Grind Session Group 1: AZ Senior Standouts Nov 11-12

Gregg Rosenberg November 16, 2020 @ 12:44 PM

November 11th and the first game on the 12th I attended the first session of The Grind Session Group 1 #Bubble located at the Phhacility in Phx,AZ. I viewed AZ Compass Prep vs Phhoenix Prep and Dream City Christian vs Phhoenix Prep.   Results: Dream City Christian 75 Phhoenix Prep 77 Phhoenix Prep 78 AZ Compass Prep 85 Both highly entertaining games with good talent and the usual fun drama.   All 3 teams are ranked 1-3 in the new update. https://twitter.com/thegrindsession/status/1327718785449529344   Here were the senior standouts of those three teams. [player_tooltip player_id="930932" first="Arthur" last="Kaluma"] Dream City -A special blend of power and skill for the strong forward. He can rip through and euro his way to the cup scoring through contact. He can hit the 3 and is a sneaky good passer. His handle, power and skill make him a national ranked player. He scored 32 pts (13-18 FG) and 8 rebounds in the two-point loss. He verbally committed to UNLV last week. [player_tooltip player_id="530994" first="Javon" last="Ruffin"] Phhoenix Prep -A very good passer who plays like a big PG. He is sneaky athletic as he showed off a nasty tip dunk in one game. He is very consistent 3pt shooter off the catch and can create shots for himself. He smartly hesitates and changes speeds to get into the lane. His range on his deep ball is legit and once he gets into the lane, he can score it different ways. He had a great two games versus two of the top teams including this game winner: https://twitter.com/WhosNextHS/status/1326757806507061248 [player_tooltip player_id="703805" first="Kiran" last="Oliver"] Phhoenix Prep -The high flyer made multiple shots off the dribble and created for himself more than usual. He takes multiple charges each game and defends every position in spots on the court. He collects steals, blocks shots and can take the ball off the glass and push the break. He does many things on defense to help the Fire. [player_tooltip player_id="799296" first="Glenn" last="Taylor"] AZ Compass Prep -With most of the attention focused on [player_tooltip player_id="703792" first="Tyrone" last="Washington"] and [player_tooltip player_id="775540" first="Alden" last="Applewhite"], Taylor and Small shined. Taylor’s speed and layup package are elite. He is somewhat of a streaky shooter but definitely makes shots and defends many positions. He is a terrific rebounder and a quick second jumper. He can use the pick and roll and makes plays off of it. The well rounded forward had 20 in the win. [player_tooltip player_id="809672" first="Jason" last="Elder"] Phhoenix Prep -Another versatile forward is a mismatch for many defenders. He is also a multiple position defender who scores many ways. He can hit the 3 plus he dribbles through traffic to score around the basket with efficiency. Once he gets into the lane he can jump stop and explode up to score. He will post up smaller players and take the post players out and blow by them or shoot over the top. [player_tooltip player_id="809688" first="Brett" last="Hardt Jr"] Phhoenix Prep -His feel for the game, extra passing and pull-up from mid-range make his game go. He makes the catch-3 and hesitates about as well as you can keeping the defense off balance. He is a better defender then he gets credited for and his crisp passing are one of the reasons that PHH is ranked #3 in the Grind Session. [player_tooltip player_id="874188" first="Javon" last="Small"] AZ Compass Prep (Pictured) -Small came up big in their win. He showed off all his gifts. He has a real burst to the cup, he can hit the catch-3, he is a true PG who can make impressive pocket passes and has active hands to collect steals. He can drive and kick into a teammates shooting pocket and uses the hesi often to get to the rim. He also showed his bounce on the break with a big dunk. [player_tooltip player_id="809680" first="Ricardo" last="Sarmiento"] Phhoenix Prep -One of the top defenders on the ball in the Grind Session. The energy he brings can not be overstated. His catch and shoot 3 has now become a weapon. He used to only attempt from mid and has clearly worked on his game in the off season and is showing it off in big spots.