SW Washington Elite Showcase: Best Shooters & Passers

Kyle Randall

March 5, 2021 @ 09:05 AM

The SW Washington Elite Showcase was filled with great shooters and passers. Here are the players that did it the best. Shooters 2024 Merrick Benesch (5-11 SG, Astoria HS) Out of all the shooters on this list, Merrick is one that stood out. His team made it a point to find him on kick-outs and Merrick delivered. His release is a bit unorthodox so defenders have a hard time blocking his shot. He hit open three’s and contested three’s. Every time the ball left his hands everyone in the gym thought it was going in. Stock riser in 2024. 2022 <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/kaden-hansen/">[player_tooltip player_id="931155" first="Kaden" last="Hansen"]</a> (6-0 CG, Auburn HS) Kaden is a lefty with a smooth jumper. When defenses tried to closeout hard and run him off the line, he blew past them for a crafty finish at the rim or kick-out pass. He played at his own pace and was never in a hurry. 2023 Cavin Holden (6-0 PG, RA Long HS)   [caption id="attachment_1144358" align="alignleft" width="113"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/Cavin-Holden.jpeg"><img class=" wp-image-1144358" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/Cavin-Holden-200x300.jpeg" alt="" width="113" height="170" /></a> Photo: Aloha Salem, @lohshotem[/caption] Cavin continues to impress me with his shooting ability. In a 16-minute game, Cavin hit 5 three’s and one of them was from NBA-range to win the game. He plays with such poise and never hunts shots. He was fun to watch the whole showcase.           2023 Brodie Avalon (6-2 SG, Wahkiakum HS) Brodie has good size for a 2-guard. He is the ultimate catch & shoot threat. I was impressed with his confidence as a shooter. He has what all great shooters have— short-term memory. Every shot is his first shot and is always going in, at least that’s his mindset.   Passers 2022 Mac Klodt (6-0 PG, Hockinson HS) Mac has a really good feel for the game and a high IQ. He lived in the paint and played with great patience while in there either by pivot or probing with a live dribble. Not only was he able to make the simple pass to his open teammates, he created plays for his teammates as well. 2022 <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/daekwon-watson/">[player_tooltip player_id="674435" first="DaeKwon" last="Watson"]</a> (5-10 CG, Auburn HS) Daekwon was solid the whole showcase. He was patient and let the game come to him. Every time the defense made a mistake he capitalized. I was impressed with his leadership and ability to run his team despite never having played with any of them before. His passing ability opens up his scoring too, which showed in a sudden-death situation where he drove the lane and hit a floater for the win because the defense played him for the pass. 2021 <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/squeeky-johnson/">[player_tooltip player_id="843742" first="Squeeky" last="Johnson"]</a> (6-0 PG, Skyview HS) Squeeky has good size for a PG. He made good decisions out of the pick and roll and in transition. [caption id="attachment_1144365" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/Squeeky-Johnson-crop-1728x1135-1614882586.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1144365" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/03/Squeeky-Johnson-crop-1728x1135-1614882586-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: Aloha Salem @lohshotem[/caption] None of his passes were flashy, but they were always on target. He was in attack mode every game and the combination of his scoring and passing ability kept the defense honest.