Sunny Days Recap: Standouts

It’s been a while since I last saw Troya, both he and his game have grown. He was extremely efficient, picking his spots, deciding when he needed to be aggressive and when it was time to distribute the ball. He was good from both mid-range as well as when he shot the ball from outside the three-point line, if he hits another growth spurt to go with his highly skilled game, he could be a potential stockriser.

In the search for pure PG’s, Imperial is a good bet. The PG was the best passer I saw at the event, showing the ability to hit players with on time, on target passes. He was even more exceptional when making these passes off the bounce and was able to collapse and dish on more than one occasion.

I was listening to a video about how to stand out at Grassroots events and pushing the ball after a rebound seems to be one of the best recruiting hacks Crowley must have been listening to the same video, because he was one of the best grab and go players I saw at the event. The forward was a monster on the glass but didn’t stop there as he routinely. displayed the ability to grab the defensive rebound and lead the break. When he wasn’t starting the break, he was getting out and finishing it.

Reed impressed me with his activity, and combined with his size and length, he’s a young player with a good ceiling. Raw is the best way to describe him however I firmly believe he can transition into a 3 or small ball four. He moves well and because of his activity showed that he could be a potential defensive stopper at the high school level.

Keith had a knack for using his dribble to escape trouble. The PG has good quickness and used it to elude defenders and split traps. He was aggressive on the offensive end knocking down several tough shots in the game I watched.

I didn’t get an exact height on Gilmore which is disappointing because his frame put the power in power guard. As to be expected he was good when he was driving downhill, however he showed some solid PG skills, operating the offense and driving and dishing to teammates. He was also good on the defensive side of the ball as he used his upper body strength to be physical with perimeter drivers.

Wall looks like one of the most improved players in his class. He’s transitioned down to more of a point guard mostly because of his ability to handle. He was one of the shiftiest players I saw on the day, and he used his wiggle to create space from defenders while knocking down pull up jumpers. He showed good shooting both from mid range and off the bounce. If he improves at the same rate, look for him to be an impact player in his class.

I have Stewart tagged as a potential High School contributor. The scoring guard is shifty and has a decent enough handle to defeat pressure as well as split traps. He scored most of his points off layups, but was the one creating the finishing opportunities.

Hopkins was one of the better bigs at the event in large part to his defense and rebound. His activity around the glass consistently provided second and third chance opportunities in the game I saw. His offense has seen incremental improvements however he could be a productive player at the next level on his signature skill alone.