PH Hustle Region Finals: All Tournament Second Team

<p>Strong back court play is a key to having winning teams in AAU basketball today. </p> <p>As a result, you have an All-Tournament Second Team that is composed totally of guards. </p> <p>The All-Finals first and second teams were selected by me and my colleague Devin Ugland, and include standouts from the 17u and 16u divisions. Our colleague David Yapkowitz covered the 15u Division, so he’ll have more insight on those standouts. </p> <h2>PH Hustle Region Finals: All Tournament Second Team</h2> <h3>William Benjamin, Jr., 6-1 2022 G, ABC New Mexico National 2022</h3> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/08/IMG_0137-1-crop-1764x1159-1627965835.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1256902" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/08/IMG_0137-1-crop-1764x1159-1627965835-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a></p> <p>Of New Mexico’s trio of guards, I’d say that Benjamin is the most explosive. The long, wiry combo guard is capable of highlight finishes in the halfcourt and in transition, has exceptional burst, and can knock down shots from the perimeter. For Benjamin, the next stage of his development is playing under control more consistently. When he does, like in the championship game where he scored 27 points and kept his team in the game early until the other guys got it going, he’s a D1 point guard. </p> <h3>Elijah Knudsen, 5-10 2022 G, PSB Denver</h3> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/08/IMG_0158-crop-1634x1073-1627965942.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1256905" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/08/IMG_0158-crop-1634x1073-1627965942-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a></p> <p>It seems that Division II Colorado Mesa got a huge steal with Knudsen, arguably the top shooter in the event. The compact scoring point guard has flawless mechanics and a release that is so quick he can get his shot off against aggressive close outs. But he is more than a spot-up shooter. Knudsen has solid speed in the open court, plays with great pace and uses changes of speed to get open looks from the perimeter. He scored 40 points in a quarterfinals game on 11-17 shooting, one of the best individual performances of the event. </p> <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="986798" first="Alijah" last="Adem"], 6-2 2024 G, Chosen Few</h3> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/08/IMG_0151-crop-1784x1171-1627966109.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1256913" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/08/IMG_0151-crop-1784x1171-1627966109-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a></p> <p>Speaking of scoring guards, very few can score it from three levels like Adem, a crafty combo guard playing up in the 16u Division. Adem uses hesitation dribbles and a deceptive first step to get into the paint or create separation for his pull-up jumper. Adem is a capable passer off dribble penetration, finding open shooters on the perimeter or dropping clever bounce passes to the team’s bigs. He has a tendency to hunt shots at times, and doesn’t have great burst. Improving those will only improve his stock. </p> <h3>Luke Brewer, 6-2 2023 G, Roots Academy </h3> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/08/IMG_0164-1-crop-1809x1188-1627966195.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1256915" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/08/IMG_0164-1-crop-1809x1188-1627966195-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a></p> <p>Brewer made the All-Tournament team by doing all of the little things to help his team win. A lockdown defender, he neutralized the opponent’s top perimeter threat in each game we viewed, and offensively, he made winning intangible plays: He made the extra pass, crashed the offensive glass and scored second chance points. But in the championship game, he showed off some of his offensive chops, knocking down two threes and a pair of pull-up jumpers en route to 15 points in the win. </p> <h3>[player_tooltip player_id="1076700" first="Exodus" last="Ayers"], 6-1 2023 G, ABC New Mexico National 2022</h3> <p>The final of the three New Mexico guards to make the All Tournament teams, Ayers probably has the most upside. A long, wiry combo guard with a smooth feel and efficient scoring mentality, Ayers scored consistently from every level and finished in the paint with either hand and through contact. An area of his game that shows the most promise is his feel and court vision, as he dropped of a few beautiful assists throughout the weekend, but also didn’t force the issue. He has D1 upside. </p>