Hustle in the Rockies: Backcourt Dynamos 22′ & 23′

<p>[player_tooltip player_id="968823" first="Silas" last="McCurnin"] - Fever - 23’</p> [caption id="attachment_1234627" align="alignleft" width="177"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/IMG_2807.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1234627 " src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/IMG_2807-e1626036203638-250x300.jpg" alt="" width="177" height="212" /></a> Photo: Prep Hoops via Raman Sposato[/caption] <p>McCurnin was lights out for the Fever, dropping 13+ points in each of his games on Saturday. He proved that he can get three point shots shots off quickly due to his footwork speed. His shot speed helped him out mightily when coming off weakside actions, where he was able to shoot over the defense. McCurnin was a pest from on-ball screens too, given the defense has to commit to going over. Once the defense went over, he did great getting to rim where he showed his connection to fellow teammate [player_tooltip player_id="1137874" first="Charlie" last="Dortch"]. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="918906" first="Aidan" last="Kuhl"] - Pro Skills - 22’</p> <p>Kuhl is an excellent connector for a very talented Pro Skills team with [player_tooltip player_id="918902" first="Elijah" last="Knudsen"] and [player_tooltip player_id="918919" first="Joey" last="Bilello"]. At Rocky Mountain, Kuhl’s high school allowed him to play much more on-ball which gave him more freedom to create off-dribble jumpers and find ways to attack the rim. His role with PSB is different in that his usage is lower, but he still made a great impact finding his teammates while swinging the ball and on kick-outs. Defensively, Kuhl proved he was able to fight around screens through his agility and quick hips.</p> <p>Marvin Hires - PLUTO Prospects - 22’ (pictured above)</p> <p>Hires is a bulky dude who can simply power through players to get easy at-rim attempts. At around 6’4 210 pounds, he has enough reach and strength to defend a variety of positions in the backcourt and wing. Hires also proved he is consistent shooter off the catch when given space. His shot also passed the eye test when he took free throws, where he went four of four from the line. Given his solid shooting touch, I would like to see Hires attack the rim more often given his size. Reason I say this is because he threw down a few emphatic dunks, of which the defense wanted none of it.<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/IMG_2808.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-1234626 " src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/IMG_2808-e1626036106792-300x210.jpg" alt="" width="221" height="155" /></a></p> <p>Caleb Shaw - New Mexico D1 - 22’</p> <p>Shaw did a great job playmaking for his teammates out of screen and roll situations. Coming out of screens, he is tough to defend due to his ability to change speeds in an instant. Most often, Shaw did one of two things, hit rolling teammates and make floaters over taller defenders. At 6’4, Shaw is taller and bigger than most point guards which allows him to not only see over the defense, but capitalize when necessary. Similar to Kuhl, he does not force unnecessary shots or passes, allowing him to stabilize the rest of his teammates in the half-court.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1146247" first="Jericho" last="Gutierrez"] - Mayhem - 21’ (committed to Adams State)</p> <p>The future Adams State guard proved his off the dribble scoring ability this past weekend. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/IMG_2754-rotated.jpg"><img class="wp-image-1234628 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/IMG_2754-rotated-e1626036289185-300x221.jpg" alt="" width="252" height="186" /></a>He had 15 points along with two three-pointers off the dribble. One example of shot-making stuck out, Gutierrez went behind the back from right to left and pulled up with the defender only a step away. When Gutierrez gets inside the arc, he can score in a variety of ways by leveraging his jumper to force the defense’s hand.  Gutierrez does great getting his shots, but going forward at Adams State it will be interesting to see how he is utilized in a smaller role.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>