PRO16 Finale: Saturday Standouts (LV Knicks)
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The Las Vegas Knicks entered the week as one of the favorites to win the NXTPRO 17U tournament. After an entertaining win over Nebraska Supreme in the Elite 8, they fell to 1 Family in the Semi’s. However, several players…
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Continue ReadingThe Las Vegas Knicks entered the week as one of the favorites to win the NXTPRO 17U tournament. After an entertaining win over Nebraska Supreme in the Elite 8, they fell to 1 Family in the Semi’s. However, several players on their squad stood out and caught the attention of those in attendance. More below.
Pape N’Diaye may be the best prospect in the whole tournament. The 7′ big man had an excellent two games for the Knicks. N’Diaye was a beast defensively, blocking 8 shots in the first game and many more in the second. He had offensive players second guessing coming into the paint all evening. On the offensive end, N’Diaye threw down dunk after dunk, and made plenty of right hand hook shots over his left shoulder. N’Diaye has all the intangibles to be one of the top players to come out of the ’24 class.
Ja’Quavis Williford is an elite prospect with a lot of offensive weapons. After his most recent Oklahoma State offer, a lot of eyes and attention were on him. He handled all of that very well, and put together a couple of nice outings. He has a beautiful pull up jumper, and crafty handles that help him find his spots on the floor. His elevation on his jumper makes it almost impossible to block. However, Williford did a good job of not settling for his pull up. He got down hill and finished at the rim quite often.
Jace Aquiningoc Jace Aquiningoc 5’9″ | PG Liberty | 2024 State NV may have been the smallest guy on the court, but his competitive spirit outshined everyone else’s. In the second game against 1 Family, Aquiningoc set the tone for his squad. He was intent on willing his team back in the game. Unfortunately, 1 Family made some big plays that ended up stretching out their lead. Nevertheless, Aquiningoc finished with a game high 19 points, scoring on floaters, and contested jump shots. He is a true competitor with a high level skillset to match.
Highlights
Elijah Burney was really, really impressive today. In the first game against Nebraska Supreme, he finished with a game high 20 points. When his team was struggling to score, they put the ball in Burney’s hands and let him go to work. The guard out of Vegas had a handful of acrobatic finishes around the rim, and hit some nice pull up jumpers as well. His stock should definitely increase after today, especially with the amount of coaches in attendance.