PHSpringkickoff: 16U New Faces from Day 1

<p>Day 1 of the PHSpringkickoff was a success there were a lot of players that came in ready to compete and make a name for themselves. In this article we take a look at some of the kids that stood out on Saturday.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><b>Jerry Petty Jr.- Emerald City Basketball Academy 2023</b></p> <p>Jerry proved that he was one of best all around guards on the first day of Spring Kickoff. He handled the ball well and was able to create easy looks for his teammates when help came. Help always came at some point and he was impossible to stay in front of on offense and knocked down countless 3’s when teams tried to sag off. Jerry also didn’t shy away on defense. He’s a pesky defender that made sure to guard the opposing teams best guard every time down the court. It’ll be interesting to see if he is able to keep up this same level of play tomorrow as he was one of my favorite watched on the day.</p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="1168985" first="Hamza" last="Mursal"]- Colorado United 2023</b></p> <p>Hamza did not originally pass the eyes test but  definitely has some game. He is a high IQ player that has a way of making the players around him better, all while being able to play at his own pace. Offensively he threw off teams with his ability to get to the rim at will. He has excellent vision to make on target passes and takes chances. Hamza was also able to disrupt defenses by hitting tough mid range shots in traffic. Even with the great play of Hamza, his United team still has their work cut out for them as they try to get in the win column on Sunday but he stood out as a player to watch</p> <p><b>Kaison Mcclung- Colorado Chaos 2023</b></p> <p>Kaison one those player that you absolutely hate to play against but love having on your team as he has no quit in him. He is a sacraly guard that makes the game easy for the players around him and is truly an X-Factor for this Chaos team. Kaison is able to score at all three levels of the floor relatively easy and doesn’t need a high number of shots to do so. Defensively, he has active hands and is always looking to get an easy steal for a transition layup. With this level of play from Kaison, this Chaos team is going to give plenty of teams headaches.</p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="972414" first="David" last="Hageman"]- ATR Elite 2023</b></p> <p>David has an elite understanding and feel for the game. He’s isn’t going fill the stat sheet up with a bunch of points, but  he can score when needed. He has good size but plays the facilitating role to perfection and gets his teammates involved on and off the ball. Today he frustrated defenses with his craftiness in the paint and ability to disrupt defenses with his activity.</p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="1167020" first="Zach" last="Bowen"]- Collective 16U-Ware</b></p> <p>In two games, Zach became a player that will be on our radar for the next couple of years. He’s a player that is just now coming into his own and is trending in the right direction. As of now he is the hardest worker on the floor and doesn’t have a problem doing any of the dirty work. Zach makes a living getting easy looks at the basket rather it is a layup or jump, there isn’t too much that gets him rattled during games and the dunk that he had created some momentum for his team. Great opening day for him.</p>