Mercer Island Jamboree Notables

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Yesterday, four teams met up at Mercer Island High School for a round-robin jamboree. 4A Sumner, 3A Shorecrest, Interlake, and the hosts Mercer Island all squared off in shortened games over the course of the night. Let's take a look at some names who stuck out and who we should keep an eye on going forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1863198' first='Brayden' last='Fischer'] Shorecrest</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fischer was far and away the most consistent player for Shorecrest. He showed touch from varying ranges, awareness on both ends to find cutters and jump a few passing lanes, and was a key figure in spurring action. He should play a big part going forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1978874' first='Darek' last='Usitalo'] Shorecrest</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He was an interesting player last season who showed up with a nice game here and there, but looked much more confident in his game last night. He's putting the ball on the floor more to attack the hoop, taking more initiative to attack off perimeter catches, and seems to have improved his ability to operate in tight quarters near the paint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1631554' first='Will' last='McDonald'] Mercer Island</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He's a guy that has all the skills to put up a high scoring average. He's got the length to shoot over contests, can stroke from 3-point or put it on the floor and get to the hoop. When he's rolling, he's an extremely smooth player with a number of ways to create space. Although he didn't hit some open shots yesterday, I would expect those shots to fall with more consistency throughout the year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2156173' first='Nick' last='Mautone'] Mercer Island</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mautone showed the same stuff last night that had caught my eye over the spring and summer. Good footwork through traffic, tough work on the glass, and good vision not just for passing but for finding space off the ball and putting himself in position to attack the paint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1450990' first='Shelton' last='Henton'] Interlake</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Henton came alive from distance, first nailing the 3-point shot straight away, then knocking in at least two others with tight contests. He'll continue to use that outside shot to set up drives inside and show off his athleticism. Another big takeaway from yesterday was his defense. He was working on the perimeter and showed some versatility with a nice help side block in the paint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2173007' first='Clark' last='Tonnon'] Interlake</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tonnon was an all-league player last season and looks like a good creator for the Saints. He's got a good overall feel for attacking gaps, setting up passes with his drives, and has a good-looking stroke as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2173771' first='Eric' last='Olteanu'] Interlake</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just a freshman, Olteanu shows some good physical qualities with strong takes to the hoop, an ability to mix it up in traffic for boards, and some defensive potential on the wings. He'll be a kid to watch as the season goes on and should get plenty of opportunity to grow his game in his first high school season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1612217' first='Kane' last='Wood'] Sumner</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wood was a beast on the offensive glass in their first mini-game against Interlake. He had at least four to five offensive boards and put every one of them back up and in, mixing in a patented corner three in between. He'll be a key rebounder and interior defender for the Spartans this season who's proven time and again he can slip out to those corner threes to stretch the floor..</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Karl Liedtke </strong>Sumner</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Liedtke was a new name for me and I was really impressed with the short spurt I saw of him. He plays with good pace, can get going from behind the arc, and balanced that out with some nice drives in their latter game that resulted in a few trips to the line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->