Big Shots Virginia Memorial Classic: Electric 16u Standouts
Big Shots Virginia Memorial Classic had talented players from all over the east coast in attendance. We saw some familiar Virginia talents and a few fresh faces. The event took place May 27th through the 28th. Let’s dive in and…
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Continue ReadingBig Shots Virginia Memorial Classic had talented players from all over the east coast in attendance. We saw some familiar Virginia talents and a few fresh faces. The event took place May 27th through the 28th. Let’s dive in and take a look at some of the electrifying performances from the 16u athletes.
Jeremiah Cody
Jeremiah Cody
Cody really thrived on the defensive side of the ball throughout the event. He was able to be very effective as an off ball defender as he stayed engaged and aware off all actions and players cutting around him. He showed the ability to read opposing ball handlers to rotate over and beat the drivers to the spot and deter shots at the rim. Cody was also very active on the glass as we saw him pull down tough offensive boards in traffic to generate second chance points.
Brandon Anderson
Brandon Anderson
Anderson possesses a ton of gravity with the ball in his hands. He was able to utilize that gravity by collapsing the defense with paint touches and rim attacks, and making the right read to open teammates with kick out passes to the perimeter or dump off passes in the paint. We saw Anderson use a delayed between the legs dribble to freeze defenders completely and create driving angels to generate paint touches and rim attacks. When attacking for himself, Anderson was a determined finisher with a fearless mindset on his attacks. Defensively, we saw Anderson play a disciplined style of defense. He was able to blow up actions when defending off ball and slide his feet against shifty ball handlers to deter shots and even pick up blocks on jumpers.
Ryan Jackson
Ryan Jackson
Throughout the event, Jackson played with a smoothness and level of technicality that you don’t often see from lead ball handlers at this age and size. Just about each and every touch that Jackson had ended up in a paint touch. He showed the ability to attack defenders on the perimeter to get deep into the paint or stop on the dime around the free throw line for a pull up jumper which he created and shot with extreme confidence. Jackson dribbles with his head up at all times, scanning for potential cutters and kick out opportunities when operating on the perimeter or putting pressure on the paint.
Cameron Strange
Cameron Strange
Strange brought a level of hustle and physicality to the court that was much needed. The 6-foot-1 guard was diving and scraping on the ground for loose balls as well as hawking down long offensive rebounds this past weekend. Strange stayed in motion when he was on the court. We saw him rotating into the paint to block shots at the rim from behind defensively and relocating or diving and cutting following a pass on the offensive end. Strange has a quick first step when attacking the paint off the catch, he used his body to initiate contact on his finishes to draw fouls at the rim and put tons of pressure on the rim for opposing defenses.
Tyson Granderson
Tyson Granderson
Granderson was able to be extremely effective guarding off-ball, he was able to identify actions and drives and dig at ball handlers with intention leading to forced loose balls and forced missed shots. On the offensive end, Granderson put his offensive IQ on display by delivering smart skip passes to empty sides and rising up for a shot behind the three-point line while being hounded by out of control defenders, leading to a foul on the three-pointer on one play. Granderson shot the ball with good confidence and showed the ability to be a threat as the trailer as we saw him knock down a deep catch and shoot three-pointer about a foot behind the line as the trailer.