Ironwood at Boulder Creek Freshman/JV standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Thursday, December 1st I attended the season opener for the 5A <strong>Ironwood Eagles</strong>&nbsp;at the 6A <strong>Boulder Creek Jaguars</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Before the heavyweight varsity game started. I got there early to take a look at both programs youth.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Here were the standouts from the&nbsp;<strong>Freshman game</strong>:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1591738' first='Jeehzus' last='Pagan'] Boulder Creek</strong> <strong>(Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He is a pure point guard who makes everyone around him better but he's tough and fearless. He attacks the basket getting getting downhill and is fast in transition.&nbsp;He passes with either hand and handles pressure easily. Look for him to play regular minutes next year and I wouldn't be surprised to see him start. His handle, speed with the ball and toughness make him valuable. His brother is on the Puerto Rico national team for baseball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1680842' first='Noah' last='Van Fredenberg'] Boulder Creek</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long and lean wing forward. He has a big IQ and can shoot the three with picture perfect form. He releases the ball quickly off his hands and a sneaky quick first step to get passed his defender and use the floater. He can rattle off the three in bunches.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1680841' first='Mikah' last='Alfonso'] Ironwood</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A quick scoring guard can hit the catch three or get to the basket. He plays with a lot of energy on the defensive end and he can post his defenders up to score. He has a quick first step to get passed his defender and he hit the three point shot. He made a few out of area rebounds and he shows good awareness to drive and kick it to his teammates.   </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1680840' first='Ricky' last='Denman'] Ironwood&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A power forward who is a fluid athlete. He runs the floor well and shows activity on both sides of the court. He will score inside and rebound and block shots. He scores on put backs using his motor, athleticism and length.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1680985' first='Josiah' last='Jones'] Ironwood</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An athletic guard was nearly defending every position. He is quick to every ball and he is tough to defend in transition. He is a pit bull on the defensive end as he picks players pockets with his physical approach to the game. He gets downhill well and will score trough contact with either hand. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Here were the standouts from the&nbsp;<strong>JV game</strong>:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1680907' first='Josh' last='Dillard'] Ironwood</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long and taller wing forward can play some 3-4 for the Eagles. He can shoot it from mid-range and runs the floor well. He has a good hands to rebound in traffic and leaps up to grab out of area boards.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1680908' first='Cayden' last='Wetsel'] Ironwood&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A thicker wing who can shoot. He had a couple step back threes that were impressive.&nbsp;He gets downhill with his thick frame and seeks the contact and will get to the free throw line. When he is rolling, his shot is crisp and he can defend multiple positions. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1494764' first='Brayden' last='Newton'] Boulder Creek&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A combo guard is a fluid ball handler, passer and scorer. He shows real fight on the defensive end and competes. He comes with a quick shooting release and changes speed often. He likes to use the floater game and he should be playing on varsity next year.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1680984' first='Kaleb' last='Conley'] Boulder Creek</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long and lean wing who can shoot it with range. He has more than adequate size for a sophomore wing and will score inside using it. His three point stroke makes him the intriguing prospect. Once he fills in some more, he will most likely be playing on varsity. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2475896' first='Landon' last='Brownstein'] CG 5'10 2025 Ironwood</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A crafty combo guard changes speeds well but he is a three point shooter. The lefty has deep range and a quicker release. He sees the court well and makes good decisions but its his jumper that is the difference with his game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->