The Hardwood Invite: Freshmen & Sophomore Ballers on the Rise

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's often the older players who draw us into big events like this; top recruits and top talent that have established themselves throughout their high school careers. But once we are in, it often becomes the younger players who catch our eyes and make us say, "Who is that?" The freshmen and sophomores at The Hardwood Invite were no exception. So many younger players took advantage of the stage and made the case for who's up next. Here's a quick overview of some names to know going forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Jamison Carlisle","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'3u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77247","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Camas","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"I was shocked to see Carlisle is only 6'3. He was a force on the glass and above the rim, catching my eye from the jump. He has long, strong arms and ripped down rebound after rebound, ran the floor hard and played with a controlled recklessness. He had one huge putback slam and also showed off some nice touch from the free throw line, while stepping out to three once or twice as well. He is firmly on my radar now and should be one to watch going forward.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"Reggie Lester","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"6'2u0022","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"77248","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"Annie Wright","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_1_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Lester actually reminds me of his teammate, [player_tooltip player_id='1450983' first='Jeremiah' last='Harshman'] a bit, with his two-way craftiness. He doesn't do quite as much playmaking but is so strong going to the hoop and can complete the play with acrobatic finishes. He's a tough defender too and can rebound well for a guard. Lester stepped into a bigger role with [player_tooltip player_id='1450980' first='Martin' last='Kaupanger'] out of the lineup and could continue to see his role grow if he continues to play like he did this weekend.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"Tyson Lee","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"5'9u0022","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"77244","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"Davis","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_2_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Davis was a fun team to watch all tournament with how they spread the ball around. Lee was the beneficiary of a deep and diverse attack, draining threes at will against South Medford. He has a quick trigger and once he found the rhythm, was firing away from any spot he could get even a little bit of space. Lee is getting good minutes and seems to have a solidified role spreading the floor and occasionally slashing inside.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1631547"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"I saw a little bit of Walker over the late summer and was witness to his fast play and streaky shooting. At the Invite, he came in to run some point and really seemed calm at the helm, not trying to do too much at first, and focused on getting the ball where it needed to go. As time went on, Walker found space here and there and drained a couple threes. Then he got the feel and started pulling, firing rainbows up and through the basket at a high rate. His shot gets off just as quick as the rest of his game plays, and Walker will be an exciting player to follow through the rest of the year.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1450988"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"The numbers didn't really pop for Jace this weekend but when you watch him bounce around on the court, you can't help but think when he hits that next step in his progression he will really take off. He is a downhill player that can weave in and out of just about any number of defenders and has the ability to go the length of the court to finish at the rim. The finishing is inconsistent at this point but it's clear sooner or later he will figure it out. Vanvoorhis was also showing off some nice range from downtown and is liable to explode scoring at some point this season.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_5_player_details_player_name":"Amare Breedlove","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_5_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_5_player_details_height":"6'4u0022","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_5_player_details_position":"77247","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_5_player_details_school":"Annie Wright","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_5_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_5_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Breedlove is a bid body oozing with skill for his young age. He wasn't able to find that consistency throughout the weekend but had one big game against Chief Sealth, going 8-for-9 from the field and amassing 20 points to lead his Gators to the win. There is some untapped athleticism there that should emerge in full force as he gets stronger, but Breedlove was willing to mix it up in the paint, finishing and rebounding. He also stroked a couple from long-range that looked fluid and repeatable.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_6_player_details_player_name":"Ethan Harris","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_6_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_6_player_details_height":"6'5u0022","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_6_player_details_position":"77245","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_6_player_details_school":"Camas","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_6_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_6_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_6_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"Harris didn't get on the floor a ton, but in the brief time I saw him he looked fluid, ran the court end to end, and has a stroke that should help him become a stretch big in the future. He's one to check back in on later in the season and see how he's progressed in his freshman year. He certainly didn't look timid out there but perhaps still finding his place in the team. Once he gets comfortable in his role, Harris could take off and be an impact complimentary player down the stretch.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_7_player_details_player_name":"Romeo Webber","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_7_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_7_player_details_height":"6'7u0022","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_7_player_details_position":"77247","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_7_player_details_school":"Silas","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_7_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_7_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_7_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_7_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"Webber was another player who clearly has upside but didn't get a ton of run over the course of the tournament. Even in his limited minutes, he registered 3 blocks and made his presence felt on the defensive end. Given some time, Webber should start to show more and more glimpses of the complete picture of his game. The form on his jumper looked pretty good and he does move well, certainly possessing the athleticism to take advantage of his long frame.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_8_player_details_player_name":"Sebastian Cooper","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_8_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_8_player_details_height":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_8_player_details_position":"77244","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_8_player_details_school":"King's","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_8_player_details_club_team":"FOH Seattle","_player_evaluations_8_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_8_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_8_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"Cooper was running the backup point guard spot and displaying some good feel, playing controlled and knowing when to make the key passes. He showed good touch on tough angled passes into the post, dropping the ball right into his teammates' breadbasket. He's strong too, showing nice finishing ability at the rim and really played a solid role for King's as a trusted ballhandler.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":9,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63a501477af1a"} /-->