Jan 22-26: ’26 Newcomer Forwards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This week I viewed 10 games with varsity and JV games.&nbsp;The varsity games I viewed were on Monday I watched the&nbsp;<strong>Buckeye Hawks&nbsp;</strong>defeat<strong>&nbsp;Washington Rams 82-53.</strong>&nbsp;Tuesday I watched&nbsp;<strong>St. Mary's Knights&nbsp;</strong>defeat&nbsp;<strong>Mesquite Wildcats</strong>&nbsp;<strong>75-73</strong>. Wednesday I watched&nbsp;<strong>Cactus Shadows Falcons&nbsp;</strong>defeat<strong>&nbsp;McClintock Chargers</strong>&nbsp;<strong>55-49</strong>.&nbsp;Thursday I watched&nbsp;<strong>Cesar Chavez Champions</strong>&nbsp;defeat&nbsp;<strong>Shadow Ridge Stallions 84-47</strong>&nbsp;and finally Friday I watched&nbsp;<strong>Valley Christian Trojans</strong>&nbsp;defeat&nbsp;<strong>Ben Franklin Chargers 90-35.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were the sophomore newcomer forwards from the week</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2329548' first='Emmanuel' last='Angok'] Washington (Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the longest players in the class from the state. The lefty can face-up to the three plus ball fake and takes very few strides to get to the basket.&nbsp; He can also rip thru and score with his dominant left hand. He makes most of his money on defense with rebounds and altering or blocking many shots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2333011' first='Myles' last='Liimatta'] Valley Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A sturdy framed power forward has good hands and easy skill inside the paint. He will block shots in and out of his area with a long reach. He can score with his left or right hand and seems to catch everything thrown his way. He is a two-handed rebounder with huge hands and often uses his braun and strength to gain position.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2333012' first='Devon' last='Morganfield'] Valley Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A power forward has good length with broad shoulders. He is a plus athlete and moves well in space from end to end. He challenges everything near the rim and will block or alter shots. He keeps plays alive on the glass with a quick second jump. His free throw stroke looks good but is best scoring in the paint and catches tough passes around the hoop.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2329550' first='Jonathan' last='Dargitz'] Buckeye</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long point forward type can make plays and has good instincts to defend. He will block shots from the weak side, throw impressive passes to his teammates with an unselfish attitude and he will score inside with his long arms. He is one of their future pieces.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2332288' first='Richard' last='Harris'] Cesar Chavez</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A power forward who rebounds everything with his long arms. He runs well in transition and can catch passes to score. His defense on the perimeter and inside the paint bothers his opponents. Look for him to play heavy minutes on varsity next season.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2330560' first='Braden' last='Miller'] Mesquite&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A thicker framed post player with good hands and skill. He is a plus rebounder in his area and keeps the ball high. He will go up in one motion after he grabs the board to score. The lefty has a pretty stroke from the foul line and shows big improvement in one year.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2330492' first='Aydin' last='Rauschel'] Mesquite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A crafty and highly skilled wing forward. He has a quick release from the three point line and can get hot quickly. He can dribble drive into a floater and is a really good passer. He may not blow by you but will outsmart and out skill you. He is a strong two-handed rebounder and will block shots in his area. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2331638' first='Luwin' last='Lazo'] Cactus Shadows&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A thicker framed power forward can score it with mid-range pull-ups off the dribble. He has a good feel for the game to make plays. He has big hands to palm the ball and good hands to catch tough passes in traffic.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2329546' first='Lucifer' last='Pridget'] Buckeye</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A wing forward who transferred in from Youngker. He scores it effectively near the hoop. He will get on the glass as a plus offensive rebounder with his live body and a quick second jump. He is good in transition and will hit perimeter jumpers, albeit a little streaky.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2329547' first='Elias' last='Ramirez'] Buckeye</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A super active power forward with some springs. He rebounds, runs the floor like a wing, gets the 50/50 balls and can defend multiple positions. He has nice a free throw stroke and scores it around the rim.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2329551' first='Xavonne' last='Kun'] Washington&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A wing forward who is super active around the court. He is best inside to score and he has a good free throw stroke. He bothers his opponents around him with his quicker twitch, length and fluidity.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->