Who Wants the Smoke Day 2
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Day 2 was something else. Teams seemed to have settled and the fact that these matchups were intended to not have too many teams go untouched was the best thing you can hear as a viewer. Too many teams across…
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Continue ReadingDay 2 was something else. Teams seemed to have settled and the fact that these matchups were intended to not have too many teams go untouched was the best thing you can hear as a viewer. Too many teams across the country go to tournaments and go 4-0, not here too many good teams and that is not what this event is intended to do. Here some Day 2 Standouts that really made an impression.
6’8 F Keanu Dawes Keanu Dawes 6'8" | SF Stratford | 2023 State #186 Nation TX || TX Takeover || 2023 ||
When you put him through the eye test he hits all those intangibles. He has the height, the frame and the physical attributes you look for in a player that could possibly play the 3 or the 4 at the highest level at a D1. Keanu has the length and the knack when it comes to rebounding as he was active tracking down boards and fighting through boxouts. defensively he has length and the lateral slides to stay in-front of almost anyone on the floor. He really makes everything difficult with his length as he contest and alters shots. On the offensive end he was attacking and hitting those pull-up mid range shots and he showcased some nice over the shoulder hooks that he can really hone in one when he needs a bucket. Solid prospect that is a HM D1 kid.
6’10 C Nicholas Gunter Nicholas Gunter 6'11" | C O.D. Wyatt | 2023 State TX || RJ Hampton || 2023 ||
Nick is a breath of fresh air as he is a solid and now rare back to the basket big first as he is just tough down on the blocks. Nick showcased his spin moves as the defender settles in and Nick is a quick leaper as he makes easy and quick work of his finishes. His vision in the post is elite too. Really like that he can make moves with his is up. To top it off he was showing that he could step out and shoot the ball too. This kid has game.
6’7 G Dink Pate Dink Pate 6'8" | PG Dallas Pinkston | 2023 State #70 Nation TX || Urban DFW || 2024 ||
First off this kid is playing up a grade. and you could not tell as he was able to get to his spots and he was a force on both ends of the floor. Really like his game. Dinke has a lot in the bag. Really can see why schools like Arizona are after him. Defensively he is up for any challenge and his defense creates offense, the dude can shoot the rock from all over too.
6’3 PG Christian Hammond Christian Hammond 6'3" | SG Colorado Prep | 2023 #160 Nation CA-S || Utah Prospects 3SSB || 2023 ||
Christian has a little bit of everything in his game as he can shoot the ball when he is off the ball as well as create but when he has the ball in his hands he was showing that pace and control that he really hones in on when he plays. One part of his game that really stood out was how he keeps players off balance with his floater. Complete game was on display in the two games we saw him play on Saturday but you can see that he is not a complete product, he still has room to grow.