ALA-QC at Saguaro: Varsity standouts

Gregg Rosenberg February 11, 2022 @ 08:42 AM

On Tuesday, February 1st I attended the 4A contest between American Leadership Academy-Queen Creek and Saguaro at Saguaro HS in Scottsdale, AZ. I watched all three games with Freshman, Junior Varsity and Varsity. A lot of new players were discovered and I wrote about some of the players who stood out.   Here were the standouts from the Varsity games: Jadin Sanders PG 5’9 2022 ALA-QC A pure PG who handles the rock and pushes the pace. He is very fast with a stronger upper body. He is a little undersized but tough and competes. He can hit the 3 off the catch and get to basket. LeRay Griffin SF 6’3 2022 ALA-QC An athletic wing with a great body. He is a good rebounder using his stronger upper body and can go baseline and score it in traffic or get fouled. He takes long strides to get to the cup and is a sneaky good passer. Him and his brother moved in from Milwaukee and LeRay is young for his grade. It wouldn't shock me if he did a year of Post Grad. [player_tooltip player_id="1031363" first="McCoy" last="Kelly"] ALA-QC The clear sniper of the team is Kelly. He hit five 3's with a super quick release and confidence. He squares up the basket and gets the ball out of his hands in a blink of an eye. He made a couple with defenders draped all over him. He plays with good pace and is having a breakout season. He averages around 20 ppg with 5-7 3's in every game. [player_tooltip player_id="933490" first="Brooks" last="Jones"] ALA-QC A two-sport stud committed to BYU next year for football. He has a strong football frame now and he goes up quickly to score it in the paint. He is very efficient near the basket and gobbles up rebounds. He took a charge late in game and will score on put backs. [player_tooltip player_id="1015154" first="Atticus" last="Place"] ALA-QC A long and lean face-up five-man. He is a finesse-5 with skill. He can step out to the 3 but is best around the elbow. He can rebound high above the crowd and has a nice touch near the rim and a floater game. He can get stronger moving forward. Akelleyz Griffin W 6'3 2023 ALA-QC The younger brother of LeRay is a thicker guard who rebounds well. He will cut to the basket and he can step back off the dribble and hit the 3. He is an aggressive player off the bench and he will most likely be more of a focal point next season. [player_tooltip player_id="1354947" first="Jeremiah" last="Hinds"] Saguaro A quick PG who loves changing speeds and hesitating to get the defender off balance. He is a natural facilitator but is more then capable hitting perimeter shots. He is quick on the ball defensively. [player_tooltip player_id="1378694" first="Damaraie" last="Sawyer"] Saguaro A physical sophomore transfer with nice open court speed. He can burst into the lane with the ball in his hands and he seems to favor his pull-up from mid-range. He has an impressive build and uses it to rebound in traffic. He doesn't shoot too many deep balls but is highly effective 15-feet and in. [player_tooltip player_id="1378691" first="Kyle" last="Hubbard"] Saguaro (Pictured) An undersized power forward is an incredible leaper. He seems to explode up to snatch the ball at its highest point. He plays with a big motor and will collect steals and rebound at a high level. He can get out on the break and flush it down fairly easily. His best skill is crashing the glass and going up quickly to score. He can get by his defender going baseline. He had a rare double-double of 11 points to go along with 10 rebounds. [player_tooltip player_id="1119348" first="Tyler" last="Stegmeier"] Saguaro A catch and shoot 3pt specialist is definitely Stegmeier. He is undersized but he launches away with real range and a quick release. He also elevates enough to not get blocked. He has speed with the ball with a little shift in his handle. He will be pivotal down the stretch and hopefully into the playoffs. [player_tooltip player_id="1217317" first="JT" last="Thomas"] Saguaro A bigger two-guard with a strong upper body and strength. He is long to defend on the ball and collects steals. He gets downhill with his sturdy frame and handle and will score it through contact. He is a good passer and shows upside.