Feast Week: 2024 Standouts
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The week of Thanksgiving I watched 50 teams play (48 from AZ) from Monday-Saturday at five different tournaments. I attended the Coyote Classic at Central and Camelback on Monday and Tuesday. I was at Mesa HS for the Fear the Hop tournament on Wednesday,…
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Continue ReadingThe week of Thanksgiving I watched 50 teams play (48 from AZ) from Monday-Saturday at five different tournaments. I attended the Coyote Classic at Central and Camelback on Monday and Tuesday. I was at Mesa HS for the Fear the Hop tournament on Wednesday, The Valley Christian Tournament at Seton Catholic, Welcome to the Jungle at Gilbert HS on Friday and lastly I attended the The LV8 Invitational at Chandler-Gilbert CC on Saturday.
Here are some of the top seniors I viewed that I have not mentioned yet:
Donovan Beard Donovan Beard 6'2" | PG Dobson | 2024 State AZ Dobson
A scoring point guard gives the ball up at the correct time for the dime and can thread it in often. He has really taken over the leadership role being that facilitator. He is still an easy three level scorer with pull-ups from both perimeter levels and quick speed drives to the basket. He has some shift with his handle and a great burst making it difficult to stay in front of.
Taimari Jones Taimari Jones 6'6" | PF McClintock | 2024 State AZ McClintock
An all-around showing for Jones. He runs the floor, scores it in transition, can face-up to the three, rip thru and will defend in space and inside the paint. He catches the ball well in heavy traffic and goes up quickly. He rebounds as a true chaser and will attack the ball at at its highest point. He will also block shots in and out of his area and handles the ball well for position.
Bo Dolinsek Bo Dolinsek 6'6" | PF Corona del Sol | 2024 State AZ Corona del Sol
A power forward who can score from all levels. He can dribble drive and get to his spot downlow using his body and frame. He will score it or often get fouled and cashes in making his free throws. He rebounds the ball well with strong hands. He has a polished right hand hook shot that is hard to defend. He will also run the court in transition for easy points.
Anthony Bolton Anthony Bolton 6'0" | CG Dobson | 2024 State AZ Dobson
A thicker framed guard gets downhill and handles contact well. He will pick some pockets of his opponents and may have been the best on ball defender I saw the five days with great lateral quickness and long arms. He can hit the catch three in rhythm and he is a sneaky good passer.
Ring Nyeri Ring Nyeri 6'8" | PF Liberty | 2024 State #256 Nation AZ Liberty
One of the top players in the AIA showed off in this game. He can surprisingly handle it easily and pull-up from mid-range off the dribble and hit the trail three. He has a polished euro move in the lane and his mid-range jumper is becoming a weapon. He rebounds and blocks everything near him.
Presley Ibeh Presley Ibeh 6'5" | SF Highland Prep | 2024 State AZ Highland Prep
A physically gifted athlete can rebound, block shots, dunk the ball and defend every position on the floor in the AIA. Offensively he will cut without the ball and will bully bigger players. He can fall away from the elbow and hit the catch three or step back. He can get downhill thru contact with either hand and he is a good passer.
Danta Stallworth Danta Stallworth 5'11" | PG Cesar Chavez | 2024 State AZ Cesar Chavez
A quick defensive point guard is good on the ball defensively and is a natural attacker to the rim. He loves getting downhill off of cuts and he can pull-up from mid-range or hit the occasional three.
Nigel Anderson Nigel Anderson 6'5" | SF Dysart | 2024 State AZ Dysart
A long athletic wing is turning into a point forward type for his team to succeed. He is a very good passer and has great timing on his looks and will score it from inside and out with perimeter jumpers and quick drives or put backs.
Elijah St. Onge Elijah St. Onge 6'1" | PG Hamilton | 2024 State AZ Hamilton
The senior leader of the team is a three level scorer. He has the floater game and will hit the catch three more than last season. He is still best as a driver thru contact and he is a tough on-ball defender.
Aidan Schmidt Aidan Schmidt 6'3" | SF Casteel | 2024 State AZ Casteel (Pictured)
A strong wing forward can post up inside and go to work with reverse layups and quick ball fakes. He has incredible post footwork with counter moves you don’t often see with a wing. He will consistently score thru contact and he is a very good rebounder in his area with a motor to get on the glass. He can also step out and shoot the three.
Kaden Garber Kaden Garber 5'10" | PG Chandler | 2024 State AZ Chandler
A strong framed scoring point guard can shoot it from all levels and even post up with his sturdy frame. He can rise up and shoot the three off the dribble.