PSAL Final Regular Season Notes

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the final week of the Public School Association League, I got the honor of checking in on some of the best teams in the city. Here are my thoughts on who has shown that they have what it takes to go far in the playoffs.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Siyani Arthu</strong>r (Guard, 5'9, Junior, BK Law and Tech)- Arthur continues to impress as one of the best guards in the city. When I watched Siyani earlier in the season, part of me was worried that he was going to be unable to keep up his performance vs tougher competition but he showed up against the undefeated Transit Tech. Arthur has a smooth and controlled game in which he uses his passing and shooting ability to constantly keep the defense on its toes. In the first game I watched, Arthur was more of a three level scoring ball dominant guard. Against Transit Tech, however, Coach Levy used Arthur as more of an off ball threat, constantly running off of picks and putting up shots from deep. On the defensive side of the ball, Arthur does a great job of keeping his defenders in front of him and nabbing out timely steals.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kyle Dhu</strong> (Guard/Forward, 6'2, Junior, BK Law and Tech)- Dhu has an incredible motor, he is constantly running up and down the court making excellent plays in transition. In his current role, Dhu does some moonlighting as a rebounding forward which shows that he has the strength to keep up with bigger kids but Dhu has also proven that he has all the guard skills you could want. Dhu has deep range and an excellent ability to pump fake, drive into the lane and finish through contact. On the defensive end, Dhu loves to help. He is often found using his long arms to get deflections all over the court.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2457152' first='Asher' last='Elson']</strong> (Forward, Sophomore, South Shore)- Elson's length immediately jumps out as soon as he hits the court, he must have hit growth spurt or something recently. Despite being a sophomore and a transfer from Midwood High School, Elson still finds a way to get playing time for the highly competitive South Shore squad. Elson is still growing into his body and learning how to utilize his length but the potential on him is sky high. Elson is very comfortable pulling up in the midrange and knocking shots down over defenders. Elson uses his length to grow boards and block shots seemingly out of nowhere. He is a player to watch.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kyrone Alexander</strong> (Guard/Forward, 6'5, Senior, South Shore)- Everytime I watch Alexander he proves that he deserves his ranking as one of the top players in the state. In the past, I have seen Alexander use his elite athleticism to beat his opponents in transition and in the paint but he continues to add to his game. Against Erasmus, who kept the game close till the 4th quarter, Alexander showed me that he is a lot more than just an athlete with a tight handle. Alexander mainly looked to get his teammates involved in the game and served as an offensive safety net if things weren't going the right way. Alexander knocked down a number of outside shots and his form looks consistent.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kevin Kearney</strong> (Forward, 6'7, Junior, South Shore)- Kearney has the athletic tools to be a 5 star recruit and with each passing day he learns more about how to use his amazing tools. Kearney has an improved handle from the beginning of the season and has added a nice little dribble pullup to his offensive bag. Kearney's frame also appears to be filling out and he was comfortable battling down low and using his length to grab huge rebounds on both sides of the ball. Kearney has also earned the trust of his coach and is now a starter for South Shore. Look for Kearney to be an X factor in the playoffs.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->