Hardwood Classic: 2024 Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On May 13th I attended the&nbsp;<strong>Elite Youth Events Hardwood Classic&nbsp;</strong>tournament<strong>&nbsp;</strong>at the Phhacility by&nbsp;<em>Tony Darden</em>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I watched a little of all three levels of 15-17U and were some of the standouts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>H</strong>ere were some of the 2024 Standouts:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1225557' first='Triston' last='Walters'] Maricopa (Young Gifted Elite)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A thicker lead guard has a mean pull-up off the dribble from mid to the three point line. He gets high elevation and has that next level of confidence. He can make plays for his teammates and he recently committed to <strong>Coe College</strong>.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1421588' first='Dwayne' last='Jones'] Valley Vista (Young Gifted Elite)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A thicker wing scorer can get downhill to the basket and score thru contact. He has a compact stroke and will make shots from mid to the three point line. He would be a nice late local CC pick up looking for a scoring punch with some strength. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1378694' first='Damaraie' last='Sawyer'] Skyline Prep</strong> <strong>(Apex Athletix)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A strong and athletic guard who likes getting downhill. He can hit the catch three and is an easy dunker way above the rim.&nbsp;He uses his thicker frame to absorb contact and scores thru it. He is a fierce on-ball defender and is an easy stock riser. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='996168' first='Evan' last='Coates'] Bella Vista Prep (Apex Athletix)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A fluid big man scores thru contact. He blocks shots and rebounds at a higher rate and is a very good passer like a point center. His physicality and fluidity have kicked up a notch and he will still score from inside and out. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1809640' first='Jinup' last='Dobuol'] Premier Prep (AZ Select Gottlieb)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long and athletic bigger wing forward. He makes threes, takes unusually long strides to the basket and can flush it down. He will block shots in his area and run the floor. He has a nice floater game and filled in this tournament. He normally plays for Garner Road 3SSB. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1275428' first='Zander' last='Kamai'] Centennial (AZ Select Gottlieb)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A lefty scoring lead guard will drive and kick it to a teammate and score the ball. He can hit the three off the catch plus pull-up off the dribble or side step and give a ball fake for the defender to go by and shoot it. He plays a cerebral brand of ball and has skill for days. He has some size and his big IQ comes with it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1340752' first='Alex' last='Wells'] Phhoenix Prep (AZ Select Gottlieb)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An athletic shooting guard who can score from all three levels. He can shoot the three and gets hot quickly. He has a shifty handle and creates the proper separation to pull-up from mid-range. He can get to the rim and rise up and score and will finish off dunks in transition. He has steadily improved each season. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1873794' first='Ashton' last='Romney'] Walden Grove (Apex Athletix 2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A bigger sized guard with a scorers mentality. His best move currently is his pull-up. It is a next level move with a pure stroke, high elevation and good ball rotation from mid-range.&nbsp;He can hit the three and makes smart decisions and can play a little lead guard in a pinch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1225985' first='Jonah' last='Jones'] Phhoenix Prep (Apex Athletix 2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long and lean power forward who is very active and fluid. He runs the floor, rebounds, blocks shots and has some skill. He can shoot the three and it is his activity on both ends of the court that catches your attention. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1194200' first='Tim' last='Gorham'] Eastmark (Apex Athletix 2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the more efficient forwards in 4A. He is super crafty around the rim and has great hands to catch anything near him. He has a big bag in the paint with tough contested shots and layups with floaters, runners and put backs. He will also defend multiple positions.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->