Star City Classic: Kansas SG’s and Combo’s
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A loaded event went down up in Lincoln this weekend featuring the likes of Bradley Beal Elite, Nebraska Supreme, Run GMC, Drive 5, OSA, and SSA Elite. The level of play and quality of games was tremendous, with some high…
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Continue ReadingA loaded event went down up in Lincoln this weekend featuring the likes of Bradley Beal Elite, Nebraska Supreme, Run GMC, Drive 5, OSA, and SSA Elite. The level of play and quality of games was tremendous, with some high profile names, teams, and performances going down throughout the weekend. Guys like Gradey Dick Gradey Dick 6'7" | SF Sunrise Christian (KS) | 2022 State #21 Nation KS put on a show and played at an extremely high level.
Let’s looks at some of the other stand out guard play
Cooper Jackson Cooper Jackson 6'0" | PG Free State | 2022 State KS , 6’1 Guard, Run GMC 2022: A tremendous competitor and high intensity motor guards on the weekend and that I like in Kansas. The Free State product always brings a spark of life to his Run squad in his minutes on the floor, guarding and pressuring full court, bringing verbal leadership, and a different kind of back court burst with the ball. Had moments shooting the ball pretty well over the weekend and with shot creation off the bounce at a high level both for himself and his teammates, but I love the havoc he can cause on the defensive end and urgency he plays with. Jackson is a nice puzzle piece for Run as he can spell some quality point guard minutes and play off the ball with his other back court mates and pick up a scoring load too. Jackson is someone who can be relied upon in big stretches of games.
Zaid Dajani Zaid Dajani 6'4" | CG Olathe Northwest | 2022 State KS , 6’4 SG, SSA Elite 2022 Black: Dajani continues to score at a high clip and in a variety of ways, at the rim, off the pull up, and in 4 out of 5 games this weekend shot the ball of the catch and shoot 3 at a very efficient number. Dajani averaged 20.4 points per game in 5 games against Run GMC, Nebraska Supreme, Powerhouse Red, SW Iowa Sttack, and Lincoln Supreme National 1. This is also his 3rd straight tournament averaging over 20 points per game. Great reach and touch in the painted area allows him to get tough finishes off over length.
Howard Johnson Howard Johnson 6'0" | SG Junction City | 2022 State KS , 6’1 Guard, SSA Elite 2022 Black: Johnson put together a stellar weekend showing off a little bit of what we already knew about his game, the scoring and shooting ability, but also the new and expanding play creation ability. After night 1, Johnson was able to slow down and read defenses, make great reads that led to assists or great shots, and cut down on the turnovers. The Junction City guard continues to be a rock solid guard rebounder and defender who’s continuing to get tougher and tougher on the basketball court. The guard also continued to shoot the 3 ball at a very accurate clip.
Blake Rucker, 6’1 Guard, Drive 5 15U: Rucker had a solid weekend on a very talented and gritty Drive 5 15U squad. He has great catch and shoot ability from the perimeter and has the toughness and IQ that helps him fit in well with this group. Much like the 16U group, the 15s for Drive 5 were really playing well together over the weekend and Rucker was able to be a part of that and make some plays or the squad.
Dillon Mong, 6’7 Guard/Wing, Drive 5 16U: With Mong, its all about his length and premier knock down shooting ability. He will continue to become a fully tremendous high school/grassroots prospects with more minutes and game action. His size and length combination and ability to play out on the perimeter is a tremendous advantage and Mong takes quality shots.
Kaeden Bonner Kaeden Bonner 6'1" | SG Seaman | 2023 State KS , 6’ SG, Run GMC 2023: Bonner was able to fill his role for the talented Run 16 and knock down the 3 ball this past weekend. In the game I watched his hit a couple kick out catch and shoot threes, one of his best traits. He continues to get better on the defensive end of the floor as well and also had some good moments of passing through defenses to his teammates and hitting cutters, making the extra pass, and making solid reads on the floor. Bonner is also becoming much better at getting into space on the floor and moving without the basketball, allowing himself to get freer looks from the arc.
Ryle Riddlesperger Ryle Riddlesperger 6'2" | PG Hugoton | 2023 State KS , 6’ SG, SSA Elite 2023 Black: The Hugoton guard has been improving each weekend in the spring and filling out a nice role as a scoring spark and knock down shooter for his club. He had a 16 point outing over the weekend that featured a nice mixture of the long ball, floaters in the paint, and getting to the rim. He also had a 9 point performance on 3 threes. Stepped up with a short handed squad on the weekend.