day where there was dunk after dunk. He had a put-back dunk that was the highlight of the day, and you can see the confidence starting to build. Keller is beginning to show off his competitive side, and I, for one, love it. It appears that he is starting to get in better shape, and with that, his motor is starting to get better. An aggressive Keller is a nightmare matchup as he has the size and skill to score when he wants, and he is working on his jumper as well, which will be even tougher to defend. Keller is protecting the rim and getting blocks, and you can see it coming together. Excited to see him continue to progress.</p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="918899" first="James" last="Shiers"] — Mead</strong></h2> <p>Shiers had a rough day shooting the ball, but that is what you expect from a 7-foot prospect who is working on their jumper. This is the place to work on it. What I liked was the fact that he stayed aggressive and kept looking for his shot. Shiers is working on improving his range and his motor. He provided spacing as he is moving without the ball and not just sitting in the paint. He opens things up for teammates, is a willing passer, and is a player that it is easy to play with. The 7-foot 2022 big does not have to score the ball to affect it as soon as he realizes that he will be doing himself a favor. Shiers has to commit to being an elite rebounder and rim protector. Him altering shots, boxing players out, and allowing his team extra scoring opportunities will go a long way.</p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="965740" first="Adrian" last="Price"] — Rangeview</strong></h2> <p>Price is a player that is steadily improving as a big body bruiser that finishes through contact. Underground Run IV was one of his better finishing days. The 6’6 2021 big gets to where he wants on the floor as he gets inside of the paint with ease but often is looking for contact or creating it himself. This week he just went straight up and finished. Price is a traditional hefty that can back down defenders. He feels he double team and kicks it out to the open man, and he also has improved with his motor as he gets up and down the floor.</p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="916961" first="Greg" last="Gerhardt"] — Monarch</strong></h2> <p>Gerhardt is one of the tallest players that we have in the state, but he is a unicorn in the fact that he can space the floor with his outside shot. The 6’10 2021 standout big knocked down multiple 3-pointers and is looking to shoot the ball when he gets it. Gerhardt hit when he was open and knocked down a couple of shots, which opened up the offense for others. His team was racking up wins as he also stepped up defensively. He got a block and used his size, got a couple of rebounds, and had an inside-out presence.</p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="918919" first="Joey" last="Bilello"] — ThunderRidge</strong></h2> <p>This was undeniably Bilello’s best outing. The 2022 6’7 forward took over in games and made it a point to score the ball. Bilello was one of the leading scorers on the day as he not only used his size to get to the rim and finished without settling for mid-range pull-ups, but he also stepped out and hit multiple 3-pointers. Bilello creatively finished around the rim in different ways. He was hitting hook shots, reverses, and mixing it up. On defense, he is an excellent help-side defender that can defend multiple positions. He had a couple of blocks and got out in transition for finishes as one of the better two-way players on the day.</p> <h2><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="965781" first="Marzouq" last="Abdur-Razaaq"] — Overland</strong></h2> <p>For Marzouq to be only a young buck in the run, the 2023 big stood out. Anyone else watching would not have been able to guess that he was one of the youngest players in the gym as he plays the right way. He looked great. Abdur-Razaaq had multiple dunks in transition in the run and set hard screens. He kept rebounds alive and found creases in the defense for easy finishes. Marzouq is a hard-working big man that uses his size and quickness to create mismatches, and he looks to score. He also read the defense to make the extra pass and helped lead his team to the most wins on the day. What I later found out was that Marzouq played in a game before the run and came straight there to play. A gym rat that wants to get better and compete at any time is a coach’s dream, and he has had a stock boosting summer. We have a rankings update quickly approaching – expect a huge jump.  </p>