Weekend AAU Top Performers (I)

<p>This past weekend, some of the state’s top AAU programs competed in events in both Boise, Houston, and Southern California. We’re still catching up on a lot of film, but thanks to what we’ve seen so ar and chatting with numerous club/college coaches here are some of the top performers.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="857343" first="Samaje" last="Morgan"] (2022 Churchill)</strong></p> <p>Morgan dominated the competition in helping Elite 24 capture the H-Town Classic title. The 5-foot-10 junior sliced through defenses off the dribble, getting to the bucket for his own points or dishing it off to teammates for easy layups. Morgan especially got the job done in transition, pushing the ball and finding guys cutting to the hoop with some sweet dishes. He knocked down some open threes to keep defenses honest as well. If there was a tournament MVP, it would have been given to Morgan.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="942247" first="Devon" last="Malcolm"] (2022 South Medford)</strong></p> <p>The new Panther put on a dunking exhibition for A-Train Oregon Magic in several of the games we watched. The 6-foot-4 swingman caught lobs off in-bounds plays, attacked the rim from the top of the key and attacked the rim, and caught bodies in transition. Malcolm is a high flyer who not only finishes but finishes with authority. He knocked down some open threes as well and continues to develop an in-between game.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="861087" first="Esyah" last="Pippa-White"] (2023 Gresham)</strong></p> <p>Pippa-White hasn’t played a lot of club basketball this off-season, choosing instead to work out on his body and athleticism. That certainly showed up in the point guard’s play with A-Train Oregon Magic. He used his added strength to get into the lane to create and finish around the hoop absorbing contact and he made some good plays in transition to get others involved.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="855935" first="Nic" last="Boyd"] (2021 La Salle)</strong></p> <p>Boyd may not have scored as much as we’ve seen in previous events but the 6-foot senior had a solid outing. He generally took good care of the basketball and looked to get his teammates involved, doing his best to adjust to playing with new teammates. Offensively when Boyd got looks he knocked them down as we rarely saw him miss a three-point attempt. Boyd is currently unsigned.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="855943" first="Jonah" last="Zeller"] (2021 Catlin Gabel)</strong></p> <p>In the games we saw, Zeller showed periods of dominance on both ends at times. The potential of the 6-foot-10 post can be summarized in one play during the weekend. On defense, he came over to block a layup attempt and the on the ensuing fast break, ran all the way to the other end to catch the pass and finish at the cup. Zeller’s motor and aggressiveness going to the basket have steadily been improving and that growth should continue at Concordia-St. Paul.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="855932" first="Braden" last="Hudgins"] (2021 Forest Grove)</strong></p> <p>Hudgins rejoined the Elite 24 squad he started with last summer and seamlessly fit in. The 6-foot-7 senior basically did whatever was needed - in one game he lit it up from long range, in others he simply focused on effectively utilizing his size to rebound the basket and really hold his ground defensively and add a shot-blocking presence. He remains unsigned.</p>