Jan 17-19: Junior Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This week I watched four games. Three on varsity and one on JV. I watched, via live stream (under the weather),&nbsp;<strong>Coolidge at Gilbert Christian</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Rancho Solano Prep at Arizona Lutheran Academy.</strong>&nbsp;And I attended the JV and varsity games of&nbsp;<strong>ALA Gilbert North at AZ College Prep</strong>&nbsp;live.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were the junior standouts from the week</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1494967' first='Dylan' last='Novak'] ALA Gilbert North&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An athletic true PG is a fantastic passer. He will throw up the court ropes and drive and kick or throw perfect lob passes. He scores on threes or pull-ups as he gets his shot off in a blink of an eye. He will hesitate and burst into the lane with the floater and uses the runner in traffic with his left hand. The southpaw will rebound and even block shots with his bounce. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1674466' first='Connor' last='Morris'] ALA Gilbert North</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A bigger guard is a catch three point shooter. He rebounds well with his size and will make plays to assist his teammates. He covers multiple positions with his length and is hard to defend with his unusual size for position.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1446106' first='Jace' last='Olson'] Gilbert Christian (Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the big scorers of the week. He shot the three with range and thru contact on the break. He is a sneaky good passer and will rebound with his improved size. He can carry his team in stretches and will need to shine when they go deep in the playoffs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2281140' first='Fauster' last='Johnson'] AZ College Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring guard was one of the true bright spots in their offense. He was hitting off the catch threes with a quicker release and deep range. He can score on runners and will make plays for teammates. Defensively he will rebound and block an occasional shot.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1369219' first='Luke' last='Danielson'] ALA Gilbert North&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A physical power forward is the strength in the middle of their defense. He gobbles up all balls off the glass. He is quick for positon and will get a steal or deflection and is a good passer.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1986808' first='Asher' last='Perez'] AZ College Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A combo guard is a plus on-ball defender. He can make plays but he is a scorer. He will score on hesitations and blows by his man to the basket to score or get fouled. He shows good body control to score contested layups and can handle the contact. He rebounds well for his position and has that moxie to want the ball in tough moments. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1986856' first='Justice' last='Moore'] AZ College Prep&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An undersized power forward who climbs the ladder to rebound. He is deceptively quick to get downhill and can score in the paint with a physical approach and long arms. He is one of their glue guys who plays hard and should score more next year.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2326931' first='Matthew' last='Quinlan'] Rancho Solano Prep&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A strong framed guard plays on or off the ball and will defend. He made some clutch shots in the second half that turned the tide for the better for the Mustangs. He can hit the corner three and get to the rim off the dribble. His defense made a difference as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2326932' first='Pearce' last='Ramos'] Rancho Solano Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A thicker undersized power forward is a physical player. He scores thru contact and on put backs. He will be featured more next season.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2326933' first='Owen' last='Beilke'] Arizona Lutheran Academy&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long and lean power forward with good size and skill. He can score on layups and offensive rebound put backs with some effectiveness.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->