Labor Day Invitational: Upperclassmen Newcomers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I am clearly backtracking here because of the state rankings but I did not want to miss some players who caught my eye at multiple events. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Saturday, September 3rd I attended <em>Chad Groth</em> <strong>Areacodes Labor Day Invitational </strong>at North Canyon HS in Phx, AZ.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He had 14-17U teams and I focused on the 16-17U.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I took a look at over 10 teams and saw many newcomers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Here were some of the older newcomers:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>2023</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1571917' first='Lucas' last='Prolla'] AZ Compass Prep&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A pure point guard from Brazil who has an elite feel for the game. He is kind of a throwback who consistently makes the extra pass into a teammates shooting pocket. He has decent size, good upper body strength&nbsp;and he works well off the pick and roll game. The lefty can shoot it from the 3pt line with a higher release.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1571915' first='Noah' last='Brown'] Holbrook (AZ Warriors 17)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A true facilitator who will be a stud in 3A this season. He is a phenomenal passer who throws players open on the run. He made multiple down the court dimes in stride. He is very crafty around the basket to score and can shoot it from the perimeter. He is undersized but very quick laterally to stay with his man.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1571916' first='Amari' last='Lawrence'] Bradshaw Mountain (PVB Varsity 17U)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long wing defender who can potentially be that 3 and D type for the team up North. He can catch and shoot it to the 3pt line, albeit a little streaky, but his length on defends bothers his opponents. He can get a step on his defender and score it and keeps plays alive inside the paint.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ravi Lacorte SG 6'0 Pinnacle (Southwest Rebels 17)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring guard is a lefty sniper. He can shoot it easily from mid to the three point line. He does not get a ton of minutes for the Pioneers but he proved he can get minutes on most AIA teams, at least coming off the bench and firing away with a quick release, and shows a high IQ. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>2024&nbsp;</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1571918' first='Gerrell' last='Trapps'] AZ Compass Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An athletic guard with speed. The lefty has a super tight handle and will score from mid to the three point line. He can blow by his defenders to get to the basket and score. He can also shoot it from the perimeter and has a sturdy frame and long arms to defend. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1571919' first='Cliff' last='Robinson Jr'] AZ Compass Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The son of NBA stud Cliff Robinson is a long face-up power forward who moves well. He runs the floor and brings good energy on the glass to rebound. Like Cliff Sr he can shoot it from the 3pt line, albeit inconsistently currently, but he is showing potential and upside for the young junior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Braylon Haman PG 5'10 Willow Canyon (Team Take Off 16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring point guard is a flashy passer and he can score. He is quick and although somewhat of a volume 3pt shooter, he can get hot quickly. He uses his speed to get downhill and will finish with a nice floater game. He takes contact well despite being skinny. He will drive and kick it to a shooter but he loves scoring it.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->