2023 Lakeside Tournament – Top Performers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The annual Lakeside Tournament took place this past weekend at Lakeridge High School and there was competitive action all three days. In the end, it was Jefferson that captured the tournament title over Putnam, 66-53. We had the opportunity to watch several games over the course of the weekend and here is our All-Tournament Team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1197478' first='TJ' last='Latu'] (2024 Jefferson)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Latu proved to be an extremely tough matchup the entire weekend. Using his strong 6-foot-2 frame, he was able to power past defenders to the basket but his jumper was clicking so well that he capably fired and hit from the perimeter, winding up hitting nine total threes over the three games. Latu's game wasn't all about scoring either as he did a nice job on the boards and finding teammates for scores as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1582927' first='Adrian' last='Montague'] (2026 Jefferson)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A wizard with his handle, it was near impossible for defenders to keep up with "Fuzzy" - especially when his hesitation and change of pace moves were in high gear. The sophomore guard essentially got to the basket whenever he wanted to and finished around the hoop effectively with both hands, sometimes switching in mid-air. His lefty jumper looked good as well and his passing was on target too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2204992' first='Jaiden' last='Pickett'] (2025 Putnam)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>More of a role player last season, Pickett emerged as Putnam's main offensive threat during the tournament. The 6-foot-1 guard showed off his smooth lefty jumpshot from deep by hitting a number of catch-and-shoot threes, but also was able to use a crafty dribble to get into the lane and convert a number of floaters. Using his length and athleticism, Pickett was able to fight for some rebounds over bigger players and disrupt on the defensive end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1368250' first='Rocco' last='Graziano'] (2025 Sheldon)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A big-time kicker in football, Graziano has been a basketball stalwart as well ever since his freshman year and he had a solid outing at Lakeside. While the scoring was fairly balanced for the Irish over the weekend, the junior guard stood out with his ability to score at all three levels, using his strong body to score on drives inside but also utilizing his shooting touch to knock down threes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Alex Choi (2024 Westview)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As he has been all season long, Choi was Westview's most consistent scorer over the three days at Lakeridge, helping lead the Wildcats to win the consolation side of the bracket. The senior guard did a good job of finding his offense, getting open for catch-and-shoot opportunities on the perimeter but also using dribble-drive moves to get to the hoop. Choi also did a nice job helping out on the boards and defensively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->