Liberty at Pinnacle: Junior standouts

Gregg Rosenberg January 20, 2022 @ 08:39 AM

On Tuesday January 11th I attended the 6A contest between Pinnacle and Liberty at Pinnacle in Phx, AZ. I watched all three games of the night with Freshman, Junior Varsity and of course Varsity. A lot of new players were discovered and I wrote about some players who stood out.   Quick notes: Both teams will be very good next year: Liberty has many talented juniors on their team and are a tough team to defend with multiple shooters plus play a frantic style while subbing repeatedly during games. Pinnacle may have taken the loss, but they are set up for success next year, as almost their entire roster are juniors plus have a good younger core of players on freshman and JV.   Here were the junior standouts: JV game: [player_tooltip player_id="1132003" first="Jackson" last="Krupp"] Liberty A broad shouldered power forward with length and power. He is a tad raw, but he runs the court, will block shots and rebound in his area at a good clip. He can score it inside the paint and brings his brute strength to every game.   Varsity game: [player_tooltip player_id="1334788" first="Brennen" last="Neal"] Liberty (Pictured right) One of the best catch shooters in 6A. He is the 3pt shooter of the team and does it best off the catch with perfect ball rotation. He hit a clutch-3 down the stretch vs Pinnacle. [player_tooltip player_id="814037" first="Ky" last="Green"] Liberty A wildly athletic wing forward plays way above the rim. He is a good straight line driver and will flush it down. He will block shots and rebound at a good clip and hit catch-3’s. [player_tooltip player_id="1216984" first="Caden" last="Hunter"] Liberty One of the most productive forwards in 6A. He rips through quickly and will score through contact to score. He can hit the 3 plus makes contested layups on the norm. He rebounds in bunches and plays with a hot motor the entire game. He blocks shots in his area and runs the court. He scored 23 points in the first half and finished with a game high 32. [player_tooltip player_id="1132004" first="Davis" last="Hester"] Liberty A scoring guard is another 3pt shooter on the team. He is a quick second jumper and can rattle off 3’s. He has a much needed floater game and most of his perimeter jumpers are off the catch.   Pinnacle [player_tooltip player_id="814526" first="Ashton" last="Reese"] Pinnacle (Pictured left) A highly skilled guard is an underrated athlete and way more athletic then you realize. He hits catch-3’s with an ultra quick release and can even fall away to score it. He can also do a one-dribble pull-up from mid-range and put the ball on the deck better then he did a year ago. Stock up. [player_tooltip player_id="937186" first="Duce" last="Robinson"] Pinnacle The three sport athlete is a beast inside. He can score it around the cup with floaters and put backs and his FT stroke is looking better. He is a sneaky good passer and jumps high for rebounds with his football frame and long arms. [player_tooltip player_id="1138591" first="Brandon" last="Stokes"] Pinnacle A high energy power forward off the bench. He rebounds well in and out of his area and is efficient near the basket. He has a nice hook shot and is crafty around the cup. [player_tooltip player_id="1366315" first="Jack" last="Treasure"] Pinnacle A strong combo guard plays hard on both ends of the court. He uses his upper body and length to pester opposing guards defensively. He can get downhill and has a tough mid-range game as he gets high elevation. [player_tooltip player_id="1191839" first="Devan" last="Smith"] Pinnacle A quick guard with some jets. He can hit from the 3pt line off the catch and also step into a 3 off the dribble. He is another guard that is quick on the ball defensively and makes good reads with the ball.