Hoop Summit: 2025-26 Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Saturday, August 12th I attended Christian Polk's&nbsp;<strong>Hoop Summit&nbsp;</strong>at the brand new&nbsp;<strong>Paragon Academy</strong>&nbsp;in Chandler. AZ.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">I focused my attention on 17U and here were some of the non-senior standouts:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2123446' first='Makai' last='Phipps'] Leading Edge Academy (Showtime 17) (Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A son of a coach is an athletic guard with legit speed. He is a natural scorer but a good passer as well. He can shoot the three with a little unorthodox release but can definitely knock it down. His first step makes his game go and will often get himself to the free throw line with his speed. He uses his lateral quickness on the ball defensively.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1274847' first='Adam' last='Hubbard'] Canyon View (Team Rise N Grind)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long combo guard can score and defend. He takes long strides to the basket, cuts when he should and can score thru contact. He can pull-up and hit the three. He is a sneaky good passer in transition and is very long on defense. Once he fills in more, he will be even tougher to handle.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1150846' first='Trey' last='Chemin'] Cactus Shadows (Hoopers Only 17)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A thicker framed forward can face-up to the three point line plus bang down low. He is a sneaky good passer and is good off the pick and roll game. He made one beautiful fall away Dirk move over a defender's out stretched arms. He is way more athletic then you realize and plays above the rim on the break. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1306046' first='Alexander' last='Werner'] SoAZ Volz (Hoopers Only 17)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An athletic high motored forward who defends multiple positions. He does a lot of his work in the paint but he is really working on his perimeter shooting. He has a more consistent catch three and he will still clean the glass. He can back his man down and he even did a windmill on the break showing off his improving bounce.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1217316' first='Gerron' last='Jr Graham'] SoAZ Volz (Hoopers Only 17)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A good sized scoring lead guard has become stronger in the last year and can pass ahead to throw some dimes. He can shoot the deep three with confidence and is very good on the ball defensively. He plays a mature game and is always looking to make plays. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1595012' first='Christian' last='Acevedo'] Apollo (Hoopers Only 17)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A physical power forward can take the ball off the glass and go coast to coast with either hand. He can face-up to the three point line and from the high post. He can rip thru and go to work and his best skill is probably his rebounding. He uses his thicker frame and motor to corral the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1285501' first='Cezer' last='Sotomayor'] ALA Gilbert-North (Hoopers Only 17)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A rising junior who keeps improving his abilities. He has the deep three, he has step backs off the dribble plus multiple counter moves in the paint. He is steadily getting stronger and takes a bump better now in traffic. He still sees the court well to make plays and plays poised throughout a game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2026&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1633050' first='Sebastian' last='Hatsakorzian'] St. Mary's (Hoopers Only 17)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A physical wing gets on the glass and will push the rock. He can make perimeter jumpers and has a good sense of his surroundings where he will feed his teammates like a point forward. He will defend inside with his strength and on the perimeter. He scores in the paint with dribble drives and shows toughness and a big IQ. He will help the Knights the second half of the season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->