West Coast Clash: Bruce’s Saturday Night Notebook

<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 6 brings us to the Pacific Northwest and Centralia, Washington where 46 teams will compete all under one roof at the NW Sports Hub. Several players are prepared to shine. Day 1 saw several players shine. Let’s recap some of the top performers from Saturday Night.</p> <p><strong>Brody Rowbury</strong> <em>6’11 C Seattle Stars 2022</em> - I truly believe Rowbury is going to make a lot of coaches regret their decisions to pass on him. When he was over 300 lbs he was still a very good offensive weapon with a terrific skill set. Well, he’s lost about 50 lbs and now he’s a terrific offensive weapon that can move. His rebounding, shot-blocking, and outside shooting was phenomenal. SE Louisiana is getting a steal. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="674438" first="Maleek" last="Arington"] <em>6’3 PG Seattle Stars 2022</em> <em>(featured image)</em> - This just in, Maleek Arrington is really, really good. I was already a fan of his playmaking and leadership. His athleticism impressed me today. The PG always seemed to be faster and stronger than his opponents and for good measure, he would throw down a sick dunk or two. The Idaho St signee led SS to a dominant 2-0 day. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="929029" first="Jordan" last="Clark"] <em>6’2 PG Emerald City 2023</em> - Spent a good deal of time arguing over [player_tooltip player_id="929029" first="Jordan" last="Clark"]’s level. Whatever level you put him at, he proved today that he’ll probably be successful at it. The PG has a smooth stroke and will knock down shots from behind the line, however, it’s his pace, ballhandling, and 1 v 1 skills that impressed me today. Clark has the ability to create off the bounce for himself and is a paint touch getting, playmaker for his squad. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1217797" first="Parker" last="Gerrits"] <em>6’1 CG Roots Academy 2023</em> - Gerrits is a bucket, and he proved that again. His shooting is unquestioned, but his ability to create and knock down mid-range jumpers makes him an even more versatile scorer. The combo was able to get into the lane and showed a nice touch from 15-18 feet. He was one of the more electrifying scorers on the day, putting up 17 in the game I saw. </p> <p><strong>Ziggy Holmes</strong> <em>6’3 SF Fuego 2022</em> - I listed Holmes as a forward, however, he’s a positionless guy. The forward was all over the place, running, jumping, defending, and rebounding for Fuego. His best skill is his motor and he used it effectively, defending multiple positions, and coming up with huge rebounds in a double OT victory for his squad. </p> <p><strong>Matt Lindblom</strong> <em>6’1 SG Team Anderson 2025</em> - Lindblom, stole the show, there’s no other way to put it. On a deep and talented Team Anderson squad, he looked like the Alpha. He shoots it, can slash, and is a decent playmaker, however, if I had to identify his signature skill it would be his toughness. He’s only 6’1 and a buck something however Lindbolm dished out contact like an NFL powerback. His physicality to go along with his skill made him one of the top discoveries of the day. </p> <p><strong>Malakai Grey</strong> <em>5’11 SG FCA 2024</em> - In the game I watched, Grey’s team lost, however, he was remarkable. A shooter’s shooter, the 5’11 guard sprayed threes from all over the court. At one point I felt the need to remind him that shooting behind the H.S line counted for three also because he seemed to only shoot NBA range threes. The sharpshooter put himself in position to make my top sniper’s team from the event. </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/bruceprephoops/?hl=en">For Exclusive Content With Top Prospects</a></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/xO9xKSms5FU" width="560" height="314" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p> <p style="text-align: center;"> </p>