Hustle Region Classic – Saturday Standouts 17U
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The first full day of action at the Hustle Region Classic took place on Saturday and we dropped by West Linn to take a look at a number of games in the 17U division. Here’s who we thought made up…
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Continue ReadingThe first full day of action at the Hustle Region Classic took place on Saturday and we dropped by West Linn to take a look at a number of games in the 17U division. Here’s who we thought made up the top performers that we saw during the day.
Jett Birdsall Jett Birdsall 5'9" | PG Sunset | 2024 State OR , Team Progress 2024 (2024 Sunset) – Birdsall did perhaps the best job of game management for a point guard on the day. In a win against familiar faces in ProTech 2024, the rising senior calmly set the table on the offensive end, patiently moving the ball to find open shooters or get into the lane for pull-up shots that were on the money. We honestly don’t recall seeing him commit an unforced turnover during the game.
Joey Banry Joey Banry 5'9" | PG North Eugene | 2024 State OR , PA 17U (2024 North Eugene) – Another small guard that packs a big punch with his game, Banry showed a great balance between getting buckets and helping others get theirs. In a win over Pack 2024, the rising North Eugene senior set the tone by getting bucket after bucket, and then in the second half with the defense focused on him he found his teammates for scores.
Nate Gilkey Nate Gilkey 6'9" | PF Gresham | 2024 State OR , More Than Hoops 2024 (2024 Gresham) – The lone big man on this list, Gilkey made his mark with his rebounding and on the defensive end. The rising senior from Gresham registered 11 rebounds, four blocks, and many other altered shots simply with his presence in the paint, and that all played a huge role in More Than Hoops staving off Team RIZE Elite for a win.
Jordan Valencia-Alvarado, TC Elite 2024 (2023 Richland) – Valencia-Alvarado posted the highest-scoring effort that we saw on the day, pouring in 30 points by our count. He showed a smooth stroke from deep but the unsigned senior really scored in all sorts of ways, especially converting a lot of layups in transition after forced turnovers. His motor was relentless and he almost willed TC Elite to a comeback win before they eventually fell short.
Andre Austin, Pack 2024 (2025 Bismarck) – Austin operated with the ball in his hands most of the time and he was extremely difficult to match up against for defenders as he was able to use both strength and quickness to get to the hoop, but also had the ability to hit from the outside. Defensively, he visibly put effort into that as well and seemed to be Pack 2024’s most valuable player on the day.
Jaden Sweeney, Showtime 17U (2024 Oak Grove) – Talking with some of the college coaches on hand to watch about the top players they had seen so far, one name consistently came up with all of them – Sweeney. There was a lot to love about the swingman from his athleticism and physique to his sweet shooting stroke from deep. He was a threat at both ends yet played unselfishly and didn’t force the action when it wasn’t there.