OTR Tune Up Houston Watchlist: Pt. 2

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This article will feature the second batch of athletes that showed up and showed out in the OTR Tune up scrimmages on Saturday…</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1478393' first='Trent' last='Burns']- PSAT (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Trent displayed his dominance all over the court on Saturday, contributing big time to both of his teams victories. Burns showcased his length whenever the opportunity arose, spotting up from beyond the arc or driving to the basket at will with no matchup able to stop him from scoring. Whenever he was fouled, he often converted at the free throw line making opponents pay for hacking him. Trent was exceptional in the pick and roll option, either setting a hard screen for his guard to get an easy shot or rolling to the basket for an easy dime and finish. Burns was definitely one of the more impressive big men I have seen all summer in terms of using his length and height to create matchup problems for opposing teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Logan Alexander- CE King (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Logan's height was on full display in CE King's game against Legacy on Saturday, often converting and-1 foul shots when the opposition was forced to foul him to try and prevent him from making the basket. Alexander was able to post up at will under the rim and use a variety of post moves to score the ball on a masterful assist from one of his teammates. Logan was also used a lot on the perimeter to space the offense and set hard screens for his squad to get open shots. Alexander came away with a ton of rebounds in the game I watched and was able to easily assert his dominance as the other team did not have an answer for his length and height. Logan Alexander will continue to develop as the year goes on and attain to a bigger role in the offense, so as long as he continues to use his frame to the max potential.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>A.J. Bates- Seven Lakes (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was about my third or fourth time seeing Bates play this summer and he is just as skilled as all the scouting reports say. He has no problem running the offense and is adept at getting to his open spots and knocking down a contested jumper or finishing over contact at the basket. One of the more dominant parts of AJ's game I enjoy watching is how he prioritizes setting up his teammates to score on looks, always finding a way to get them the ball. Bates continues to show why he is one of the most dominant players in the city and will look to be a big time leader for Seven Lakes this season as they are posed for another deep playoff run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Javarius Thompson- Nimitz (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Javarius was very active all over the court in his squad's contest against Seven Lakes, taking on the tough task of guarding AJ Bates and proving he was up to the challenge. Thompson showed he was never afraid to be physical on defense or get in his matchups face and talk a little trash to get in their head. Javarius also showed his ability to drive to the rim and finish tough layups as well as make easy drop off passes to teammates for a quick bucket. He will only continue to improve as the season goes on and play a key role for his Nimitz Cougars squad as the team progresses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->