Hardwood Classic: Newcomers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On May 13th I attended the <strong>Elite Youth Events Hardwood Classic </strong>tournament<strong> </strong>at the Phhacility by <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 Newcomers: </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1956209' first='Ruben' last='White'] Maricopa (Young Gifted Elite 2026) (Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A huge post player will rebound and block shots. He uses his long arms and size to grab tough rebounds and finishes efficiently in the post. He scores on put backs and hook shots. He has good hands to catch passes and he is hard to move in the paint.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1956210' first='Ky' last='McCutcheon'] Desert Sunrise (Young Gifted Elite 2026)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A lead guard who has a burst of speed. He can hesitate and then blow by his man and finish or kick it to a shooter.&nbsp;He throws up the court passes on a dime and likes using the floater. Desert Sunrise is a new school in Maricopa and they are in 4A East Sky. They will be going varsity either this year or next. <strong>&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1956211' first='Dhakwon' last='Crudop'] Desert Sunrise</strong> <strong>(Young Gifted Elite 2026)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long defensive minded guard is a phenomenal defender. He is athletic and will rebound, block shots, collect steals and move his feet quickly laterally. He is a transition scorer and brings huge energy to the court. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1956212' first='Ben' last='Aronson'] Salpointe Catholic (Apex Athletx 2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring lead guard who shoots it, runs the floor and plays the game with a big IQ. He has a fluid handle but is probably best off of it to score. He is a good passer and is very scrappy on defense. He will hit the catch three with a quick release and hesitates to get the defense off of him.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1956213' first='Ben' last='Lambe'] Pusch Ridge (Apex Athletx 2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A skilled and tougher power forward has tools to like. He is a very good passer for position and will be in the finishers spot and will score it efficiently or get fouled. He is a strong two-handed rebounder. A tough kid who takes contact well and often crashes the glass.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1956214' first='Brandon' last='Nickels'] Mica Mountain (Apex Athletx 2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A shooting guard who can get hot from the three point line. He can side step and shoot it and he will create his own shot with a high arcing deep ball. He is a smart defender who can collect steals and he isn't afraid of getting into the paint. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1956215' first='Wyatt' last='Koenig'] SoAz Volz (Apex Athletx 2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long forward who looks very young. He has good size in his family and has a huge IQ. He finishes with either hand and will rebound in his area. He always hustles back on defense and plays the right way.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1956217' first='PJ' last='Nowlin Jr'] Canyon View (Valid Kixx)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long wing who looks like he will keep growing. He can hit the three, handle it and defend. He rebounds well and is a fluid mover in space. He has the floater game and is currently working on his off the dribble moves.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1956218' first='Marcus' last='Isaac'] N/A (Valid Kixx)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long term prospect who is only going into 8th grade will be legit. He has great hands and is a fluid mover. He has a huge family lineage on both sides of the family with big feet. He catches difficult passes and can score around the basket. He alters or blocks shots around the basket and rebounds everything with a motor.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1957501' first='Jorge' last='Allende'] Rincon (Apex Athletx 2026)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A skilled forward with a high IQ. He can score on drop steps, perimeter shots and is a good second jumper. He has multiple counter moves and then will step out and hit the three or from mid-range.&nbsp;He has a nice floater and can score with either hand.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->