Kings of the City: Standout Seniors/Juniors

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The weekend of March 24th I attended the<em>&nbsp;Hoopers On1y&nbsp;</em><strong>Kings of the City</strong>&nbsp;at the Phhacility and the Kroc Center plus five different other locations around the city in AZ.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I watched a lot of 15 and 16U with some 17U games as well. This was one of the biggest events AZ has had in a while with 400+ teams from the Southwest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here are some of the Best Standouts Seniors/Juniors I observed</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>David Deboer PG 6'1 2023 Rock Springs/Wyoming (A-Train Academy)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A flashy point guard who can shoot the three and flush it down on the break. He makes pinpoint passes and was easily the best passer of the event.&nbsp;He uses his speed to get a step on his defender to score but it's his passing that jumps out at you. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Michael Gray SG 6'1 2023 San Tan Foothills (Hunter's Elite)&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An athletic guard can hit the three point shot off the catch. He is extremely fast in the open court like a track star. He will defend inside the paint and on the perimeter and he makes good reads with the ball and plays hard for the former NBA player Steven Hunter. &nbsp; &nbsp; <strong>&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1216983' first='Brandon' last='Walker'] Coronado (Peak Basketball) (Pictured) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A bigger sized forward with grace and athleticism. He can dunk it easily and step out and hit the three. He will rebound and block shots and he backed up his Region Defensive Player of the Year with rebounding and blocks.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mael Blunt PG 5'11 2023 Justin Sienna/CA (Team Blaze Premier)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An unsigned California point guard is a quick scoring lead guard. He is a lefty who has speed and can pull-up from mid-range or hit the three. He is fast to the cup with floaters, runners and reverse layups and plays the game under controlled. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1873794' first='Ashton' last='Romney'] Walden Grove (APEX Athletix 2024 Black)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A newcomer who is a good sized guard. He can shoot the three and move the ball well like a lead guard. He can get out on the break for transition scores and even dunk it. He can give a hard ball fake and rise up and hit from mid-range.&nbsp;A real sleeper from a non-traditional powerhouse in Tucson. He averaged 20+ points per game, 5+ rebounds, 3 assists and 2+ steals per game showing how invaluable he is to the Red Wolves. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1350772' first='Jonas' last='Cederlind'] Perry (AZ Kings 2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A crafty and cerebral lead guard can pull-up from mid to the three point line. He can score in bunches with pull-ups, drive-by's and triples. He has good length and instincts to play the passing lanes and understands how to play. He can be a piece to the puzzle for another OPEN run. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1674511' first='Kaelum' last='Brown'] Casteel (AZ Kings 2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A strong and thicker power forward can shoot it plus be physical in the paint. He will block your shot and run the floor. He rebounds well in his area with his size and girth and has a nice shooting touch. He should get heavy minutes next season and be more involved in the offense. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1336097' first='Braylon' last='Johnson'] Pinnacle (Peak Basketball)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A very long wing defender moves well in space. He recently changed his shot to the left hand from the perimeter and it actually looks very clean and natural. The youngest brother of Cameron Johnson (Suns/Nets) is a good passer and he can initiate a lot of offense as a point forward type.   </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1241536' first='David' last='Yourkoski'] Cicero Prep (AZ Select Obie)</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the states leading scorer last year is a skilled wing forward. He has a pretty looking stroke from the three point line or from mid. He is a quick second jumper to rebound and will score on put backs. He will defend the 2-4 in HS and you see his skill pop off immediately. He also looks an inch taller if not two. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1138511' first='Jameson' last='Vick'] Pinnacle (Peak Basketball)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A pure point guard sets the table for the team. He can hit the catch three and get into the lane with a tighter handle. He works smartly off the pick and roll game and will drop the dime to the cutter.&nbsp;He should lead the Pioneers next season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->