Kings of the City: Under the Radar

<!-- 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 Under the Radar players I observed</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1382611' first='Desmone' last='Brooks Conley'] Peoria (AZ Storm 16 Gold)</strong> (Pictured) </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A gifted scoring lead guard can pull-up from mid-range and hit catch threes in bunches. He is very quick and shined while their star senor Camacho was sidelined with an injury this year. He will be a breakout candidate for next season in 4A and has real open court speed to out race his opponents.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1193884' first='Damien' last='Williams'] Chandler (AZ Gremlins)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Talk about under the radar and Williams comes to mind. He didn't play all of his junior year and looks to be the comeback player of the year in 6A. He gets downhill with long strides to the rim and the wing forward can finish thru contact despite his leaner frame.&nbsp;He plays with a good motor and energy. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='827022' first='Ryan' last='Vischer'] Phheonix Prep (AZ Select Economos)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A huge post player just got back after a multitude of injuries. He still doesn't have his sea legs back but has great strength and a polished hook shot in the paint. He rebounds well in his area and once he gets his wind back, he could be a nice late pickup for smaller colleges looking for size. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Malik Holmes PF 6'1 2024 Westwood (Hunter's Elite)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A super athletic wing is very active around the rim. He will flush it down on the break and scores it efficiently in the paint. He has nice hands to grab rebounds in and out of his area and he will block shots and play with energy on both sides of the court. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1382609' first='Nehemiah' last='Williams'] Sandra Day O'Connor (PHAME 16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A point forward type made it look easy out there in stretches getting to the basket. He has a sturdy frame and gets downhill well. He will score easily thru contact and make plays for his teammates. He length and IQ allow him to play the passing lanes.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1401311' first='Devan' last='Carter'] Mountain View Marana (AZ Select)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A top-tier shot blocker springs up quickly. He gets off the floor effortlessly. He is starting to face-up from the perimeter out to the three point line and can score inside on dunks and put backs. He definitely makes his money on defense with his rebounding and blocking shots. He is a rare top of the box type of leaper.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='996168' first='Evan' last='Coates'] Bella Vista Prep (APEX Athletix 2024 Black)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A face-up five-man can stretch it out to the three point line and rebounds well. He is a good passer and rebounder in his area with very good hands. He is getting tougher to block shots and defend in the post. He can throw it down in the lane as well and seems to be playing worry free. His passing his really taken off this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->