UAHCT: 3 Contenders

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are so many things we learned this past week and weekend over at Olympus High School for the Utah Autism Classic Holiday Tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>3 Contenders</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Murray</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Let's start with the 4A team that has been turning heads and that is the Murray Spartans. Coach Jason Workman has done a phenomenal job with this particular team. Not only are they dangerous but they can lean on different players to give them what they need depending on who they are playing. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1439714' first='Isaiah' last='Beh'] </strong>has been a focal point in what they do as he is really talented with his back to the basket as a bigger guard and he is not afraid to post up bigger players because he has some solid footwork and he also has a good reach that he can get his turn around shots off. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2271118' first='Deacon' last='Poole'] </strong>has been a player that has shown so much growth. His ability to shoot the ball from deep has been much needed on a team that moves the ball so well. He doesn't play with the ball so much and he just lets it fly and it finds the bottom of the net. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1115933' first='Quinton' last='Christman'] </strong>was one of the best PG's this weekend out there as he is just a bucket! Christman was able to get into the lane all while changing speeds and keeping his dribble alive. Not only can he get to his spots in the paint but he can throw you off balance with his shot making ability. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1571763' first='Treyce' last='Wilson']</strong> is another solid piece to this puzzle as he can go inside and outside when he wants and he has a great mid-range game, he was solid this week as well. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2304869' first='Kade' last='Whitlock'] </strong>is the glue, he is undersized but the style and the motor he plays with he finds ways to defend well against bigger players. In 4A this team is dangerous and you do not want to see this team in the playoffs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Layton</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Layton came into this weeks tournament with a bullseye on their backs as they have been playing some high level ball and they came in undefeated but left with one loss, nothing to hang their head about because if they watch some film they could really see how to fix and grow from mistakes. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1057041' first='KJ' last='Miller'] </strong>gets going in a hurry, this kid shoots the ball really well and his range is deep and he is a big time must defend out deep. That kind of range opens things up for <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1057040' first='Mekhi' last='Martin'] </strong>a player that can get to the rim with ease and he can finish through contact. His outside shooting has improved but his motor is the most noticeable thing that has improved. Big Bucket <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1568152' first='Sam' last='Romer']</strong> was impressive, he was doing it all over the floor, he was hitting from deep and he was attacking the rim and he became a player you can depend on in clutch moments as he has no fear with the game on the line. J<strong>onah Fullmer </strong>does not get talked about enough. he is always in the rights spots, he cuts to the rim and although many plays aren't run for him he finds ways to score the ball. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2244581' first='Josh' last='Checketts'] </strong>is one underrated big that runs the floor and has a soft touch around the rim. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1724368' first='Karter' last='Miller']</strong> is a good young talent off the bench that can spread the floor and his handle gets better and better. cade Tidwell does so many good things on both ends of the floor, this team is really deep and is a true 56A contender. Oh, and just so you know, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1057044' first='David' last='Katoa'] </strong>will make his debut on January 5th at Skyridge. This is one of the best two way players in the country that is coming back off of an injury and he is a highly recruited player that has signed to play at The University of Utah. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Olympus</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Glad to see that nobody panicked after a game 1 loss at the start of the season. Olympus has rattled off 10 straight wins and they have been playing some good ones as well. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1057020' first='Jordan' last='Barnes'] </strong>has been the floor general he has always been and he is on pace to reach 800+ Assist in his career to make that record so out of reach. Just to put that into perspective, you have to average over 9 assist a game for 4 years to reach that mark.<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1057034' first='Dutch' last='Dowdell'] </strong>is playing high quality offense but his defense is what stands out the most. He has had to defend shooters, bigs, PG's you name it and he has done a great job. The player that has been on the rise is <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2284975' first='Reef' last='Smylie']</strong>, not only is he complementary player to the their stars he defends and he can score inside and out. Really like that he is not just hanging out at the three-point line. Welcome to the show <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2310351' first='Will' last='Blanck'] </strong>a 6'5 SF/W that was huge against Layton as he hit 3 long balls and really spread that team out a bit with that shooting. This team has not even peaked yet which is trouble for everyone. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->