Hoop Life: 2026 F/SG Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On July 29th I attended the&nbsp;<em>Hoopers On1y</em>&nbsp;<strong>Hoop Life</strong>&nbsp;tournament located at the Phhacility and the Kroc Center in Phx, AZ.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I focused most of my attention on the younger groups of 15 and 16U but saw a couple 17U games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were the sophomore forward and SG standouts that caught my eye:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1633033' first='Jackson' last='Heim'] St. Mary's (AllStars 15)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long defensive forward who rebounds well, blocks shots in and out of his area and covers a lot of ground. He shoots the three and has a very high IQ for the game. His ability to move well in space and then be tough inside makes him a player to track. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2107247' first='Vester' last='Herring'] Chandler (Gremlins Grey 16) (Pictured) </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long, quicker twitched wing forward is a newcomer for me. He can hit the catch three, score on offensive rebound put backs and is elite in transition. He makes his money on defense. He uses his long arms to rebound and block shots plus he collects a lot of steals with his length and quickness. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1735379' first='David' last='Mans'] Pinnacle (Peak Basketball 15)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A good sized post player with good hands and a great touch in the paint. He can handle it decently and rebounds everything near him. He can drop step with good post footwork and has a nice hook shot to use. He can face-up from the elbow and in and plays aggressively inside. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2107154' first='Cameron' last='Clayton'] Hamilton (AZ RUN N GUN 16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another newcomer for me is a versatile wing forward. He can drive it to the basket and will rebound and block shots. He can fall away from his defender and score it plus hit perimeter jumpers. He is skilled, has a big IQ and is a smart passer up the court. He will be in the varsity rotation sooner rather then later.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1736170' first='Kareem' last='Alkhalifa']</strong> <strong>Pinnacle (Peak Basketball 16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long wing forward is slowly extending his shooting range. He plays and defends multiple positions and is good on the break. He can burst to the rim with long strides and he can hit the catch three more consistently. He uses his long arms and quickness to play the passing lanes. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2108697' first='Xavier' last='Collier'] Hamilton (AZ RUN N GUN 16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring guard puts up points in a variety of ways. He can shoot the three, get to the basket and cut when he should. He is great in transition and is an easy driver after a ball fake. He is a streaky three point shooter but is definitely capable.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2107110' first='Hudson' last='Yang'] Hamilton (AZ RUN N GUN 15)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long guard missed last season with an injury and he will score it. He is a consistent three point shooter who uses floaters and runners. He has quick hands for defense and plays the right way on both sides of the court. He will be even better in a year once he gets stronger and gets some real court time. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2107251' first='Jay' last='Adams'] Chandler (AZ Gremlins Grey 16</strong>)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A thick framed defensive scoring guard. He is a top end on-ball defender who uses his stronger upper body and great lateral quickness to keep his opponents in front of him. He gets downhill fairly easily, as he is as strong as anyone. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gaven Stevenson F 6'3 2026 Chandler (AZ Gremlins Grey 16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A high motored power forward plays super hard. He will rebound and score on put backs and is a transition scorer on offense. He can rip thru and score thru contact with a stronger upper body and broader shoulders. What impresses you is his ability to defend on the ball in space.   </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1482217' first='Khalil' last='Lias'] Eduprize (NDO 17)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An athletic two-way guard with great size. He will score with catch threes and is always tough in transition. He is very active on defense as he will crash the glass on both sides of the ball and he is another who is a very good on-ball defender. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Side note</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The brand new <a href="https://events.prephoops.com/e/883/register/arizona-freshman-showcase">Freshman Showcase</a> is here (Class of 2027)...Saturday, September 2nd plus </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>the annual <a href="https://events.prephoops.com/e/844/register/arizona-top-250-expo">TOP 250 EXPO</a>..Sunday September 3rd. (Classes of 2024-2026)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You can use my code<strong> RosenbergHoops2023</strong> for a discount on either event! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->