Top 5 Game Changers – Expo Top 250-Part 1
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I watched a lot of players at the Expo event Saturday. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to see a couple of teams that I would have liked to see. I tried to watch one game in its entirety at a time and fell short on catching some of the great players. I did see a lot that were great. Here are top 5 performances from games I watched in their entirety.
This kid was better than advertised. He stood out in a big way in the game that I watched. He was dominant, scoring from all over the floor. His deep ball range might have been most impressive. He was knocking down tough shots from well beyond the three point line. Every part of his game was impressive. The way he handled the rock, he was doing what he wanted, when he wanted and much of that can be attributed to his ability to handle the ball and get his own shots. He showed quickness in getting to the rack, and he is strong and mature looking. He looks more like a college player to be honest and he was on another level most of the time. He got bucket after bucket there for a while, and he did it in dominating fashion. This kid is ready for a huge season and college coaches should be taking notice. I would definitely sign this kid. He has everything you want in a guard. Good size, athletic, shooter x2, creates his own, confidence, and college ready frame. Big things coming from him at Ferris this year.
He was teammates with Skaife which made for quite a backcourt duo. They were clearly the most dynamic backcourt that I watched. He was also on another level. He’s only a junior but has great size and maturity for a guard. He was good enough to get himself a bucket whenever he felt the need to. For him, it was definitely a showcase as he was getting dunks on the break, and having fun out there mainly because he could. There were times when he had to revert to his skill-set and go at it hard to to make the right plays. He still had no problems with doing that. He was a man among boys, and he looked college ready as, well. It’s good to work on things in the off-season, and build on your weakest aspects of the game. Well, it seemed like he was doing that, only they weren’t really weaknesses. He was that much better than most of the other players in the game I watched. Which allowed him to show off his excellent skills. Mainly his ability to get to the rim and either finish strong or find the open man. He had some nice mid range moves mixed in and his ball handling was on full display. He didn’t shoot many threes because he didn’t have to and seemed to be more interested in how or which method he would use to get into the lane and act accordingly once he was there. It was clear to see that he is a big time talent and he has two more years to be an even bigger one. College basketball is in his future if he so desires. What level is the only question left to answer. With the size and skills he has, the sky is the limit for him as he continues to hone in on those specific things that will be important when facing next level competition. Work. Put in the work and you will see the reward.
I don’t even think he played that well in the game I watched him. I only say that because I know what he is capable of. This kid has the best pull up jumper in the state. I feel okay saying that. It’s something that I like so much that I walked over to him when he was out of the game and said, “give me a fifteen foot pull up jumper going to the left when you get back in”. He said I’ll try. Two trips into it when he checked back in, he had the ball on the left side around the three point line. He gives a little fake and takes one dribble left and pulls up and nothing but net. It was so quick and so perfectly executed that there was nothing the defender could do. Needless to say, I am a fan of the pull up jumper. His is elite!! His ball skills are elite. His quickness off the dribble is elite. I’m a big fan of his game. Almost as if the things he does are things that I wished I could have done when I played. I might have had that pull up jumper but his is 10x quicker and more effective. His handles are great, and the ability to create for himself is really fun to watch. I got that pull up jumper posted on my Twitter page if any players, coaches, fans are interested in seeing it. My favorite bucket of the off-season. Not because I asked him to do it, but because of how he does it.
Sticking with the teammate duo theme, he was Olson’s teammate. I remember watching him in Bellevue early in the off-season. Let’s just say that it’s safe to say, he has gotten better. He still did some of the same things. Relentless on crashing the boards, shooting threes, playing hard. He just did everything better, with more confidence, and more frequently. He looked more mobile, and he was just a better version of the good player I saw 4 months ago. He’s going to have a big season this year at Kamiakin. He’ll be the go to guy and leader for his team. He has size as a stretch three, and a willingness to do the little things that make him a difference maker. This kid will give you everything he has, and that’s quite a lot.
Highlights
He dominated the game I watched. 24 points unofficially. He is a tough player who goes hard all the time. He got bucket after bucket on strong drives and impressive finishes. He beat his man time after time and probably had the best scoring spurt of any player in any game I saw. He probably scored on at least every other possession for a good majority of the 2nd half. He was relentless. He is so strong with the drive that he got to the basket anytime he tried. He also was tough on the boards and provided maybe more energy than I saw from any other player all day. I don’t see how he doesn’t get at least 20 a game this year on most nights. At a minimum. He will be tough to handle playing at a relatively small school in Omak. Hard nosed kid and a competitor.