VMBC: Non-Senior standouts

Gregg Rosenberg January 12, 2022 @ 08:34 AM

On Monday December 20th I attended the Visit Mesa Basketball Challenge at Mesa Mountain View HS in Mesa, AZ. I viewed 6 games featuring 8 AZ teams.   Here were the non-senior standouts on the day: [player_tooltip player_id="814516" first="Bryce" last="Ford"] Pinnacle A quick 3pt shooter with unlimited range. He is a good up court passer and is a better passer then he gets credited with. He shows nice body control in the lane and can crow hop to score it. He can create his own shot inside versus opposing guards. His step back on his defender is hard to guard and he beats forwards easily and blows by them. His deep shooting is hard to guard. [player_tooltip player_id="937182" first="Royce" last="Ramos"] Rancho Solano Prep (Pictured) A high IQ forward with skill. He can hit the 3, post up, handle it and make plays for others. He is grounded but his skill and strength pop off the page. He is a very good passer and has a good high/low action going with Mike Dienes. [player_tooltip player_id="1202068" first="Canyon" last="Torres"] Salpointe Catholic A tough scoring guard with a high IQ. He has good defensive awareness to steal the ball, rebound and makes many 50/50 plays. He can hit the catch-3 and is a good passer with a high court awareness. . [player_tooltip player_id="1138591" first="Brandon" last="Stokes"] Pinnacle A high motored forward loves to rebound. He was relentless on the glass all game long giving the Pioneers extra opportunities. He can score it in the paint and his activity is contagious. He can catch tough passes in traffic and score it through traffic. [player_tooltip player_id="814515" first="Connor" last="Fitzgerald"] Brophy Prep A lefty sniper from the 3pt line. He is best off the catch but can give a shot fake and do the 1-2 dribble pull-up or side step and shoot it. He makes good decisions with the ball and he spaces the floor perfectly for the Broncos.   2024 [player_tooltip player_id="996166" first="Braeden" last="Speed"] Brophy Prep A top-notch on-ball defender who makes extra passes. He shadowed Mesquite star guard Calmese and slowed him down as well as you could. Like a star DB covering an elite WR. He can post up defenders and take a bump and finish and-1’s in transition with his sturdy frame. He also makes the catch-3 in rhythm. [player_tooltip player_id="1336097" first="Braylon" last="Johnson"] Pinnacle A long forward is starting to settle in for the Pioneers. He rebounds well in his area and can handle it the length of the court. He can shoot it to the 3pt line and is a smart defender to play the passing lanes. He rebounds at a good clip and will block shots. [player_tooltip player_id="1216991" first="Sagith" last="Vargas"] Rancho Solano Prep A pure PG is tough and fearless. He can rebound and score in traffic and his pick and roll game is always on point. He sees the play happening immediately and makes the correct pass with advanced court vision. He can turn the corner and get to the cup to score plus pull-up.