GRMC Top 16U Athletes

<p>Athleticism was on display at the Grind Region Memorial Classic in Kansas City last weekend. Big guys who can run and play on the perimeter. High risers and full-court sprinters. And little guys with lightning quickness and who can play amongst the trees.</p> <p>Here are some of the top athletes at the GRMC 16U tournament (in alphabetical order):</p> <p><strong>Katraleus Aldridge</strong>, 6-foot-4 forward, United Basketball, Highland Park HS:</p> <p>Aldridge is a smooth and springy forward who handles the ball expertly in the open court. He’s got a great crossover that, at his length and with his quickness, is going to be tough for many bigs to stop. He gets by defenders on the perimeter consistently, cutting into the lane to score or dish. He’s explosive going to the hole and has afterburners in the open court.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1048391" first="Kade" last="Lustenberger"], 6-foot-5 forward, Illinois Bears 1, Carterville HS (pictured):</p> <p>Lustenberger’s athleticism makes him a very versatile player. On offense he’s got the length and the physicality to make plays in the post and through traffic. But he’s long and lean, quick on the perimeter and fast up and down. He jumps a lot of passing lanes and blocks shots, exploiting his quickness and anticipation.</p> <p><strong>PJ Pounds</strong>, 6-foot-7 forward, Gain Elite Minnesota, DeLaSalle HS:</p> <p>One of the most physically impressive players in KC. Pounds just looks the part. He’s smooth with the ball, making spin moves in traffic. He’s tough to stop on the drive, and makes some acrobatic finishes. He knocks down perimeter shots, but also buries opposing bigs in the low post. He has great elevation on his jumper and is a rebounding machine. Talk about a tough matchup.</p> <p><strong>Sean Wells</strong>, 6-foot-7 forward, Gators Elite, Cedar Hill HS:</p> <p>The Texas big man is a human highlight reel. He is a constant threat to break to the bucket for an ally-oop. He plays above the rim at both ends. Because he runs the floor hard, he cleans up a lot of misses at the offense end. On defense, he moves well enough to guard nearly every position. And he’s always a danger to slip off his man to block a shot.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1196545" first="Aidan" last="Werth"]</strong>, 6-foot-6 forward, United Basketball, Aquinas HS:</p> <p>Werth is a really nice ball handler and full-court player. He rebounds and defends like a big man, but every once in a while, he takes matters into his own hands, pushing the ball up the floor, showing nice maneuvers like his crossover and spin dribble. Werth has a nice combination of power and finesse. He’s not afraid to mix it up in the lane.</p>