Prep Hoops Top 250: Tony’s Top Defenders

<p><em>The annual Prep Hoops Top 250 took place in Des Moines on Saturday evening. Throughout the week, we’ll be taking a look at some of the best players in the gym, in a series of articles breaking down the top scorers, defenders, passers, etc. In this article, we take a look at the top defenders that Tony Roe saw at the event. He was responsible for covering teams 1, 2, 7, 9, 10 and 16, so all players that he writes about this week will come from those teams. The other teams will be covered by Josh Block and Richard Stockton.</em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PF [player_tooltip player_id="995974" first="Tyvin" last="Garrison"] (Springfield IL - 2021)</strong></p> <p>A long and springy forward, Garrison looks to block everything, and he succeeds a lot. He’s a high-level rim protector, and the only thing holding him back from being a bigger prospect is that he’s <em>only</em> 6-6. He’s got great length and timing on the defensive end and is a switchable defender who can hold his own on smaller, quicker guards. He controls the paint on the defensive end, and has good awareness when he’s defending off the ball, rotating over for help side blocks as well. It was a strong defensive showing for the senior from Springfield, Illinois. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Khalid-Newton.jpeg?1602778458912"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1068493" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Khalid-Newton-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>SF Khalid Newton (Galena IL - 2021) </strong></p> <p>Another out-of-state standout on the defensive end was Newton, who showed great lateral quickness on that end of the floor, routinely staying in front of opposing ball handlers and really making them work to bring the ball up the court. He’s a good athlete with above-average length who can defend multiple positions. He played the passing lanes well, but was really excellent during his on-ball work. He also showed great body control and finishing ability at the rim with either hand. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PF [player_tooltip player_id="956872" first="Kade" last="Benjamin"] (New London - 2023)</strong></p> <p>Benjamin is a solid all-around player who is going to be a major problem as he keeps growing into his body. He has good size and length, has the versatility to switch onto a smaller guard without being completely lost, and is a good rim protector with timing and the size to contest any shot. He's developing into a weapon on the offensive end as well, and his two-way play is why he's ranked so highly in our 2023 rankings.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Brian-Keene.jpeg?1602853399534"><img class="alignright wp-image-1069135 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Brian-Keene-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>SG [player_tooltip player_id="964884" first="Brian" last="Keene"] (Waterloo East - 2021)</strong></p> <p>Keene is a freak athlete with length who has the lateral quickness to become a lockdown defender on the perimeter. He does take some chances on defense, but he has the raw tools to be a really strong defender. He's a springy athlete who can turn his defensive talents into points on the other end in a hurry. He's active on both ends of the floor, and crashes the glass hard.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PG Osceola Tyon (Meskwaki Settlement - 2022)</strong></p> <p>What stuck out about Tyon was his willingness to sit in his stance and move his feet on the defensive end. Too often nowadays, and especially in events like this, players are focusing on the offensive end, and don't put much effort in on defense. That's not the case with Tyon, who really made opposing ball-handlers and scorers work hard to get open looks. He has the ability to create looks for himself and others on offense, but it was his work and effort on the defensive end that really stood out about him on Saturday. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>PG [player_tooltip player_id="1048731" first="Jeremiah" last="Babers"] (Galesburg IL - 2022)</strong></p> <p>Babers has been a standout during the fall at the Iowa Fall Exclusive, and he was strong on both ends of the floor on Saturday as well. An athletic guard with good length and a high IQ, he does a little bit of everything well on the floor. He's an aggressive defender who really gets up into opposing ball-handlers, and has the lateral quickness to stay with just about anyone. He doesn't take too many chances, gets into the passing lanes and can turn turnovers into points in a hurry on the other end.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>