Brawl for the Ball: 16U 2nd Team Breakdown

July 2nd-3rd I attended the Brawl for the Ball Prep Hoops Circuit located at Inspire Courts in Gilbert, AZ. This is one of the last stops before the Hustle Region Finals on the July 15th-17th weekend in Seal Beach/CA.

I focused on 16U but watched some 17U as well.

There were 13 teams in the division so I made four All-16U Tournament teams featuring seven or eight players per team.

Here is the 2nd team breakdown of the eight players:

2nd team

Ray Adams Ray Adams 6'7" | SF North Thurston | 2024 State WA North Thurston/WA (Team Anderson Elite 2024) 

A high level glass cleaner and a fluid mover. He is just scratching the surface on his potential. He is long and covers so much ground on the defensive end switching from guarding 1’s to 5’s. He scores on put backs, he will rip through, back to the basket and will shoot it from elbow and in. His best skill though is clearly rebounding in and out of his area.

Nazir Davis Nazir Davis 6'0" | SG Eduprize | 2024 State AZ Hamilton/AZ (New Mexico D1 2024)

An athletic strongly built scoring guard. He gets to the rim with tough drives through contact, he can shoot off the catch and can defend multiple positions using his length, strength and athletic gifts. He could be a focal point for the Huskies the next two years.

Noah Wilhelm Noah Wilhelm 6'3" | SG Ponderosa | 2024 State CO Ponderosa/CO (Team Revenge 2024)

A scoring guard who is a sharp shooter. He has a pure stroke and he smartly moves without the ball and knows how to play. He is quick and can burst by his defender and score it. He makes good decisions and is team player who always seems to play winning basketball. 

Damarius Taylor Damarius Taylor 5'10" | CG Regis | 2024 State CO Regis Jesuit/CO (Team Revenge 2024)

A pure point guard who has some serious jets. He plays well off the pick and roll and will slip in a pass or shoot it. He can step back off his defender at a higher rate. He is a natural downhill player, but if he is making his jumper, he is very difficult to defend. He is very fast up the court and is quick laterally to defend.

Jake Miller Jake Miller 5'11" | PG Rancho Solano Preparatory | 2024 State AZ Rancho Solano Prep/AZ (Hoop Society 2024)

A skilled point guard who can shoot the cover off the ball when he is on. He has a high IQ and is always on the move freeing himself up. He can thread the needle to a teammate and has good timing. He may be undersized but has supreme confidence. 

Gavin Whitehead Gavin Whitehead 6'5" | CG Legend | 2024 State CO Legend/CO (Colorado Premier 2024-1)

A good sized combo guard can create for himself and others. He is a phenomenal passer, maybe one of the best passers of the division. He has a very shifty handle and will free himself to score or dart a pass right to his teammate. He rebounds the ball well and takes a bump easily to score. He can also fall away from mid and is always looking up to try and facilitate.   

Kaleb Hilliard Kaleb Hilliard 5'10" | PG AZ Compass Prep | 2025 State AZ AZ Compass Prep (Team RHJ 2024)

A transfer by way of Williams Field. He is a quick ball handler with a super tight handle. He has an impressive burst into the lane and always seems to touch the paint and will score or make a play off of it. He shoots it easily to the three point line and makes good reads for dimes. 

Jaylen Wheeler PG 6’2 2024 Salesian College Prep/CA (Team Rampage Elite 2024) (Pictured) 

A good size PG who likes getting downhill and using a a nice layup package. He is crafty with the incredible ability to use either hand in traffic just as effective. He can catch and shoot or rise up from the three. He had clutch moments along the weekend and loves the pick and roll game.