Observations from Gilbert at Campo Verde

On Friday January 29th I attended the 5A Gilbert Tigers at the 5A Campo Verde Coyotes.   Here were some observations from the three games I viewed: #1 Gilbert has an impressive program from Fr-V. #2 Campo Verde has an up and coming program. #3 Three freshman from Gilbert stood out in the freshman/soph game. [player_tooltip player_id="1124551" first="Dylan" last="Hunt"] Gilbert -A long 4-man is a good rebounder and can score it around the rim. He should be a nice piece to the puzzle for the Tigers in the next 1-2 years on varsity. [player_tooltip player_id="1124552" first="Jveonte" last="KIdd"] Gilbert -The ball is on a string for Kidd. He has incredible speed in the open court and uses his tight handle to get into the lane and score it on floaters. His quickness is obvious and he can make plays for others off of the pick and roll. [player_tooltip player_id="1124561" first="Mason" last="Villela"] Gilbert -A multi-level scorer has good length and a high IQ. He can get into the lane with long strides and a good burst. He can euro his way to the basket and has the mid-range jumper as well. He uses his length to rebound. #4 Two sophs and one freshman stood out from Campo Verde in the freshman/soph game. Josh Campbell SG 5’11 2023 Campo Verde -A natural scoring guard sat out all of last year and he is quickly finding his footing. He had 24 points in the game and he may go from this game to varsity next year. He has good body control in the lane to score through contact plus he has the euro step. He can hit the 3 and plays the passing lanes on defense. Joseph Starace PF 6’3 2023 Campo Verde -A bouncy forward is a defensive gem. He has a quick second jump and grabs the rebound at its highest point. He had 10+ rebounds and finds ways to get to the FT line and is active throughout the game. Soren Theurer SG 5’11 2024 Campo Verde -A good catch shooter from the 3pt line is also a tough defender. He plays the 3 and D role and he can get a step on his defender as well. #5 One soph stood out from Campo Verde in the JV game. Garrett Ahern PF 6’5 2023 Campo Verde -A stud baseball pitcher is pretty good at hoops. He springs up to block shots and rebounds in and out of his area impressively. He can face-up from the 3 to mid plus score it around basket with soft hands. #6 Three sophs and a freshman stood out from Gilbert in the JV game. [player_tooltip player_id="1124549" first="Jaelen" last="Green"] Gilbert -An athletic wing can defend multiple positions. He is a very fluid athlete and can get into the lane with long strides. He has a nice ball rotation on his FT’s and uses the floater as well. [player_tooltip player_id="1124721" first="Tony" last="Willis"] Gilbert -A shooter from mid to the 3pt line who handles it fairly well and smartly changes speeds. He has the floater game, he can pull from mid to the 3pt line and has good footwork. [player_tooltip player_id="1124722" first="Jaden" last="Acuna"] Gilbert -A natural scorer from all levels. The lefty is crafty to get into the lane. He hesitates then can blow by his defender. He is somewhat left dominant but is very effective with it. He likes working from mid-range and in. Golden Thibaudeau SF 6’0 2023 Gilbert -Shooter off the catch has a pretty spin on his ball. He slings it off the catch quickly and one of the those shots that look good every attempt.   Varsity game: #7 Campo Verde has multiple youngsters for the future as they are building a nice program in 5A. #8 Campo Verde found their PG of the future and present with [player_tooltip player_id="994130" first="Isaiah" last="Kai"] #9 Gilbert is a well oiled machine and will be a factor in the playoffs this year and many more years to come. #10 This varsity game was easily the best game of the year for me personally. It went into 2OT and had exciting plays and moments including Jace Reed 3 to send the game into the first OT.   #11 Here were the Varsity standouts: Gilbert 74 Campo Verde 70 2OT (unofficial stats)   Campo Verde [player_tooltip player_id="994130" first="Isaiah" last="Kai"] Campo Verde (16 pts 6 rebs 7 asts 3 stls) -A pure PG who has taken over the team his soph year. He has a tight handle and can shoot it, but he may be the best soph PG passer in the AIA, which is saying a lot. He makes full court passes look easy. He advance passes, makes pocket passes off the pick and roll game and blow-by hand offs to cutters or his post players. He can hit the catch-3 plus pull-up from mid-range. He changes speeds really well and once he gets into the lane, he has a nice floater. Jace Reed SF 6’0 2021 Campo Verde (20 pts 8 rebs 1 stl 2 charges) -Don’t let his height fool you. This kid is one of the strongest players in 5A. The lefty can take it to the cup off the bounce and seeks contact and bounces off of you to score it. He also is a good shooter and came up clutch <a href="https://twitter.com/GreggRosenberg1/status/1355355945623142401">hitting a 3 to send the game into the first OT.</a> He can hit the mid and has a floater as well. He is strong to rebound and is the heart and soul of the team. Kyle Miller PF 6’3 2021 Campo Verde (15 pts 10 rebs 4 stls) -A long forward has an unorthodox game that is very effective. He plays with a big motor and rebounds in and out of his area. He has a fluid handle and can drive passed his defenders with euros and long strides making off balanced shots in traffic. He keeps plays alive and he is their inside presence. [player_tooltip player_id="1124550" first="Cohen" last="Ferguson"] Campo Verde (5 pts 3 rebs 1 blk) -The freshman got the start and played efficiently. He hit a catch-3 and layup and just played a smart game. He didn’t get a lot of touches but he will be a big part of their future. Ty McDowell SF 6’1 2023 Campo Verde (5 pts 6 rebs 1 ast 1 blk) -An athletic undersized forward can rebound above the crowd plus can shoot it off the catch. He does many little things to affect a win. He can make a 3 plus block a shot. A nice versatile young player to have.   Gilbert [player_tooltip player_id="827033" first="Nikko" last="Pentelute"] Gilbert (20 pts 6rebs 2 stls) -A tough and physical scorer. He is very competitive and he can shoot. His pull-up from mid-range is polished. He can stretch it out to the 3 plus euro his way to the cup. He can score through contact with his study frame and has good length and strength to collect steals. He has a high IQ and the Tigers play through him often and they usually cash in. [player_tooltip player_id="703847" first="Tampa" last="Scott"] Gilbert (14 pts 2 rebs 4 asts 4 stls) -A jet quick PG is a natural leader. He sets the tone for the team with his tough on-ball defense. He has quick hands and feet picking the pockets of the opposing ball handlers. He makes good reads with the ball and he can shoot it from the perimeter. He has a pull-up from mid to the 3 and is one of those players that is just a gamer. [player_tooltip player_id="1054334" first="Eli" last="Johnson"] Gilbert (19 pts--5 3's) -The fast guard is becoming one of the better shooters in the Tigers program. He hit five 3's off the catch with a fast release and squares up quickly. He also has a burst into the lane to get passed his defender. He has quicker hands to defend and makes good decisions with the ball. He can play on or off the ball. [player_tooltip player_id="814525" first="KJ" last="Perry"] Gilbert (8 pts 4 rebs 1 ast 2 stls) -An athletic quick-twitched wing flies in the open court. He is a lock down defender with good awareness, length and speed. He is a natural downhill player with great body control scoring on difficult layups in traffic. He rebounds the ball among the trees and is a smart passer.