The Tune Up: opening-night 17U report

<table style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #fdffd6;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="955401" first="Marcell" last="Perry"]</strong> | Oklahoma Chaos</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">6’5" SF/PF</td> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">Southeast HS ’22</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>A little more on his toes than he was last summer, Perry handled the ball and moved with a little more agility at the perimeter but with the same power we’re used to. The muscular forward started his senior summer on the circuit with an excellent performance against Blazers Elite, helping Chaos out to an early 20-0 lead. He rebounded the ball, converted on put-backs while powering through contact and even danced around the mid-range a bit to create his own shot.</p> <table style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #fdffd6;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1164868" first="Cade" last="Jennings"]</strong> | Oklahoma Chaos W</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 21px;"> <tbody> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 50%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">6’0" SG</td> <td style="width: 50%; height: 21px; text-align: center;">Weatherford HS ’22</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>Jennings must have stopped at the lovely Starbucks across the street from Drive Nation for an espresso before his 7 o’clock match. The incoming senior shot the lights out of the gym early, and made defenders respect him in the process. Further, his load-up time was impeccable as he hit shots with pressure in his face with poise.</p> <table style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #fdffd6;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="745376" first="James" last="Locke"]</strong> | Team Buddy Buckets OKC</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">6’3" PG</td> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">Carl Albert HS ’21 (Sunrise Christian Prep ’22)</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><i>State Champion Jimmy</i> racked up transition buckets Friday night in an exceptional showcase of his basketball iQ. The cerebral scoring guard has a lot of strengths — shooting at a high clip and appearing to jump off springs are a couple of them — but maybe his best gift is his mind. Before announcing his reclassification and transfer to Sunrise Christian the 1,000-point scorer from Carl Albert was one of the most college-ready available post-grads on the boards. Though he still has a year to acquire offers, this is a player on whom you want to bite quickly.</p> <table style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #ffd6d6;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="938861" first="Israel" last="Hart"]</strong> | Next Level</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">6’3" PG</td> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">Midwest City HS ’21</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>The slashing extraordinaire came back for a little post-senior action, and he wasted no time on Friday night. Early on, he got to the rack at his own leisure and finished strong, even drawing a foul and 3-point play on occasion. Hart also excelled for Next Level defensively, once stuffing an opposing guard on a mid-range jumper, and had his teammate gathered the rebound — knowing Izzy’s history with the rim — it would have turned into a spectacular flush on the opposite end.</p> <table style="height: 21px; width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #fdffd6;"> <tbody> <tr style="height: 21px;"> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center; height: 21px;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1049318" first="Graham" last="Tawwater"]</strong> | Next Level</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">6’5" G-F</td> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">Bishop McGuinness HS ’22</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>Tawwater showed off a bit of his arsenal early. The junior swingman has always been a lanky, competent scorer with vision for the floor, but his confidence has no soared. He did an excellent job of getting skinny on angles, outlasting defenders and finishing consistency at rim-height. He worked out to his mid-range game on occasion and converted on a couple smooth jumpers above his defender’s head. Tawwater also distributed the ball wall in the half-court, showcasing his vision for cutting teammates and timely playmaking skills.</p> <table style="width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: #ffd6d6;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 100%; text-align: center;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="938846" first="Javeon" last="McCalister"]</strong> | Next Level</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">6’0" PG</td> <td style="width: 50%; text-align: center;">Del City HS ’21</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>A recent 6A state champion, if you didn’t know, McCalister is a gritty, defensive-minded point guard, but don’t think he compromises skill for toughness. The speedy on-ball guard has more than a couple tricks up his sleeve. As a playmaker, McCalister did a good job passing the basketball on the drive-and-kick, but his scoring came first to draw defenders away from those teammates. Finishing with a team-high 19 points in a match against YB33, McCalister powered his way to the tack, finished through contest and knocked down a triple on his way to an impressive scoring performance.</p>