Grind Region Finals: Friday Notes (Part One)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Grind Region Finals took off yesterday and I was able to catch some action from both the 15U and 16U divisions. One thing is for sure, there are a ton of teams here and a lot of players trying to will their squads to a championship. There's still a lot of ball to be played, but here are some standouts from day one down in Texas.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Noah Abebe","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'4u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77247","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Freindswood","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Holbrook Hoops Hurricanes 2926","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"A solid player around the hoop, Abebe almost always gets to a power stance on two feet and under control before going up for the shot. His team was feeding him in the post on Friday and letting the big man eat. He's decently nimble operating through traffic and is able to maneuver the ball while hop stepping to split defenders.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"Garrett Hector","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"6'6u0022","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"77245","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"Alvin","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"Holbrook Hoops Hurricanes 2026","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_1_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Hector came off the bench when I saw him Friday, but he made a big impact right away, showing the ability to catch on two feet by the rim and elevate for the slam. He's another big man for Holbrook Hoops that can move well, get up and down the floor, and works hard on both ends of the floor. His length was a real problem against Nike Pro Skills and he looks like a kid that can make some pretty athletic plays at times.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1947058"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"He is a key guy in making sure BDH gets out in transition and capitalizing on easy bucket opportunities. It's been a common theme all year long, but Farmer continues to beat guys down the court and did it a handful of times on Friday night. He's a strong finisher who utilizes the euro well when he does have to work through traffic, and really has that strong base that allows him to stay balanced through all kinds of finishes.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1685505"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Weimer came on strong for BDH's second game of the day, bulldozing his way to a number of offensive rebounds, and was able to score most of his points by crashing to the rim for second-chance points or for feeds from teammates. He was a key player on the defensive end too, wrapping up possessions with gritty boards.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1614852"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Mata was probably the best-looking shooter I saw from day one at the Finals. His stroke came easy and the ball just rolled off his fingertips and through the net time and again. He was hitting from three in transition, and when the defense gave him room, he took a rhythm dribble into the mid-range and sunk from there too. He's a kid to watch throughout the rest of the weekend that can legit shoot the lights out.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["1300824"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"This kid was flying around the court, scrapping on both ends and using his quickness and mental aptitude to apply pressure all over the court. He made some tough finishes, hanging through the air and dealing with contact at the rim to spur a big comeback late against BDH. They came up short, but Brown showed his ability to influence a game and lead his team on momentus runs.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":6,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-64b29a711450c"} /-->