Winter Challenge Tip-Off Classic: Hidden Gems

This past weekend I stopped by the local FieldhouseUSA in search of basketball tournaments or games. Then I stumbled upon the Winter Challenge Tip-Off Classic presented by PrimeTime Sports. This is a small weekly event made up of local grassroots teams pertaining only juniors and seniors. These hidden gems showed good potential and JUCO talent. Here are just a few of those juniors and seniors that stood out amongst the rest of the pack. <div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1awozwy r-18u37iz r-dnmrzs"> | Noah McKinley | Point Guard | Flower Mound HS | Texas Titans | </div> <div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1awozwy r-18u37iz r-dnmrzs"> Noah Mckinley is a fearless, gritty point guard with deadly open court speed. Even at his smaller stature, McKinley isn’t afraid to attack the hole relentlessly, he possesses the strength and aggression to finish plays in the driving lanes despite contact from much bigger and taller defenders. Noah continuously looked to make a play, he put defenders on skates with his low combo dribbling moves and his ability to keep his dribble alive while circling the lane to find an open teammate. The Texas Titans guard showed a knack for touching the paint just by attacking the hip of his defenders and driving through them as well. Noah McKinley had full control of his offense, he directed guys and put players in the right spots to succeed on the floor, proving to be a good decision-maker with the ball in his hands. | Lee Kayea | Forward | Lewisville HS | Texas Titans | </div> Versatile playmaking forward, with tremendous fundamentals that impacted the game in multiple ways whether it was passing, shooting, rebounding, chasing down loose balls, or setting off-ball screens that gave his teammates freedom to open driving lanes and jump shots. Lee Kayea was the glue guy and leader of his team, he played with a great feel for the game, letting everything come to him, he played at his own pace, and also looked to make the right play every single time the ball was in his hands. An extremely unselfish player that displayed an impressive passing ability with the dimes he dropped. Kayea proved to be a gifted passer with high-quality court vision, his assists were quick and right on target, he hit teammates the moment they were in a position to score, threw guys open with his bounce passes, and saw plays before they developed. Lee played off of his teammates very well with and without the ball, anytime his teammates attacked the basket he popped out for an open shot attempt, and more times than not he made the defense pay for giving him too much space, particularly from beyond the perimeter where he knocked down several open 3-point shots. When it came to rebounding, he couldn’t be kept off the glass. Kayea did an excellent job of following shots all the way to the rim, consistently getting his body on a man and boxing them out. He showed good strong hands when grabbing and securing the ball. His size and length assisted him greatly at being the first to the ball whenever it came off the rim. Lee seemed to always be in the right spot because the ball continuously fell right into his hands. Defensively, he swatted shots away from all over the floor, catching shots in mid-air and sending them in the opposite direction. Lee Kayea is a high motor ballplayer that played and guarded multiple positions effectively due to his size, strength, length, instincts, and skill set. | [player_tooltip player_id="1052085" first="Aiden" last="TenEyck"] | Shooting Guard/ Small Forward | Byron Nelson HS | Texas Titans | [player_tooltip player_id="1052085" first="Aiden" last="TenEyck"] is a smooth operator that possesses all of the ball skills to become a dangerous guard, he can dribble, pass, and shoot all at an exceptional level. TenEyck had creative ways of getting into the teeth of the defense, using his smooth pull back crossovers, euro-steps, and step-through moves, along with his slick first step, especially near the baseline where he could get to the basket in just one dribble. He made fools out of the defenders to attempted to over pursue or reach when he had the ball. Aiden also showed a capability of scoring in and around the post, he looks as if he’s developing a soft touch near the basket. He did a great job of getting open by posting up and shooting when facing up. [player_tooltip player_id="1052085" first="Aiden" last="TenEyck"] can become a force to be reckoned with as he improves on his strength. He already has elite length and a very wide wingspan which helps me tremendously as a defender, making it difficult for guys to shoot over him and pass around him. | Mark Walker | Shooting Guard | Mansfield Summit HS | Cavs Hoops | Mark Walker proved to be a dynamic rebounding guard that attacked the boards at a high rate on the defensive end and immediately looked to start the fast break. Walker is a strong slasher and finisher at the hoop, anytime he drove the lane, he drove hard, showing a willingness to put his body into a defender and draw the foul call. On this day, he was relentless and persistent when taking it in, a very tough player to keep out of the paint when he’s coming down the court full speed. It didn’t matter who was standing in his way or how many were in his way, he still attacked with no regard. His concentration and ability to finish through the contact was tremendous, Walker’s eyes stayed locked onto the goal at all times. Mark Walker even showed some toughness when he hurt his ankle but returned to finish the game and the one that followed. Walker continued to be effective, although he wasn’t as much of a threat scoring the ball and attacking, he continued to control the glass and be a problem in the passing lanes, just doing whatever he could to impact the game while also keeping the score close.