The Stage Act III: AZ 2022-23 Standouts

<p><!-- wp:paragraph --></p> <p>This past weekend I attended the <strong>Stage Act III</strong> at the Open Gym Premier in Anaheim, CA.  </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Here were some of the 2022-23 standouts from the weekend:</p> <p><strong>2022</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="827049" first="Pascal" last="Volz"] <strong>McClintock (Team Zona) </strong></p> <p>A strong lead guard used a variety of moves to create space the whole weekend. He also showed a nice stroke on his jumper as he was knocking them down consistently. This combination led to him being named <em>Most Outstanding Prospect</em> of the 17U Gold division.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>2023</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="814527" first="Leonard" last="Romayor"] <strong>Ironwood (Team Zona) (Featured Image) </strong></p> <p>A quick lead guard who gets better every time I see him. He plays at his own pace and doesn’t get rattled easily. He doesn’t hunt for shots but when the opportunity is there he knocks jumpers down confidently. He also showed a burst of athleticism that I had never seen. Definitely a player on the upswing in 2023.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="814039" first="Mark" last="Brown Jr"] <strong>Mountain Pointe (Team Zona)</strong></p> <p>A fast point guard was getting buckets by the bunches the whole weekend. Whether it was his blow by or his pull up jumper from mid range, he was hard to stop.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="831117" first="Arman" last="Madi"] <strong>Brophy Prep (AZ Firestorm)</strong></p> <p>A long wing was hitting on all cylinders most of the weekend. His catch and shoot was on full display as was his ability to get out on the break and finish with authority.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="814036" first="Tru" last="Washington"] <strong>Mountain Pointe (AZ Firestorm)</strong></p> <p>One of the top players in the country lived up to the rankings. He did pretty much everything that you can do on the basketball court. He was getting to spots for his shots with ease. On defense he welcomed the challenge of stopping whomever he guarded. Throw in a few jaw dropping dunks and you can see why he’s so highly regarded.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="831115" first="Kevin" last="Patton Jr"] <strong>Maricopa (Dreamvision)</strong></p> <p>The long wing showed why he has as much potential as anyone in the state of Arizona. He handles the ball comfortably while initiating the offense and showed a nice touch from the perimeter. Once he got out on a break it often ended with a dunk.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->