Hoop Life: 2027-28 Forwards

<!-- 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 freshmen and 8th grade forward standouts that caught my eye: (One of the better groups I viewed during the 10+ hours)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2107249' first='Reid' last='Hamati'] Chandler (AZ Gremlins Grey 16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A power forward with sticky fingers who seems to rebound everything. He has soft hands and makes tough catches in traffic. He will offensive rebound with two hands and keeps the ball high. He rolls hard after the pick and often will score it. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2107219' first='Isaiah' last='Cook'] AZ Compass Prep (Pictured) </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A big, thicker incoming freshman who is an elite second jumper. He uses his build and athleticism to go downhill. He is a good passer and a quick on-ball defender. Once he touches the paint he literally bounces off of defenders to score. He handles the ball fairly well for his size and his transition stuff is amazing.&nbsp;He will&nbsp;blocks shots in his area and is one to track. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2107245' first='Zane' last='Russ'] AZ Compass Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another talented incoming Dragon has a strap. He has a beautiful looking shot for his size with textbook form and college range already. The wing forward can pull-up&nbsp;from mid-range and score around the hoop. His skill, size and IQ make him a good prospect. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2107164' first='Langdon' last='Napier'] Chaparral (The Dons 14)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A stronger post player plays with good physicality. He smartly uses his body to shield off of defenders and will score thru contact with his strength and toughness. He can rip thru and score and rebounds in traffic versus bigger players. One to watch in Scottsdale. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2109132' first='Kevine' last='Kabore'] Pinnacle (Peak Basketball 15)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A power forward is an incredible athlete. He leaps off the ground like he is on a spring. He plays with a great motor with unusually long arms to consistently grab rebounds in and out of his area. He is raw offensively, but he definitely has tools you can't teach.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2107084' first='Adam' last='Medina'] Williams Field (Peak Basketball)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A highly skilled power forward has a polished game. He will block shots in his area, run the court plus has good hands and feet. He plays with a high IQ for the game and will make the extra pass. He can step out and shoot the three then create his own offense as he can step back on his defender and fall away from mid-range.&nbsp;Don't be surprised if he gets minutes early on varsity.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2028</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2107225' first='Mike' last='McIntyre'] AZ Compass</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the top rising 8th graders I have viewed so far. He has great size, amazing length and hustles for loose balls and rebounds. He keeps the ball high to score and can already dunk the ball. His best skill currently though is he is a top of the food chain shot blocker. Anything near him he will alter or block it with his go-go gadget arms. He also closes out on shooters as he moves really well in space. He showed coordination with the ball in his hands to create some offense.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->