Tarkanian Classic: Off the Radar/Newcomers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>December 16th-22nd I attended the annual&nbsp;<strong>Tarkanian Classic</strong>&nbsp;at Bishop Gorman HS and neighboring high schools in Nevada.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were over 200 teams in the long week. 70+ Prep teams and 125+ in the High School division. Arizona teams invaded Las Vegas and some of them held their own quite well.&nbsp;<strong>Desert Mountain</strong>&nbsp;actually made it to the Finals of the top bracket but came up short.&nbsp;<strong>Notre Dame Prep</strong>&nbsp;won 3rd place in the 2nd toughest division. Both actually had in-game injuries in their lone losses.&nbsp;<strong>Higley</strong>&nbsp;also managed to get 2nd place in a different bracket and finally&nbsp;<strong>Sandra Day</strong>&nbsp;finished 3-1 and had their lone loss by only 5.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were some of the newcomers and under the radar players I viewed:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2302768' first='Hayden' last='Stebbins'] Notre Dame Prep (Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A tough kid is a zone buster. He is becoming a specialist for them from the three point line. He is a catch and shoot three point gunner but is starting to pull-up from mid-range. He will be pivotal for them in the playoffs.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2305774' first='Danien' last='Rucker'] Skyline Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A bigger guard who loves getting downhill. He is super athletic to play the passing lanes and he will throw it down way above the rim. He is a somewhat streaky perimeter shooter but has the size, length and athleticism for the next level.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2107071' first='Dasio' last='Gonzales'] Eduprize</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A true sniper. The shooting guard is a catch and shoot three point gunner. He has a nice touch off the glass off the dribble and has a high feel to spray it around to teammates. He rebounds with his size despite being a little leaner.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='986972' first='Quentin' last='Rhymes'] Bella Vista Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A transfer by way of Nevada is a long wing who is a plus defender in space. He is great in transition with his graceful gait and body control. He can hit the catch three and score on offensive put backs.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2305776' first='Jackson' last='Auditya'] Boulder Creek&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A wing forward is a glue guy for the Jaguars. He moves the ball, defends inside and out and scores. He is becoming a reliable three point shooter off the catch but can still work in the paint and score. He is a good passer into the post and always seems to make the correct decision.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1483886' first='Landon' last='Brewer'] Boulder Creek&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A catch three point shooter with great size can get downhill and score on floaters or runners. He can post up and fall away and will rattle in triples. He made a few impressive passes up the court and plays within himself and takes good shots. He can also dribble drive to the rim.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1697292' first='Rylan' last='Parsley'] Sandra Day O'Connor</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A sharp shooter shooting guard with deep three point range. He is long and skilled and moves well from end to end. He is extremely long to play the passing lanes and is just scratching the surface and will get more and more playing time as he ages.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1482217' first='Khalil' last='Lias'] Eduprize</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long and athletic combo guard is a very good downhill player with either hand. He takes contact well and is aggressive on defense to collect steals. He can pull-up from mid-range and he is a top-end finisher on the break.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->