2023 PlayAZ Only: Team North

Gregg Rosenberg May 31, 2021 @ 02:19 PM

Last week I attended The Show Justin Vargas 2023 PlayAz Only showcase. 33 players were invited to the event with everyone playing 3 games each with 4 teams (East, West, North and South). 7 were brand new for myself with four of them from AZ and the three others may land at a local prep. Team North [player_tooltip player_id="994004" first="Mathiang" last="Maker"] Dream City Christian -A fluid forward earned the MVP of the event. He is one of the more naturally talented players in the state. He is wildly athletic on the break way above the rim. He can score from all 3 levels and does it with style. He takes long strides into the lane and will flush it down with good body control around traffic. He is a decent 3pt shooter considering how well he does all the other things. He blocks shots in bunches and makes it tough to score on inside. His range on his shooting and his ability to take the ball off the glass and go coast to coast is impressive. Stock up! [player_tooltip player_id="814521" first="Aadem" last="Isai"] Valley Vista -One of the craftier guards in the class. He makes passes with his left or right hand into a teammates shooting pocket look routine. He changes speeds and has a huge IQ to go along with his deep 3pt shooting. He is a very steady player. [player_tooltip player_id="1168771" first="Nait" last="George"] Dream City Christian -A pure PG is trying to survey the scene the entire game. He also makes passes with either hand and can shoot it. He has the floater game and will take contact and score it. He is best off the catch from the 3pt line and his mind and skill make his game go. [player_tooltip player_id="936907" first="Shane" last="Williams"] South Mountain -A long high-level shot blocker and rebounder. He is a true rim runner who plays above the rim on the break. His long limbs, athleticism and size allow him disrupt opposing players to score inside. He moves his feet on the perimeter and is tough inside. He can still make strides with his shooting, but he is showing that he is improving from mid to the 3. [player_tooltip player_id="1141681" first="Jonathan" last="Bradford"] Williams Field -An athletic two-way player. He is very long defender, which seems to be his best current skill. He is a quick twitched athlete and gets into a stance and makes it difficult to score on him. Offensively, he shoots the 3 while getting high elevation on his J and can make some plays for others. [player_tooltip player_id="1180584" first="Pasha" last="Shemirani"] Salpointe Catholic -An improving forward showed off a little more what he can do. He has a big motor to rebound and wins many 50/50 plays. He can rip through and score it inside. His ability to create his own shot on the perimeter and in the low post is advancing his game. [player_tooltip player_id="1202068" first="Canyon" last="Torres"] Salpointe Catholic -A sturdy framed guard who can score it. He is very confident and slings it with range. He is predominantly catch and shoot but gets a clean look and uses a quicker trigger to his advantage. He shows high effort on the defensive end using his nice build and strength. [player_tooltip player_id="1202069" first="Kevontre" last="Cushenberry"] NFL Yet -One of the new prospects plays for the 2A Eagles. They always seem to have some nice sleepers every few years. He love taking the ball to the basket using his strong frame an length. He can hit the 3 or from mid-range. Albeit a little streaky, he can side step and release the 3 with range.