Lonestar State Showdown: 14U Championship Sunday Standouts

Chase Caesar proved to be such a versatile prospect that he was able to be effective from both forward positions as well as the center spot, Caesar showed no trouble defending on the wings or battling in the post. When facing off against a 6’5 big man that was much bigger and stronger than him, Chase seem unphased, nothing changed his game, in fact, he played bigger, tougher, and stronger than expected showing the strength to force his opponent out of the lane where they were uncomfortable or front his man effectively enough to deny or deflect any pass thrown their way. Offensively, he began putting points up in the mid-range showcasing a good jumpshot alongside a go to pivot turnaround jumper. Caesar got hot after knocking down a few shots inside the arc and began to extend his range by spotting up from deep, he even had a stint where he nailed back to back three-pointers from the same exact same spot. He also showed good intangibles, Chase Caesar was the type of player anyone would want to play with or coach. I loved seeing him take responsibility for whatever mistakes he made, this kid was a very mature and natural leader who remained vocal on the defensive end and encouraging on the offensive end.

Texas native, Landen Higgs, took matters into his own hands on during the Championship game and fought until the final buzzer. Higgs even had a stretch in the second half of the championship where he scored 8 straight unanswered points, bringing the Dallas Mustangs back into the game and narrowing the lead down to one possession. He proved to be a top-notch two-way player with a true on-ball defensive prowess combined with the ability to put up points from all three-levels. Higgs’s natural instincts on both sides of the ball was spectacular, he created his own shot off the bounce using his shifty style of play to get to his sweet spots, in the open floor Higgs got his buckets in bunches due to his from steals and forced turnovers that he turned into 2 points.

Houston Hoops guard, Blake Jenkins stood out as a high motor prospect that brought the energy and productivity to game. The tempo and flow of the match changed for the better any time Jenkins was on the floor. His excellent coast to coast speed and acceleration was on full display, Jenkins was able to quickly get from one end to another in order to protect the basket or set up a teammate in transition. Blake did all of the little things to win, he crashed the boards, facilitated, mirrored his man incredibly well defensively, helped on defense, slowed his man down, and ran the floor, you name it Jenkins did it. Great team oriented player, he competed with a true will to win while making game-changing plays.

Luke Simon made Nike ProSkills San Antonio respect his jumpshot early on in the game by marking his territory with his first three-pointer off a pull-up from college range. The 6-foot guard was impressively smooth and poise while allowing the game to come to him, anytime the defense closed out hard Luke looked to penetrate and keep his defender on his backside. Once Simon had the defenses attention and all eyes focused on him, he set his teammates and delivered the ball where they could get it and go straight up with it. One of the best aspect of Luke’s game was his selflessness, he kept everyone involved and made each player around him better. 

Jason Vidaurri competed with an intimidating intensity on the defensive side of the ball, his high motor and nose for the ball while going after steals and blocks was remarkable. Vidaurri impacted the game heavily fast break starter and finisher, his deflections while denying the ball always gave him the opportunity to sprint down the floor while a teammate scooped the ball up and threw it ahead. Vidaurri’s athleticism also stood out, he showed the hops to contest and get a hand on shots at a consistently high rate from all types of angles.