#PHLive: 16U Standout Glue Guys
In this article:
<p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}">Kansas City, Missouri — <em>Prep Hoops Live </em>was a major event on the<em> Prep Hoops Circuit </em>that brought out over 300 grassroots teams from all across the country, making this o</span>ne of Prep Hoop’s largest events ever.<span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"> T</span>eams traveled far and wide to be a part of something special, filling up 3 different arenas and 28 courts all at once. The best grassroots basketball clubs as well as some of the top-ranked players in the nation showed up, showed out, and made this weekend in Kansas City worthwhile. Every type of prospect a college coach could possibly be in search of was in attendance, multiple 7-foot centers, next-level scorers, remarkable shooters, high flying dunkers, lockdown defenders, dime droppers, shot blockers, you name it, we had it. Here we’ll take a look at a few of the top glue guys from the 16U division that really held things together, stood out, and made a noticeable impact on the floor.</p>
<hr />
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong><img class="size-medium wp-image-1185424 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/IMG_0771-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" />Ja’Quan Bailey - Guard - Alabama Celtics</strong></em></span></p>
<p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Ja’Quan Bailey brought the grit and the grind to the floor for the Celtics,</span></span><span style="font-size: 1rem;"> making plays everywhere and showing </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;" data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="font-size: 1rem;">a </span></span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">phenomenal presence on both sides of the ball. Bailey’s a s</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">uper competitive, aggressive, </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">h</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;" data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}">igh motor, explosive athlete, with g</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">reat instincts, and a </span>natural feel for the game. The Celtics guard seemed to always be a step ahead of his opponents, making <span style="font-size: 1rem;">timely cuts to the basket offensively, disrupting passes, and shutting off pathways defensively. </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Bailey also played with a good rapport with his teammates, especially his fellow point guard,</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;"> </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">[player_tooltip player_id="1070680" first="Mardrecus" last="Moreland Jr"]... Ja’Quan </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Bailey’s </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">unselfishness and team-first mentality truly stood out, he’s the type of player that doesn’t care about making the highlight play, he’s only interested in doing what’s best for the team. </span></p>
<hr />
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1185411" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Team-Teague-2023-Collins-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" />Malik Hasani - Guard - Team Teague 2023 (Collins)</strong></em></span></p>
<p><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Sophomore guard, Malik Hasani consistently got hot and had spurts where he scored in bunches leading his team on a run when it was most needed. </span></span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}">Smooth, speedy, shifty, and electrifying, Hasani was a</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">mazing in a fast-paced, up-tempo style of play, just a</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;" data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}">n absolute </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;" data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}">blur in the open court.</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;" data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"> He l</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">oved to push the pace every chance he got, </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">changing speed and directions like no other, and showing a knack for keeping his defenders on their heels and off-balance. In a half-court setting, Malik displayed an exceptional </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">ability to get to his spots, he </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">stays low with</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;" data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}"> his dribble and attacks the hip of his opponent. Also a g</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}">ood pull-up jump shooter, Malik Hasani knocked it down off-balance, and with defenders flying by.</span></p>
<hr />
<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><em><strong><img class="size-medium wp-image-1185423 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/IMG_0762-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" />[player_tooltip player_id="1176704" first="Rylan" last="Kennedy"] - Small Forward - Texas Impact 4:13 UAA</strong></em></span></p>
<p> Texas Impact forward, [player_tooltip player_id="1176704" first="Rylan" last="Kennedy"] did<span style="font-size: 1rem;"> everything aggressively and with a full amount of effort. S</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">tanding at 6-feet-4-inches, Kennedy p</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">layed much bigger than his height, he wasn’t afraid to defend, bang, and battle with bigger, taller players down low in the post. Rylan proved to be an all-around defender that could guard almost every position on the court with ease, he has the strength,</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;"> length, and reaction time to bother guards, wings, and post players effectively. Kennedy got all of the hustle points, and p</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">layed the passing lanes very well, showing a talent for baiting players into throwing risky passes that he was always looking to take the other way for two points, which is made him such a huge t</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}">ransition threat. Offensively, the Sophomore forward got open and m</span><span data-tt="{"paragraphStyle":{"alignment":4,"writingDirection":1}}">oved without the ball, showing an ability to post up and play inside or step out and spread the floor. High ceiling for this young man who is becoming an offense’s nightmare. </span></p>
<hr />
<p> </p>
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue Reading
Already a subscriber?
Log in
