BW Elite 17u: Player Evaluations

<p>The Brad Wanamaker Elite have been on a roll this month. They were impressive at Spooky Nook. Then they won the Platinum Division Championship at the Pitt Jam Fest this past weekend and they did it with a well-balanced team featuring a variety of skillsets. 2022 6’7 W/F [player_tooltip player_id="991210" first="Nasir" last="Griffin"] is their most high profile player. Below are evaluations of a few of their lesser known guys, in the context of the roles they play on this team.</p> <p><b>Chad Anglin</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> 2022 6’8 C </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Anglin is a crucial piece for them because he extends possessions on one end and completes them on the other. His rebounding keeps plays alive and creates easy offense for him. Chad is slightly built, moves like a wing, and is light on his feet, allowing him to jump quickly, even when he doesn’t have the height advantage. Defensive versatility is his calling card right now due to how he defends on the perimeter and blocks shots.</span></p> <p><b>Hadir Boswell</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> 2022 6’4 F</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hadir may be undersized but he’s a good secondary playmaker and critical to their success. BW Elite runs offense through him from the high post, where he’s able to execute high-low actions with other bigs, hit cutters, or find open shooters. His toughness in the post was a big help too, as he rebounded an set screen.</span></p> <p><b>Marcus Branker, Jr.</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> 2023 6’4 W</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">MJ is a good wing defender at the point of attack, cutting off his man on drives. When he’s on offense, he likes to use his body to get to his spots and initiate contact in the air. As a shooter, Marcus has the potential to space the floor based on his mid-range game and his free throw shooting. The rising junior is playing up a level but is more than holding his own. </span></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1279614" first="Earle" last="Greer Jr"]<span style="font-weight: 400;"> 2022 6’5 G/W</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The lanky shooter from Delco Christian has a smooth release. His teammates create open looks for him and his shooting opens up the floor for them. What makes him so valuable is that he can play without the ball; he’s fine just catching &amp; shooting. But you can’t settle with running him off the line because he knocks down 1 or 2-dribble pull-ups from mid-range.</span></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1121757" first="Ronny" last="Raphael"]<span style="font-weight: 400;"> 2022 6’0 PG</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ronny is their primary on-ball creator. He broke defenses down off the dribble on his way to the rim. Once he got there, he consistently converted his attempts with his crafty lay-up package. His tenacious on-ball defense also generated turnovers and instant offense for his teammates on fast-breaks.</span></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="991275" first="Shakur" last="Smith"] 2022 6’5 W</p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Raphael’s teammate at Imhotep, Shakur is ultra athletic. His lateral mobility allows him to defend most perimeter players and he’s able to contest shots with his vertical - on the perimeter and at the rim. Often the beneficiary of the fast-breaks started by Ronny, Smith is a high flying play-finisher and an improving threat against closeouts.</span></p>