SEFNCO Showcase Top Performers
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I popped in at Tahoma High School this Saturday for the SEFNCO Showcase to catch both girls’ and boys’ hoops. It was an awesome lineup of teams and the games did not disappoint. On the boy’s side, there was Graham…
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Continue ReadingI popped in at Tahoma High School this Saturday for the SEFNCO Showcase to catch both girls’ and boys’ hoops. It was an awesome lineup of teams and the games did not disappoint. On the boy’s side, there was Graham Kapowsin, Kennedy Catholic, Kentwood, Sumner, Lynden Christian, Kentridge, Emerald Ridge, and the hosts Tahoma. I’ll have a lot more names and notes coming after this, but first, let’s take a look at some of the top performers from the day.
Tagle is an advanced player for his age and he showed it with his strong takes to the hoop and ability to create off the dribble. On one drive, he took the ball right into the body of a 6-foot-5 defender, created just enough space, and got the shot up and over the defender and through the net. He’s a really smart player who has the ability to set the pace as he did Saturday by bursting past defenders and either finishing or getting to the line.
The Kentwood guard is a physical player who thrived around the paint on Saturday. He got called for a couple of travels early on but it didn’t take long for him to find his rhythm after that, using a debilitating in-and-out dribble to the right. He went to it time after time and the defenders were pretty much helpless against it. While he likes to get to the hoop where he can use his athleticism and strength, he also showed some good touch from the mid-range with a couple turnaround jumpers and pullups. He also just picked up an offer from Dallas Baptist University.
Highlights
Eli Nording
Eli Nording
A really competitive player, Nording was key in helping Sumner secure the close win against Kentwood. He was making tough buckets inside through tight contests, hit a couple of cutters through small windows leading them right to the hoop, and used his speed in the hustle game to tip some passes and get his team out in transition. He’s a nice, all-around player whose steady play kept a high standard for his Spartans.
Hyppa was a little quiet early in the game but turned it on in the second half and ended up taking over in the later moments to seal the victory against Kentwood. The lefty guard is 6-foot-2, pretty athletic, but also plays longer than he looks with some good burst and anticipation. He showed he can bury open shots from mid-range to 3-point, has a couple of go-to moves on the perimeter to create space, and has the potential to be the teams heartbeat with his competitive fire. He forced three key turnovers to start a run that helped his team reclaim the lead late in the game, then hit two free throws with under 20 seconds to play to put their lead at three.
Highlights
If you’re looking for a name to lead Lynden Christian to another title, look no further than Bouma. First thing you’ll notice is how strong the Lyncs’ guard is. He was overpowering Kentridge’s guards and has the strength to shrug off defenders on his drives or use a hard dribble on the perimeter to snatch the ball back and hit jumpers. He’s got a really smooth shot too and got hot from 3-point in the third quarter, stretching the lead out of reach. I didn’t get a final tally on his scoring, but it was one of the bigger scoring outputs of the day.
Kentridge had a tough time with some of Lynden Christian’s strength, but Moimoi was one guy the Chargers could count on to battle inside. He’s a kid with tons of spring and was able to use that plus great timing to get some big blocks inside. He’s also pretty crafty inside with his back to the hoop, working both sides of the basket well, using leverage to get some quick spin moves in and was finishing pretty well on either side of the hoop. He really turned it on offensively in the fourth quarter and had an impressive showing against some strong bigs for the Lyncs.
Davis got out of the gates quick, making plays all over the court and attacking in multiple ways. He had two early steals, hit a couple outside shots, took what the defense gave him, dropping in some open mid-range buckets, and used his size to bully through the defense to the rim. He’s a really balanced player and also showed off some nice footwork and balance to maneuver through a clogged lane with euro steps and switching up the timing of his steps.
Brown came up big for Tahoma, dropping 30 points to pace the team in a victory over Emerald Ridge. He’s another longer kid that was able to use excellent body control, stopping on one foot, staying balanced, and was able to either let defenders blow past or draw some contact from trailing defenders and get to the line. And he was able to capitalize on those early trips to the stripe, knocking in a high percentage of free ones. He’s a guy that can wear down defenders, constantly attacking the glass, cleaning up misses, and uses a long, quick first step to get around the first defender. He was killing defenders with his baseline drives and just seemed to always get the edge to turn the corner.
McGriff was especially impressive against Tahoma and had to deal with a lot of length from the host team. He was rebounding 3v1 at times and showed awesome fight on the boards to keep the rebound alive, tipping it up to himself or other teammates when he wasn’t just ripping down the initial board. Honestly, McGriff looked like the best prospect on the floor and his progression from last season was quite impressive. He made an impact on both ends, playing tough defense all over the floor, soaring for a couple of big blocks, scoring from inside and out, and doing a lot of shot creating off the dribble. He doesn’t need much room to accelerate and get a head full of steam to the hoop and is a high-caliber prospect to watch this season.