Grind Session: AZ Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The weekend of March 17th I attended the Grind Session playoffs plus the All-Star game. Two AZ teams competed in the Final-4 with Dream City Christian defeating Bella Vista Prep and eventually Cali power Prolific Prep defeated Dream City to take the Chip. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Here were the weekend standouts I viewed</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='831119' first='Jason' last='Fontenet Jr'] Bella Vista Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the easiest scorers in the state creates his own offense and looks sharper now. He does not seem to be worried about the knee anymore and he can hit the catch-3 and pull-up whenever he needs to. He is a great rebounder for a guard and is clearly the best left from AZ.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1638458' first='Arne' last='Osojnik'] Dream City Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A known shooter had a good showing this weekend. He is turning into that 3 and D type. He defended Fontenet Jr about as well as you can in the second half when DCC made their run. He defended many positions and made shots. His toughness shined through. Size and skill pop off when you watch him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1216716' first='Harrison' last='Reede'] <strong>Phhoenix Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A top shooter in the state has range for days. He made some clutch shots in the all-star game to close the big gap, which they eventually won. He creates his own separation off the dribble and lets it fly from deep. He sprays the ball around to his teammate and plays a cerebral brand of ball to go along with his pretty shot. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1580112' first='Bradley' last='Swillie'] Bella Vista Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A catch and shoot three point gunner. He can pull-up and is a better passer then he gets credited for. He has a sneaky quick burst into the lane and has a thicker frame to handle the inside pounding. Definitely under recruited in my opinion at this point.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='814039' first='Mark' last='Brown Jr'] Bella Vista Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A physical pure PG pushes the pace and can make up the court passes. He is a one-man press break. He plays physical on-ball defense and he can hit the catch three plus blow past his defender. He is undersized but strong and tough.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1284853' first='Travis' last='Torain'] Dream City Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Torian has steadily improved. He hits the catch three, he seems a little stronger and has a little more spring in his step. He is rebounding way better then the beginning of the year with his added weight.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='986250' first='Amont'e' last='Allen-Johnson'] Dream City Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A pure point guard who really sees the court well. He has strong upper body strength and gets downhill. He is a capable three point shooter even though he doesn't attempt many and is really tough on the ball defensively. His court vision and toughness make him go. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1284844' first='David' last='Tubek'] <strong>Dream City Christian </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A skilled forward plays the 2-4 for his team. He can shoot it easily plus bang inside with any of the post players using his build and frame. He dunks it easily and the <strong>Memphis</strong> commit shined in the free flowing All-Star game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1673610' first='Bryan' last='Ndonga'] Bella Vista Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A power forward with a legit 7'0 wingspan and a 40 inch vertical. He is a true rim runner who defends multiple positions. He is not much of a natural scorer compared to some others but will defend and play hard. He also sprints back every time and takes long strides to the rim and will use either hand to finish.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1223824' first='Alejandro' last='Aviles'] Dream City Christian&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A highly skilled post can shoot it from mid and in and keeps the ball high. He works really well in the high post and will shoot the mid-range or make a play. He is a very smart passer and has elite hands to catch anything in the paint. He is very crafty to score around the basket. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='856640' first='Darnell' last='Fizer']&nbsp;Bella Vista Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A tough and gritty player who plays and defends the 1-3. He makes good decisions with the ball and can score inside with fall aways, put backs and pull-ups. He can make perimeter jumpers and is that glue guy for the next level. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1634726' first='Makhan' last='Diouf'] Bella Vista Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The long power forward is active on both ends of the court. He covers up so much ground on defense with defending guards and post players&nbsp;in the same possession. He handles it well, makes plays and plays above the rim. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1634735' first='Emmanuel' last='Stephen'] Dream City Christian&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An imposing center has an impressive physique. His skill is a little behind but he makes up for it with his size, athleticism and he plays very hard to rebound and block shots.&nbsp;With another year of work, he should only get better. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->