Hustle in the Sun: Top 2021-23 Newcomers

<p>The Prep Hoops Circuit was back in town this weekend for the <strong>Hustle in the Sun </strong>at Inspire Court in Gilbert, AZ. There were 65 teams from the 15-17U levels. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>We look at some of the top newcomers from the senior, junior and sophomore classes that were discovered this weekend:</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>2021</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1196521" first="Justin" last="Phillips"] <strong>(Legion of Hoops) (Pictured) </strong></p> <p>-A long and athletic wing shows nice upside. He has slowly progressed over the last two years. He has an impressive layup package as he uses long strides getting to the cup. He cuts to the basket without the ball, makes extra passes and grabs out of his area rebounds in traffic. He hustles on defense and will defend nearly everyone on the court.  </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>2022</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1196502" first="Nick" last="Morrow"] <strong>(Flagstaff Hoops)</strong></p> <p>-A skilled four-man can shoot it from the 3pt line and in. He has a nice touch inside with his left or right hand. He outlets the ball to teammates and will block shots in his area. He brings his football frame and toughness to every game played and uses his physicality deep inside to fight. It will be interesting which route he goes to college with hoops or football.  </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1196511" first="Mark" last="Clegg Jr"] <strong>(AZ Junior Ballers 2022 Black)</strong></p> <p>-A long combo guard loves touching the paint and making a play off of it. He could play the 1-4 in a pinch as he is very versatile. He rebounds well and will push it up the court then penetrate and kick. He makes open 3’s and can pull-up off the dribble from mid-range. He is very shifty and combines it with hesitations, which makes him a tough cover. He also uses his length to get inside and score versus bigger players and will rebound and block shots. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1196516" first="Lawren" last="Mitchell"] <strong>(Westside Elite 2022)</strong></p> <p>-An athletic guard is an explosive leaper to dunk the ball way above the rim. He brings immense energy to the court. He wins many 50/50 balls and hustles for rebounds. He is a capable 3pt shooter who gets high elevation on his J and changes directions quickly with the ball.  </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>2023</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1196528" first="Jesus" last="Almaraz"] <strong>(AZ Phenoms 2023)</strong></p> <p>-A thicker forward with a polished game. He uses a nice handle for a forward and can create his own offense. He is very patient and uses hook shots, fades away on his defender, he can hit an open perimeter jumper and play some bully ball inside. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1197637" first="Pasha" last="Shemirani"] <strong>(AZ Select 2023-2)</strong></p> <p>-The Tucson product caught my eye. He has decent size for a forward and moves well in space. He runs the floor on offense and defense and rebounds well in his area. He can hit the occasional 3 plus score it inside. He does a lot of things well on the court.  </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1196527" first="Ivory" last="Washington"]<strong> (Flagtown Kings 2022)  </strong></p> <p>-A good looking soph from the Flagstaff area showed some flash playing up. He has good speed in the open court and is quick with the ball. He can make the catch-3 and is always looking to set up his teammates. He is very quick on the ball defensively. </p>