GRBA National Championship Part 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This weekend I was in Fort Wayne for the GRBA National Championship on Friday and Saturday. This article will cover the first part of two of the top players I saw this weekend. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id=’1163461’ first=’Rayquan’ last=’Thompson’] (2023) - PG 5’10 - Ohio Buckets-Miller 17U - Solon</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:gallery {"linkTo":"file","className":"is-style-default"} --> <figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped is-style-default"><!-- wp:image {"id":1523223,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/07/Buckets-Miller-20-scaled.jpg?1658696950"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/07/Buckets-Miller-20-1024x640.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1523223"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --></figure> <!-- /wp:gallery --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thompson has a game of a point guard you want to run your team. He has a very long wingspan for his height and it is complimented well with speed and quickness. He is a lockdown defender and doesn’t give the offense any relief from pressure. He has a good handle on the ball and makes minimal mistakes with it. Good finisher and good at moving the ball</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id=’1201859’ first=’Aj’ last=’Hess’] (2023) - F 6’5 - Ohio-Buckets-Miller 17u - Mohawk </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1523227,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/07/AJ-Hess-Buckets-Miller-scaled.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/07/AJ-Hess-Buckets-Miller-1024x634.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1523227"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hess is an excellent modern-day stretch forward. He has a nice stroke from beyond the arc but never forces anything. Big strong kid with length. He can bang inside on both ends of the floor and is someone who attacks the glass hard. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id=’1225066’ first=’Alex’ last=’Bruskotter’] (2024) - W 6’7 - Ohio Buckets-Garcia - Shelby</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1523229,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/07/0-buckets-Garcia-scaled.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/07/0-buckets-Garcia-1024x640.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1523229"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bruskotter was a problem this weekend for Ohio Buckets Garcia. He was feeling it all weekend as he was light out from three-point land. He showed some really good ability to play inside and out. Made good moves in the post and has a really nice face-up game. Long kid with nice athleticism. He dropped 40 points in their tournament game win against Indy Heat - Red on Saturday afternoon. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id=’1352455’ first=’Shemarion’ last=’Hardy’] (2023) - G 6’1 - Ohio Natives - Cleveland Heights</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1523246,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/07/Hardy-Natives-scaled.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/07/Hardy-Natives-1024x733.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1523246"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_62ddb8f25731e","name":"acf/evaluation-block","align":"","mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hardy is a bucket getter. Knows how to put the ball in the basket and does it at a very high level and volume. He is kind of a one-man show for Ohio Native but it works out well as they are winning or in almost every game. He has a great off-the-dribble shooting ability. Has the ball on a string as he showcases a flurry of moves. Has a quick and wide crossover that shakes defenders off of him. He is sneakily super athletic. Very bouncy and uses it to get blocks on anyone on the floor and pulled in tons of rebounds. Great feel for the game and vision. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id=’1187132’ first=’Landon’ last=’Brewer’] (2023) - G 6’3 - NWO 16u - Antwerp</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1523236,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/07/NWO-Brewer-scaled.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/07/NWO-Brewer-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1523236"/></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brewer put on an absolute show in the game I watched him play against Team Clutch on Saturday. He was feeling it on all levels of scoring. He has a very quick shot that barely touched the rim. He showed the ability to shoot off the dribble, off balance, and spotted up. He seems to be more athletic than the last time I saw him play. He has good length and size for the point guard role he played for NWO 16u. He is his best when he playing aggressive and confident. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->