Cali Live/Ultimate Club Chip: ‘25 Forwards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On July 14-16 I attended the last live period for club teams in Vegas at several venues. The inaugural&nbsp;<strong>Sportradar Showdown</strong>&nbsp;at Coronado HS,&nbsp;<strong>Cali Live&nbsp;</strong>at Liberty HS and the&nbsp;<strong>Ultimate Club Championships</strong>&nbsp;held mainly at the Las Vegas Basketball Center and a few other Nevada high schools.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were some of the junior standouts I viewed:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1430449' first='James' last='Steward'] Marcos de Niza (Factory 16)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The long forward is a defensive nightmare. He rebounds the ball at a high level<strong>, </strong>runs the court and is a quick leaper to block shots. He has a drop step move to utilize in the paint and will flush it down explosively after he catches a tough pass.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1366003' first='Jaden' last='Vance'] Bella Vista Prep (Team Zona Gold 16) (Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long wing forward is a two-way standout. He is a natural shot blocker and a great rebounder in and out of his area. He is a long strider to the basket who can create his own offense. He is working on his pull-up from mid-range but has the catch three, the runner and can fall away from his defenders. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613047' first='Jules' last='Randy'] Bella Vista Prep</strong> <strong> Team Zona Gold 16) </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long post player who moves well with a strong physique and good strength. He is patient in the post and will go to work backing his defenders down in the post and getting a lot of attention from his opponents. He is a big time rebounder in and out of his area using his length and strength. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2091943' first='Ezbon' last='Hassan'] Bella Vista Prep (Team Zona Gold 16) </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A bigger wing who is an effortless dunker. He has long arms and moves well in space to defend but is strong enough to hold his ground in the post. he can shoot it from mid-range and score on offensive rebound put backs. He uses his athleticism to clean the glass.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1336442' first='Zane' last='Gaul'] Prescott (Factory 16)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The big man is a rebound chaser with real size. He is slowly starting to get a little more athletic. He is a good passer out of the double team with better hands than just a year ago in traffic to catch difficult passes and will go up quickly. He will also step out and hit the three and is starting to fall away from his defender. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1333492' first='Michael' last='Simcoe'] Sandra Day O'Connor (AZ Select 17 UAA)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A powerful forward can score from inside and out. Defensively he walls up with his strength and will chase rebounds for extra possessions showing a real motor. He had some impressive put backs on the glass with his sticky hands and touch. He will step out and shoot the three and then on the next possession work inside to score. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1986858' first='John' last='Simcoe'] Sandra Day O'Connor (AZ Select 17 UAA)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A face-up forward is getting more and more comfortable on the court. He can rattle in corner threes and is active on the glass. He is becoming their glue forward who does many little things to win. He rebounds, runs the floor, plays an unselfish brand of ball and makes shots. Stock Up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->