Next Southwest Kickoff: 13U All-Tournament 1st Team and MVP

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were several great players and teams that travelled from multiple states to Edmond, Oklahoma to participate in the Next Southwest Kickoff tournament. These teams ranged from 12U, 13U, and 14U. This article is going over the best of the best for 13U. I am going to talk about the Most Valuable Player for the tournament and the top five guys after that. I am not breaking down by position, but rather who the best players are.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center"} --> <p class="has-text-align-center"><strong>Most Valuable Player</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":2381302,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Alonzo Cooper","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2029","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Team4ever","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Alonzo Cooper was an elite two-way player this weekend. I asked his coach about him after the championship game and he said this, u0022He played great on both sides of the ball.u0022 They played Wheat State in the championship, in which Wheat State had a player that scored at an absurd clip through their first three games before this. His coach went on to say, u0022Scoring and defending Wheat State's best player.u0022 This reflects the kind of impact defensive impact that he had. He made an impact with his scoring ability, where he showcased the ability to knock down the three or to drive and finish through contact or in traffic. Something that impressed me was that he used an up and under move to score at the rim. Over the course of the tournament, he had a phenomenal amount of steals and deflections. Outside of his defense, arguably the biggest area that he impacted was with his rebounding. He grabbed one rebound after another. When I asked his coach about it, he described Cooper as an u0022elite rebounder.u0022 He has a muscular frame and athleticism that he knows how to utilize to make an impact throughout every area of the game.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65fd93d89fc60"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center"} --> <p class="has-text-align-center"><strong>All-Tournament First Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":2381298,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Ajay Taylor","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2029","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77247","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Team4ever","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Ajay Taylor made an impact on both ends of the court throughout the tournament and in the championship. He had a couple of steals and blocked a three point attempt out of bounds, just in the championship. He made an impact with his rebounding, grabbing offensive and defensive rebounds. His offensive game was showcased, pushing the pace to score in transition and showcasing a pull-up jumper. He utilized the mid-range to cash in a few times. He knew how to drive the gap and kick to teammates if the defense collapsed. Free throws were not a problem for him, as he was efficient from there. It was a great two-way game in the championship and for the tournament as a whole, as his team won the championship.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":2381288,"_player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"Liam Lingerfelt","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"2029","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"6'4u0022","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"77243","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"Team4ever","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_1_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Liam Lingerfelt's impact is as big as his height. He is 6'4 as a 13 year old and was unstoppable. He would grab one rebound after another, which led time and time again to second chance points. When the defense would collapse to double or triple him, he would remain poised and find the open teammate. He is not just tall, but built. This reflected when he muscled smaller competition around the basket. He flashed the ability to drive to draw the foul. On defense, he played great interior defense and was an intimidating presence around the basket. He came away with several blocks and forced a high percentage of misses. His team went 4-0 and won the championship, with him being a big factor why,","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["2382455"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_player_featured_image":2380379,"_player_evaluations_2_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='2382455' first='Michael' last='Teague'] looks like a superstar in the making. He was the most dominant and impactful player at the tournament. If his team would have won the championship, he would have been the MVP. He showcased the ability to do absolutely everything. On defense, he would play great on-ball defense and continually came away with steals. I counted eight steals in one game and six steals in the championship. Several of these steals would lead to points for him or his teammates, with him getting the assist. He continually found a way to come away with rebounds, which led to him having multiple games of flirting with triple doubles: points, rebounds, and steals. On offense, he drove the gaps and finished at the rim at will, even through contact. When the defense would collapse to prevent his drives, he would casually pull-up and knock down a jumper. He was efficient from every area on the floor, including three-point range. He led his team to the championship game, where they barely fell short. He looked like superman out there. It was impressive seeing what he was able to do. This is a player that has a chance to have big time colleges knocking at his door if he continues to develop.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["2382291"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_player_featured_image":2380377,"_player_evaluations_3_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Taegan Trice provided a great interior presence for his team. He grabbed several rebounds, including a few offensive boards. There would lead to some putbacks more often than not. He showcased that he knew how to get into position and score inside numerous times. He would make good cuts, which led to him drawing fouls or scoring. When he would get to the line, he was fairly accurate. In one game that I recorded his stats, he went 3/4 from the free throw line. On defense, he would contest shots well and come away with an occasional steal or get some blocks. There were a couple of times that he would get a steal and go down, where he would find his teammate for an assist. It was a great tournament for him.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["2382108"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_player_featured_image":2385747,"_player_evaluations_4_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Nathaneal White was a force to be reconned with on the interior. I recorded 17 rebounds for him in one game, with five of them being offensive rebounds. Those offensive rebounds led to second chance points a lot of the time. He found ways to score with his size and positioning when he was not grabbing offensive rebounds. He had a double double in the game, which was normal for him throughout the tournament. He showed good footwork, which helped lead to a few points. There were several times that he would go set a hard screen that would free his teammate up. On one play, he set a hard screen and then chased down the offensive rebound. On defense, he had several blocks and played good defense on the interior. It was a great game and tournament for him.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65fdb85e8b67c"} /-->