AAU Workout Visit: Reach Higher Kings 17U

<p>It was good to be back with my friend Mike Adamson and his Reach Higher Kings last week, spent most of the joint workout eyeing up the 17U bunch, who return some key pieces from last year’s bunch.</p> <p>Here are some of the high points from the older kids (Elliot Palmer unfortunately suffered an apparent ankle sprain early in the night):</p> <p><em><strong>Manny Vasquez, 5-10, PG, Dacula, 2022</strong></em></p> <p>TRAITS: Really has slowed things down in the sense that his game is no longer the runaway train but a train with all kinds of speeds available, he did some impressive work in the mid-range with a soft J as well as showing off sound decision-making and understanding of spacing, made some clever feeds showing off his acumen as a floor leader, the night’s biggest surprise and one to watch as he gets set to have the ball in his hands a whole lot more at Dacula next winter.</p> <p><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1050048" first="Khadar" last="Musa"], 6-3, SG, Norcross, 2022</strong></em></p> <p>TRAITS: A little bigger and longer this year and those two qualities show in how he has adapted his game, still gets to the basket in a slithery and effective way, that length and his still athletic activity means he can guard multiple spots and rebound well from the backcourt, expanded his shooting range out closer to the arc and that makes him a much more versatile option to crack Jesse McMillan’s rotation next year.</p> <p><em><strong>Colby Pepperman, 6-4, PF, Alpharetta, 2022</strong></em></p> <p>TRAITS: More variety apparent in his arsenal as he combines a soft stroke from range with some nice feet and crafty moves inside, plays hard and may not get the first attempted rebound but will keep fighting for the ball as it bandies about, excellent defender both guarding the block and as a surprisingly nimble shot-blocker, will be a different-looking Raiders team with some key scoring guards graduated or transferred so he and a slew of other spot-contributors will step into larger roles. </p> <p><em><strong>Caleb Riley, 5-10, CG, Johns Creek, 2022</strong></em></p> <p>TRAITS: Showed off his well-earned reputation as a deadeye bomber with a bunch of deep 3s and several other pretty-looking J’s in the mid-range, takes really good care of the ball both out in space and in the halfcourt, a little bigger and stronger-looking and that serves him well in the 17U division and will be key if he’s to be the full-time lead man for the Gladiators next winter.</p> <p><em><strong>Darrell Turner, 6-1, SF, Undecided, 2022</strong></em></p> <p>TRAITS: Newly transferred in from Maryland, the Snellville resident looked really sharp on the attack coming downhill off the wing and along the baseline, looks and plays bigger than his 6-1 and that surprises even his own teammates as he hits the boards like someone 6-5, the athleticism falls into the sneaky-good category until he’s by you and you learn your lesson, fascinating potential smaller college prospect whose choice of high school will certainly play a role in his exposure level.</p> <p><strong>OTHERS: Elliot Palmer (Alpharetta, 2022), Ahmadou Diallo (Alpharetta, 2022), Cooper Watts (West Forsyth, 2022), DJ Phipps (Duluth, 2022), Noel Asiedu (Alpharetta, 2022), Matt Aronowitz (Riverwood, 2023), Dellen Hill</strong></p>