Border League 2021: AZ Senior standouts

Gregg Rosenberg November 4, 2021 @ 08:51 AM

On October 15-17 I attended the 2nd annual Border League in various gyms around Las Vegas and Henderson in Nevada. There were 6 divisions of 16 teams each and every team played in four games. The main site was games at Coronado which held some of the top teams. I watched there mainly but also managed to stop in at Silverado HS to watch some AZ teams along the three days.   Here were some of the AZ senior standouts: [player_tooltip player_id="1074744" first="Shaedon" last="Sharpe"] Dream City Christian One of the top rated players in the country rises higher then maybe anyone at the event. He can step back on his defender from mid to the 3pt line. He will throw it down on the break like a pro and his catch-3 has extended beyond the arc. His skill is becoming a weapon which he will use after college. He blocks shots on the weak side and takes long strides using his big wingspan. He is a better passer then he gets credit for and makes acrobatic finishes in the lane. He may be headed to Kentucky early in January to get a head start. [player_tooltip player_id="1252973" first="Yohan" last="Traore"] Dream City Christian A highly skilled post player can step out and easily shoot it to the 3pt line. He rebounds, runs the floor, rim runs, block shots and he can hit tough shots in traffic. Uzan and Traore are slowly forming a tough senior duo that will battle with anyone on the Grind Session. [player_tooltip player_id="787641" first="Milos" last="Uzan"] Dream City Christian A prototypical PG slices defenses up and sees plays developing in a blink of an eye. He has good speed, elite size and the ball gets out of his hands so quickly. He can hit the catch-3 and burst to the rim plus pull-up from mid-range off the dribble. [player_tooltip player_id="701238" first="Garrison" last="Phelps"] St. Mary’s A wildly athletic wing is a star in transition. He also got rolling this weekend from the perimeter from mid to the 3pt line. When he is in rhythm, he is highly effective. He defends multiple positions and brings huge energy to each game. [player_tooltip player_id="933538" first="Jake" last="Lifgren"] Centennial One of the more polished scorers in the AIA lit it up versus Tennessee Prep. He has good body control with his layups and his catch-3 is pure. His overall defense is improving and he has a good burst to get passed his defenders. [player_tooltip player_id="701244" first="Nate" last="Pickens"] Dream City Christian Pickens had a good weekend. He made open 3’s, collected rebounds giving his team extra possessions and he just did his role. He threw some nice passes along the way and hit shots from mid to the 3pt line. The UC Riverside commit should be a nice contributor on the Grind Session. [player_tooltip player_id="973814" first="Abe" last="Rangel"] Centennial A pure PG with impeccable timing on his passes. He likes getting downhill and driving and kicking or finishing off layups or floaters. He uses his tight handle and a burst plus uses his toughness to score through contact. [player_tooltip player_id="1284819" first="Shawn" last="Phillips Jr"] Dream City Christian A massive five-man gobbles up rebounds, runs the floor and will block shots. He can score it inside with drop step moves and has a nice left or right hand hook shot. He uses his huge wingspan and strength to board and swat shots away. [player_tooltip player_id="1311502" first="Javion" last="Langston"] Skyline Prep (Pictured) A long and athletic wing forward with real bounce. He is a disruptor on defense blocking shots, rebounding and defending from inside and out. He runs the break and plays way above the rim and will hit shots from the perimeter. He can score it some inside the paint as well. [player_tooltip player_id="858152" first="Jaycob" last="McBath"] Skyline Prep A thicker scoring lead guard can really shoot it. He has a nasty pull-up from mid-range that is highly efficient. He gets good elevation on his jumper and he gets to his spots fairly easily with a tighter handle. He uses his thick build/frame to get downhill. He can make plays for others but is looking to score.