Rocky Mountain Showcase Day 1: Surprise Players Who Stepped Up

<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">The Rocky Mountain Showcase got off to a great start, with plenty of new faces making a name for themselves on the first day of action. </span></p> <p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">6’3 F [player_tooltip player_id="1115980" first="Logan" last="Birt"] || Northridge High School || 2024</span></strong></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Birt is a versatile forward who is willing to do whatever his team needs to get the win. He was tasked with guarding the opposing team’s center in his team’s first game and excelled in doing so. Birt was always in the right position and didn’t commit fouls as smaller players often do when they are at a size disadvantage. In addition, the 6’3 forward did a great job of pushing the pace when getting a rebound and always made the right pass in the half-court. Birt was also accurate from the outside, spotting up and battled for every offensive rebound. </span></p> <p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">6’0 SG Mason Hanson || Springville High School || 2026</span></strong></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Hanson is new to the high school scene but left quite the impression in his first game with Springville at the Rocky Mountain Showcase. The incoming freshmen was not intimated by the more experienced players and shot the lights out from distance. Hanson knocked down triples from well behind the three-point line and had no problem shooting with defenders in his face. The 6’0 shooting guard even canned a four-point play as he was knocked into the seats. In addition, Hanson drilled triples off-balance, coming around screens, and was also deadeye from midrange. </span></p> <p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">6’0 G Zakk Albert || Olympus High School || 2023</span></strong></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Albert showed the ability to spot up and score inside vs. a lengthy Layton Christian team. When the game started to get away from Olympus, Albert stepped up. He had no problem cashing in on deep threes and was not afraid to attack the paint. Albert also hit some tough mid-range shots and has a strong build that allows him to take contact while still scoring. The 6’0 guard is also tough defensively, where he moves laterally extremally well.</span></p> <p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">6’0 G Oluwatumilehin Olubisi || Layton Christian Academy || 2024</span></strong></p> <p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Layton Christian Academy is loaded with talent that it can be easy to overlook Olubisi at first. The 6’0 guard excels in the open floor, quickly blazing past defenders with the ball in his hand. Olubisi loves to grab the rebound and push the pace to score or set up teammates. He also puts his athleticism to good use defensively, where he can help off-ball and recover in time to contest shots. Olubisi also showed off his shooting when he drilled a deep three at the halftime buzzer vs. Olympus. </span></p>