#PHLiveSZNKickoff 16U Day 1 Standouts
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Our first look at the #PHLiveSZNKickoff 16U group did not disappoint on Friday night. There was plenty of athleticism across the board, and some elite shooting to go with it. Here are the six players whose performances stood out the…
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Continue ReadingOur first look at the #PHLiveSZNKickoff 16U group did not disappoint on Friday night. There was plenty of athleticism across the board, and some elite shooting to go with it. Here are the six players whose performances stood out the most.
Joe Ofori Minnesota Chill Elite 2023
The 6’5″ big man used his physicality and aggression to swallow up every rebound in sight on Friday night. He showed the ability to grab the board, take it himself up the floor, and find the open man in transition. When driving to the rim in the half court, he loves to use a spin to get around his defenders, and nobody on Friday was stopping that.
Khalif Bettis Khalif Bettis 6'6" | SF Burnsville | 2023 State MN Minnesota Chill Elite 2023
Bettis feasted in the paint. The teams Minnesota Chill Elite faced on Friday did not have an answer for the size they brought to the table, and Bettis capitalized. He relentlessly attacked the basket, earning plenty of trips to the free throw line. If the defense did cut him off, he had no issue going to the pull up jumper in the midrange. He even stepped out and hit a few threes off the catch. It was an excellent performance from the Apple Valley wing.
Makaen Hastings Makaen Hastings 5'11" | PG Salina South | 2023 KS SSA Hoops Elite 2023-1
SSA Hoops faced off against Minnesota Chill Elite in their one game of the night, and it wasn’t all that pretty. SSA Hoops was overwhelmed by the size and speed of Minnesota Chill Elite, but Hastings competed his tail off. The 5’10″ point guard stole extra possessions for his team by living in passing lanes and sneaking up behind ball-handlers. He is fast, but not faster than his opponents last night. Despite that, he expertly finished at the rim, using unique angles and off-beat footwork to finish among the trees.
Ta’ndre Perkins Sal Elite 2023
Sal Elite took on Team Rogue’s 16U team, and it was excellent entertainment. A back and forth affair, ultimately ending in a Team Rogue 67–60 win, but Perkins was excellent in defeat. He made tough finishes in traffic look easy around the rim. His rebounding and defense in the second half gave Sal Elite the jolt they needed. He was flying around the court racking up deflections and blocking rim attempts. Team Rogue dominated the glass early, and Perkins made sure that wasn’t happening in the second half.
Evan Barber Evan Barber 6'1" | CG Westmoore | 2023 State OK Team Rogue 2023
The best 16U player of the night was Barber. He is a superb ball-handler in pick and roll. He uses screens as good as anyone I’ve seen at this level. With Team Rogue’s back against the wall, Barber got to the rim for high-percentage looks, several of those drives resulting in free throws. Sal Elite did a pretty good job walling off the paint for stretches, so Barber calmly pulled up from several feet beyond the three-point line, sinking several.
Zach Hays Zach Hays 6'3" | SF Westmoore | 2023 State OK Team Rogue 2023
The big man was tasked with guarding 7’2″ Madelo Deng for several possessions last night, and he more than held his own. He used physicality and leverage to out-rebound the 7-footer, and he used his speed advantage to go right at him on offense. He did all the dirty work for Team Rogue, which allowed players like Barber to do their thing on the perimeter.