#PHSpringKickoff Day 1 2022 Standout Bigs

<p>The #PHSpringKickoff got started this weekend with our games to get the summer started. It was our first time seeing the players since the end of the regular season. There were players from far and near that got it going. We will get it kicked off with five bigs that caught our eye from Day 1.</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="918899" first="James" last="Shiers"] – Pro Skills</strong></h3> <p>Shiers is the biggest player in the gym more often than not, and this was a setting where you could see him looking comfortable. Shiers has a great motor for his size, gets downhill running, and finishes in traffic. He was altering plenty of shots at the rim in Pro Skills first game against Pluto Prospects and had five blocks in the game. A play that stood out for me was Shiers blocking a shot, then having to get across court to run a shooter off of the 3-point line and then catching up and blocking a shot at the rim and getting the rebound to go along with it. It appears that his coordination is more in-tune than it ever was, and that is an issue for opposing teams. The 7-footer stood out in the game. </p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="618878" first="Derik" last="Pranger"] – RoughRidersGive</strong></h3> <p>Pranger is a score-first player but a bucket nonetheless. He is always in a position to score and does not turn down open shots. With how many talented guards that are surrounding him, he can catch and shoot, and it also forces him to step down to the forward and big man spot, which creates mismatches. Pranger provides so much spacing with the gravity that he pulls away from the rim. He is 6’7 with a college-ready shot, and he also was defending in ways that we have not saw from him. He was ripping players in the open court, getting his hands in the passing lanes, and turning that into scoring opportunities. In RoughRidersGive’s first win of the day against a talented Colorado Chaos team, he finished with 18 points and some big rebounds. Solid opening day for him. </p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1019153" first="Drew" last="Reichart"] — Colorado Chaos </strong></h3> <p>It was a bit different seeing Reichart be forced to some guard duties as he is one of the primary ballhandlers on the team, but where he found success was inside. It is his natural position and where he looks best at but having the ability to switch it up at times makes it easier to create mismatches where bigger and slower players are guarding him, and he is able to attack the rim. Reichart made it a point to get inside, and he also was a force on the boards. Reichart was grabbing boards and starting the break, finishing on rebounds and going right up with it, and also helping out down low to protect the rim. </p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1168172" first="Hudson" last="Anderson"] — Roughridersgive </strong></h3> <p>Anderson was one of the top standouts on the day and dominated in both games. He did a bit of everything, and his ability to both attack inside and out gave his team easy scoring opportunities. He is long at 6’6 and is an aggressive defender that meets players at the rim. He had multiple blocked shots, boxes out, and also soars for rebounds. He scored in bunches and finished through contact. Anderson is a balanced player that showcases the ability to do a bit of everything and put his team in positions to win. Anderson fills the lanes correctly,  runs the break, and finishes at or above the rim. Opposing teams had a difficult time trying to slow him down, and he dominated on the day. </p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Joe Andrew -- GTown 2022</strong></h3> <p>Andrew is a player who starred in his role as doing all of the small things beyond the scoreboard. He fills the lanes correctly, battles for rebounds, throws great outlet passes, and finishes around the rim. What he did in his second game of the day was space the floor with his outside shot and find holes as a slasher that got him easy scoring opportunities. Andrew understands where to be on the floor and stays out of the way. He flashes to the high/post, makes the right pass, puts the ball on the floor a bit, and looks to attack. He is not a player you have to run plays for but always have to understand where he is at—solid day for him to start out the event. </p>