Devoted Defenders

<p>Today the focus is on committed, devoted defenders.  All players were scouted during the first full week of January.</p> <p style="padding-left: 90px;"> </p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><img class="alignleft" src="http://www.clker.com/cliparts/d/1/4/6/11971185311926706097Gioppino_Basketball.svg.thumb.png" alt="Gioppino Basketball clip art" width="17" height="17" /><strong><span style="color: #ff6600; font-family: ’comic sans ms’, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Xavier Shaw (Battle Ground Academy)</span></strong></span></p> <p style="padding-left: 90px;">Shaw is great dancing around the floor.  He moves like a spider, seemingly the owner of extra legs.  Shaw’s willingness to play physical and takes some bumps make him an infuriatingly pesky defender.<br /> <br /> </p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><img class="alignleft" src="http://www.clker.com/cliparts/d/1/4/6/11971185311926706097Gioppino_Basketball.svg.thumb.png" alt="Gioppino Basketball clip art" width="17" height="17" /><strong><span style="color: #ff6600; font-family: ’comic sans ms’, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Sean Williams (Battle Ground Academy)</span></strong></span></p> <p style="padding-left: 90px;">Just a junior, Sean Williams plays with the ownership and commitment of a seasoned veteran.  Williams will gleefully pressure just the ball-handler or trap and help when the coach elects to extend fullcourt.  Williams plays hard for his teammates.</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><img class="alignleft" src="http://www.clker.com/cliparts/d/1/4/6/11971185311926706097Gioppino_Basketball.svg.thumb.png" alt="Gioppino Basketball clip art" width="17" height="17" /><span style="color: #ff6600; font-family: ’comic sans ms’, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Ericko Sain (Jackson South Side)</strong></span></span></p> <p style="padding-left: 90px;">Within the South Side program virtually everybody is an intense on-ball defender.  They play hard all over the floor constantly pressuring and trapping.  Ericko is perhaps the best of a great bunch of players when it comes to denying the passing lanes and also creating deflections.</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><img class="alignleft" src="http://www.clker.com/cliparts/d/1/4/6/11971185311926706097Gioppino_Basketball.svg.thumb.png" alt="Gioppino Basketball clip art" width="17" height="17" /></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong style="font-size: 1rem;"><span style="color: #ff6600; font-family: ’comic sans ms’, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">[player_tooltip player_id="537234" first="Brandon" last="Maclin"] (South Side)</span></strong></span></p> <p style="padding-left: 90px;">Brandon is the perfect example of a South Side player.  His tenacity is consistent.  For the last 2+ years Maclin has been stronger than his peers.  He likes to introduce opponents to his physical style of play.  There will be glimpses of his puffed-up chest as Maclin plays like the prototypical Alpha-male. </p> <p style="padding-left: 90px;"> </p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><img class="alignleft" src="http://www.clker.com/cliparts/d/1/4/6/11971185311926706097Gioppino_Basketball.svg.thumb.png" alt="Gioppino Basketball clip art" width="17" height="17" /><span style="color: #ff6600; font-family: ’comic sans ms’, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Riley Byron (Nolensville)</strong></span></span></p> <p style="padding-left: 90px;">As the starting point guard, Byron routinely checks opposing ball-handlers.  Byron defends those players effectively.  Though slightly undersized, Byron keeps his man from getting into the most dangerous areas with the chest of a wrestler and the grit of an alley cat.  </p>