Grit Region Finals: Teddy's Sunday Notebook

Stellar Performance by Fiegen leads Full Package to 17u Championship [player_tooltip player_id="1215287" first="Jake" last="Fiegen"] was his regular self Sunday afternoon. His start in the semifinal against Cincy Fire was one to watch. He opened the game with a 3 from the top of the key. He added another one in the corner a few minutes later. His third one fell in a minute later. His fifth 3-pointer in the first half was heavily contested in the corner…. It was nothing but net. He scored 20 first half points off of six 3-pointers. In the championship, Fiegen hit four more 3-pointers in the opening half to help put full package up 47-22 at halftime.  [player_tooltip player_id="1215313" first="Rokas" last="Castillo"] came alive in the 2nd half that game for Full Package. Knocking down several shots from long range, and using his long arms to tip passes and pick-pocket opponents on defense. He was also capable of breaking past defenders and getting to the rim.  But in the opening half of the championship, the most impactful player for Full Package was [player_tooltip player_id="1476096" first="Aidyn" last="Boone"]. The 6'5” F from Libertyville showed off some solid inside post moves to begin the game. On defense, he controlled the paint with some terrific hustle and difficult shots forced. But what caught my attention the most was his long-range abilities. Before Fiegen, it was Boone who made it rain that game. He knocked down three straight triples midway through the opening half, and gave full package a lead almost impossible to lose. Full Package would blow out EG-10 in the championship game.   Basketball Paradise wins 16u Championship I got to see [player_tooltip player_id="1295497" first="Josh" last="Aniceto"], [player_tooltip player_id="1285496" first="Jason" last="Jakstys"], and the other stars for the second time this weekend in the 16u Semifinal against Big 3 Basketball. The player who stood out the most in this game was probably [player_tooltip player_id="1285497" first="Luke" last="Kinkade"], he showed off some good spacing in the beginning and knocked down two open 3-pointers. later on, he converted and and-one and forced two turnovers. In the second half, he hit another triple and had a fast break score. He was solid on the defensive end too with several forced turnovers, and was a consistently productive player all game. [player_tooltip player_id="1295497" first="Josh" last="Aniceto"] opened the scoring with a smooth finish at the rim. He found some more inside buckets in the second half with some terrific ball handling to break past defenders. This was a new aspect of his game I hadn't seen before. So many players contributed in the game I watched, and the teamwork surely helped them win in the championship game too.   Two Nice Pieces for 15u Full Package in the Future There's lot of names on the 15u Full Package team that were impressive Sunday morning. But there were two that particularly stood out to me. Guards Adam Bardic and [player_tooltip player_id="1385306" first="Colby" last="Smith"].  [player_tooltip player_id="1385306" first="Colby" last="Smith"] has the most upside on this team. He's an explosive player with the ball who creates so many chances to score. The only problem was that the shots weren't falling in the opening frame. It wasn't until the first minute of the 2nd half when he got on the board. But he stayed going once he got going. Later on, he converted a really smooth layup as he exploded past a defender for an and-one. A euro-step finish in transition gave them a 1-pt lead with 3 1/2 mins to go. Down 3, Smith hit a clutch shot from beyond the arc. Aidan Bardic was converting his chances for Full Package. He created these opportunities with some good spacing, and confidence attacking the rim. He was the first player for Full Package in double-figures. He also displayed some terrific on-ball defending, and forced opponents to pass up shots. He tied the game in OT with 30 seconds to go on a baseline cut to the hoop. In triple OT, Bardic drove baseline to the hoop with the game tied to take the lead in the final seconds. Full Package would beat No Limit 51-49. Bardic finished with 19 points and Smith scored 13.   Look out for No Limit's [player_tooltip player_id="1385304" first="Javaughn" last="Robinson"] I saw Robinson make an impact twice this weekend for No Limit. From Danville, he's a 2025 player who gets the job done on both ends. He was the go-to guy in No Limit's comeback win over Fundamental U Saturday afternoon. I got to watch him a lot closer on Sunday against Full Package. On offense, he was fearless attacking the basket. Drawing fouls and breaking off defenders for lots of scoring chances. On defense, he showed an outstanding amount of hustle, and created problems on the perimeter. A contested euro-step finished in the 2nd half was his best play. With the game close, he put the game in his hands with a steal-and-score to tie the game and give them a three point lead in the final minute of regulation. Robinson shows da ton of potential despite the tremendous Full Package effort to come back.   [player_tooltip player_id="1385291" first="Jeremiah" last="Fears"], [player_tooltip player_id="939076" first="Xavier" last="Sulaiman"] lead Hoops 4 Health 17u to Massive Win over Hardwood (IN) This was the first 17u game I covered. Hoops 4 Health played against Hardwood Elite from Indiana. This was the [player_tooltip player_id="1385291" first="Jeremiah" last="Fears"]-[player_tooltip player_id="939076" first="Xavier" last="Sulaiman"] show. Playing up, the 2025 Fears looks like he'll be the top player in his class. He impressed early with a couple nice buckets, and showed tons of speed driving to the hoop and making plays for his teammates. He got his team back in it with the snap of a finger. Hitting a corner three and a fast break layup. Later on, Fears converted a four-point play off a step-back long ball; drawing a foul in the process. He then made a terrific no-look assist to [player_tooltip player_id="939079" first="Sonny" last="Williams"] in the corner for 3.  Guard [player_tooltip player_id="939076" first="Xavier" last="Sulaiman"] showed off some intriguing athleticism, which I didn't think he had before. He nearly had a posterizing dunk earlier in the game. But he slammed one home in transition and came out of nowhere to put back a board by the end of the first half. After a fast-break dunk in the 2nd half. Sulaiman showed off his range with two 3-pointers. His stellar defensive play provided H4H more insurance. They'd storm away to a massive 75-47 win. Fears scored 22 and Sulaiman added 18.   Size on 15u Big 3 Basketball Impresses Despite Loss to Fundamental U Big 3 basketball has some decent size to look out for. Based out of the west Chicago Suburbs, this team had only five players dress for Sunday's game against Fundamental U, who I watched for the third time this weekend. 6'6” PF Michael O'Connell won the battle on the boards early for Big 3. His strong defensive play led to no inside buckets for Fundamental U in the first 7 minutes. On offense, he pushed past smaller defenders for easy scores in the post. 6'5” F Bradley Biedke is another intriguing forward to watch. He has long arms and can be a facilitator on both ends. Biedke had six early inside points and two blocks to start. Big 3 got off to a strong lead. But with only 5 players dressed, Fundamental U would crawl back. Jaeden Warrener got hot with two straight 3's late in the opening half. Ben Gablenz hit a step-back 3 at the buzzer to give Fundamental U a 24-20 halftime lead. Michael O'Connell opened the second half with three inside buckets to tie the game at 26. Later on, I saw him facilitate with the pick an roll for some more easy points. Biedke would then extend his range with a bucket from beyond the arc. But again, Fundamental U would roll back. The lack of subs would prove costly for Big 3. [player_tooltip player_id='2321433' first='Theo' last='Rocca'] knocked down two outside shots and [player_tooltip player_id='2724328' first='Drew' last='Bartolai'] converted an and-one. Warrener hit his fourth triple to give fundamental U a double-digit lead. He finished with 14 pts as F-U held for the win. Biedke scored 17 points and O'Connell added 16 for Big 3