2021 VYPE Holiday Invitational: Honorable Mentions

<p>Check out my breakdowns on the top players in attendance at the 2021 VYPE Holiday Invitational down in Houston this Christmas break! </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1332595" first="Keanu" last="Dawes"] 6’8 2023 Stratford High School </p> <p>Keanu is a supremely athletic big man who is a paint beast. His ability to dominate coming downhill full speed really put pressure on the defense and made defenders hesitant to jump with him. I really loved watching him operate in the mid post and taking one to two power dribbles and getting to his spot at the rim. The big man has the ability to dunk everything and really seems to provide a spark with his energy and athleticism on both ends of the floor. I was really impressed with his touch in the midrange and the touch he is able to put on full court outlet passes to jump start a fast break. Dawes is beginning to see some major attention from some high level programs, including Tennessee, Texas A&amp;M and TCU Universities. </p> <p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNv8KJIkAkE</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1052161" first="Chanse" last="Perkins"] 6’7 2022 Woodlands Christian Academy </p> <p>Chanse is a high energy forward who can do it all on offense. He possess great touch from the midrange, even as he is fading away from a defender. I was most impressed with his overall on court IQ. He always seemed to be in the right spot, whether it be flashing to the free throw line and quickly spinning for a turn around, or being willing to put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. Woodlands Christian Academy has a special pick and roll combination in him and fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id="889590" first="Austin" last="Benigni"], and they both read each other so well. You can tell the two of them have put the extra time in the gym, Benigni always seems to pick out the right pass where Perkins wants it, and the big man does his best to consistently reward his point guard. Perkins was a real standout during his time on the floor during the VYPE Holiday Invitational. </p> <p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4nyZLqzeIk</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="960672" first="Chandler" last="Williams"] 6’5 2023 Klein Forest High School</p> <p>Chandler is a long and strong athlete that has a soft and fluid motion to his game. When you look at him you can tell he is a dual sport athlete for Klein Forest, he possesses great size and side to side agility that allows him to be a complete weapon on the floor. He has a great touch from beyond the arc and is even confident enough to set himself up for shots off the dribble. He is very reliable when acting as a spot up shooter and has the ability to punish the defense at all three levels if they are late at coming out to contest him. He is great at utilizing his shot fake and getting his defender on the back of his hip and flying by them toward the rim. Watch for Williams to have a massive start in district play this year! </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Brody Robinson 2022 Houston Christian High School</p> <p>Brody is a special point guard who sees the floor so well on both ends. Whether he is calling out defensive adjustment or directing traffic on the offensive end, his team relies on his ability to put them in the right spot. His passes always seemed to be right on target, no matter how he had to get them off. He displayed a plethora of high level passes in which he was flying down the baseline and picked out a shooter in the opposite corner. Another thing I was impressed with was his ability and willingness to keep his big man involved and rewarded him for flashing to the block and running the floor. While facing double teams, he was great at getting low to the floor and getting out of trouble. He has a great hesitation dribble he can get to and freeze defenders in the half court. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Nick Lancit 2022 Katy Tompkins High School</p> <p>Nick is a scrappy point guard who thrives in picking the pocket of high level guard, jump starting fast breaks and creating easy offense for his teammates. I was blown away with how many steals he was able to come up with on a consistent basis. He seems to have a real nose for the ball, and is great at timing the ball from when the ball handler releases it from his hand, Lancit is in there to swipe his pockets. Lancit has a really nice all around game, and his stat sheet is always incredibly balanced with points, assists, rebounds and steals. He is great at cutting without the basketball and flashing to the rim. He consistently runs the floor and is great at keeping his lane to ensure the best spacing for his teammates. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>