Bash In The Desert Recap: Local Standouts

<p>Spring is here and that can only mean one thing. It’s Circuit Season! The Prephoops Circuit is upon us. I will be covering and providing exposure for the Hustle Region Circuit. The Hustle Region Circuit consists of AAU Programs from California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, and New Mexico. The circuit features 10 stops including the Hustle Region Final in Irvine July 15th – 17th. Stop 4 brings us to Phoenix Arizona for the Bash In the Desert. The event featured over 80 teams from around the Western Region. Several local players made a name for themselves. In this article, we take a look at some of the top local standouts from the event. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1444542" first="Deonte" last="Bynum"] <em>5’7 PG Rebels New Mexico 2024</em> - Bynum is a solid floor general that played with good pace. He was a willing passer, however, knew when it was time for him to get his. A pure PG, Bynum was good at knocking down catch and shoot threes as well as collapsing and kicking. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1444558" first="Jose" last="Robredo"] <em>5’11 SG Rebels New Mexico 2024</em> - Robredo flashed a decent handle, showing the ability to efficiently get to the rim and finish off the bounce. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1444631" first="Jayden" last="Duren"] <em>6’2 SG D1 New Mexico 2023</em> - Duren is an aggressive competitor who played with an edge. He defended at a high level, harassing opposing ballhandlers with hard-nosed on-ball defense. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1076705" first="Cedarius" last="Yates"] <em>6’3 SG D1 New Mexico 2023 (#10PHNM 2023)</em> - I’ve watched Yates a number of times now and the first thing that catches your eye is his frame. The long-armed physical specimen is a good downhill player, that effectively put pressure on the defense while scoring around the rim. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1335934" first="Lantz" last="Stephenson"] <em>6’4 SF Prominent Elite 2025 (#30PHN 2025)</em> - What I liked most about Stephenson was his motor. He used it on both ends, attacking the rim on offense while aggressively cleaning the defensive backboard. The physically imposing wing has the ability to be a stockriser as he sharpens his offensive skill set. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1444593" first="Caprice" last="Brown"] <em>6’5 SG Prominent Elite 2024</em> <em>(featured image)</em> - Brown has the size and skill to be a big-time three and D guy. The 6’5 wing was accurate with corner threes while showing the ability to lock down multiple defenders. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1444625" first="Mason" last="Villelas"] <em>6’3 SG D1 New Mexico 2024</em> - Villelas has good size for his position and he used it to disrupt opposing ballhandlers. The 6’3 guard moved well laterally and showed the ability to defend both 1’s and 2’s </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1336299" first="Geremiah" last="Rone"] <em>6’1 SF Prominent Elite 2025 (#47PHN 2025)</em> - Rone reminded me a lot of why I liked him when I saw him during the JV season. He’s a high-level transition guy, that understands how to find buckets. He created steals on the defensive end, and always seemed to be out ahead of the pack in transition. </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/bruceprephoops/?hl=en">Exclusive Content With Top Prospects</a></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/_F3_I9PGEqw" width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>