Basha at Mesquite Varsity standouts/notes

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Tuesday, November 29th I attended the season opener for the 6A <strong>Basha Bears</strong> at the 4A <strong>Mesquite Wildcats</strong>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mesquite won the 4A State Championship last year and a few players graduated. They will look to make another deep 4A run. The Basha Bears have a top-5 6A team and come in with some young talent. I got there early to take a look at both programs youth and of course stayed for the varsity game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>Here were the varsity standouts </strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1323290' first='Mason' last='Magee'] Basha</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The top ranked freshman PG backed it up versus Mesquite. His speed isn't matched by many. He is a good rebounding guard and then will push it at a breakneck speed and go coast to coast. He ripped a few pockets and made it very hard for guards to score on him.&nbsp;He has an incredible burst to quickly get to the basket and lay it in or take a two-foot jump stop and score it. Magee scored 17 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1064158' first='Christian' last='Warren'] Basha</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A two-way wing forward is the teams shooter to the three point line. He is a true catch and shoot gunner with a quick release. He rebounds well with his stick-em hands in the paint and can make tough layups in traffic with improving athleticism.&nbsp;He will cover the 2-5 for them on defense. Warren scored 19 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1120889' first='Torin' last='Bosch'] Basha</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The lone senior starter just got back from a minor injury and played well. He has a stronger upper body then last year which allows him to get downhill and score through contact way easier. He can hit the catch three plus rise up from mid-range. He showed good body control in the air to score in traffic and rebounds in his area with a plus motor.&nbsp;Bosch scored 19 points. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1490241' first='Elijah' last='Summers-Livingston'] Basha</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long athletic shot blocker with great hands. He moves incredibly well in space and blocks shots and gobbles up rebounds. He rebounds the ball at its highest point. He can score inside and out, but mostly will score on put backs with him grabbing offensive rebounds.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1366580' first='Justin' last='Garcia'] Basha</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As one of their starting guards was under the weather, Justin got some extra playing time. He cashed in with some strong play. He has open court speed with the ball and is competitive on defense. He can shoot it from the perimeter and he has a burst to get to the basket and lay it in or score with swooping runners.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='814517' first='Cohen' last='J Gonzales']</strong> <strong>Mesquite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the tougher guards to defend in the AIA. He has volleyball line range on his three point shot and rises up high as can he get his shot off versus any AIA defender. He gives a hard ball fake then bursts into the lane. He is super competitive on defense and has quick hands to collect steals. He scored a game high <strong>38 </strong>points.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1216999' first='Jaylen' last='Wollangk'] Mesquite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Robin to Cohen J Batman this year is definitely Wollangk. First thing first, he is a tough guard who will defend. His offense is improving before our eyes. He uses his broad shoulders to get downhill and score through contact plus he can&nbsp;step back off the dribble from mid-range and his deep ball keeps improving. He scored 17 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1674459' first='Jaylon' last='Hooks']</strong> <strong>Mesquite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long wing forward keeps catching my eye. He finishes efficiently around the rim with nice athleticism and he will defend multiple positions. He had an impressive block the last two minutes of the tight game, he runs the court in transition and brings energy as their 6th man.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>Notes:</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-Both programs are legit in the East Valley.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-Both programs will make the OPEN division playoffs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-Basha has a chance of earning the Final-8 OPEN teams. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-Both programs have good varsity teams plus strong youth that will help their varsity in the next 2-3 years. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-Not many AIA teams have a better duo of freshman then <strong>Basha.</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>-If you have not watched [player_tooltip player_id='814517' first='Cohen' last='J Gonzales'] of <strong>Mesquite</strong> play--go take a trip to Gilbert--you won't be upset at what you see. The senior is a show. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->