Under Armour Friday: 16U Takeaways

<p><em>WESTFIELD, IN</em> -- UAA Session I is underway, with many local teams off to a good start. Here is a rundown of what we learned after the first night of action at the 16u level. </p> <h5>Bamgboye Thrill’s MVP</h5> <p>You can’t gameplan for a player like [player_tooltip player_id="1367577" first="Luke" last="Bamgboye"], because he is 1 of 1. Whenever Thrill needed a play against ESF Threat, he delivered. Whether that meant blocking or altering a shot, getting an offensive rebound, or simply putting the ball in the hole, Bamgboye was "Johnny-on-the-spot." The BCL Defensive Player of the Year reinforced his credentials as an elite paint presence with another brilliant performance on Friday evening. </p> <h5>Guard Play Remains King</h5> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/Sisco-Shamar-Head-Shot.png"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1424499" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/Sisco-Shamar-Head-Shot-300x225.png" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>The performance that <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1259545" first="Shamar" last="Sisco"]</strong> put on in the nightcap, particularly in the second half, was nothing short of outstanding. With his team finding themselves in a battle with West Coast Elite for a good majority of the game, Sisco kicked it into high gear and simply couldn’t miss. Shout out to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1405408" first="Teyvien" last="Barbour"]</strong>, who also caught fire in the fourth quarter to help his team run away with a 20-point mercy rule victory. </p> <h5>Harris Emerging</h5> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/Harris-Jadyn-Head-Shot.png"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1424501" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/Harris-Jadyn-Head-Shot-300x225.png" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>We’ve talked a lot about Harris because of how well he performed for O’Connell this season. That trend continued today with Team Thrill. Harris began his live period campaign with a double-double, which he achieved after just three quarters. It appears that the sky is the limit for this young man. </p> <h5>Playmakers Fight Back</h5> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/Thomas-Darnell-Head-Shot.png"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1424503" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/Thomas-Darnell-Head-Shot-300x224.png" alt="" width="300" height="224" /></a></p> <p>Trailing by 9 after three quarters, defense sparked a tremendous fourth-quarter run that resulted in a 64-57 win over West Coast Elite NorCal. <strong>Darnell Thomas</strong> provided consistent offense and helped out on the boards while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1339892" first="Julian" last="Rivera"]</strong> and <strong>Patrick Nguyen </strong>made all types of important plays on both ends of the court. This was an impressive win for the Playmakers and a great way to kick off the weekend.  </p> <h5>West Virginia Based Prospects Impress</h5> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/Dobbs-Zycheus-Head-Shot.png"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1424504" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/Dobbs-Zycheus-Head-Shot-300x225.png" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>ESF Threat, based out of West Virginia, gave Team Thrill all they could handle to start the live period. State champ <strong>Zaccheus Dobbs</strong> and his high school teammate <strong>Andre Grant</strong>, along with Morgantown’s <strong>Sha Young </strong>can all be proud of their gritty performance. Look out for this group moving forward. </p> <h5>Williams’ Hot Shooting Continues</h5> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/Williams-Jake-Head-Shot.png"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1424505" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/Williams-Jake-Head-Shot-300x226.png" alt="" width="300" height="226" /></a></p> <p>Believe it or not, Premier found themselves trailing 9-0 after about the first 6 minutes of their contest vs. West Coast Elite. Enter sharpshooter [player_tooltip player_id="1237830" first="Jake" last="Williams"], who hit his first three long-range bombs upon checking into the game. Williams ultimately shot 5 of 10 from three but did many other things that contributed to his team’s comprehensive win. He is an alert team defender and a thoughtful passer. With that said, Williams is quickly establishing a reputation as a "premier" marksman in the DMV. </p>