Easter Classic: 2027 Standouts 

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On March 30th I attended the annual <strong>Area Codes Easter Classic</strong> at North Canyon High School in Phoenix. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I watched three games consisting of five different teams where four were from Arizona. It was two 15U teams, one 16U and 17U teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were the freshmen standouts from the four local teams: </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2396345' first='Jay' last='Jenkins'] Washington (AZ Rebels 16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A well put together shooting guard is a three level scorer. He is instant offense with catch threes, pull-ups from mid-range, tough drives in traffic thru contact and he will drive and kick it to teammates. He has some hops with blocking shots off the glass and digs in on defense.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2330556' first='Noah' last='Garven'] Mesquite (Grassroots 15)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A point guard with good skill. He has a very shifty handle with speed with the ball and will make passes up the court. He scores it with floaters, which is very polished, euro steps with good body control and has a quick three point shooting release.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2337276' first='Brig' last='Standage'] Mesa Mountain View (Grassroots 15)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A combo guard is a deadly shooter. He squares up quickly and lets it fly. He uses the pick and roll game to his advantage and will drive and kick it well. He has good pace to his game and can score and make plays. That pretty shot sets up the rest of his game.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2292816' first='Luke' last='Galvanoni'] Perry (Grassroots 15) (Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A wing forward with plus length and athleticism. He is very active on defense as he rebounds and blocks shots inside using his springs and wingspan. Offensively, he can hit the three plus work inside with his long strides to the basket showing advanced body control. He uses the the floater game and will crash the glass and quickly go up to score. He is just scratching the surface with good family lineage.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2292815' first='Jamar'e' last='Stoudemire'] Perry (Grassroots 15)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long shot blocker is just figuring it out. He alters or block many shots per game with defensive instincts and a nose for the ball. He will score on putbacks and grab out of area rebounds. The more he fills in and plays, he will only be better.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2337138' first='Jadd' last='Agha'] Phoenix Country Day (AZ Grind 15)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An athletic wing forward with great size and skill. He is long who can shoot the three off the catch. He has a polished floater game and rebounds using his height and moves well from end to end.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2396374' first='Levi' last='Carter'] Willow Canyon (AZ Grind 15)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A pure point guard with good size who has some shift to his handle. He will drive and kick it to teammates and handles pressure well. He will spin away from the defender to not get the ball stolen and drive the lane. He has quick hands on defense and is active.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2396185' first='Zathan' last='Ruffin'] North Valley Christian Academy (AZ Grind 15)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long lefty wing forward with some size. He can block shots and defend in space and is on-ball defense is impressive. He gets downhill with his plus athleticism and can finish with either hand. He can step out and shoot the three plus he is a good passer up the court.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2396184' first='Justin' last='Humphrey'] Eastmark (AZ Grind 15)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A bigger sized combo guard can play on or off the ball. He will make plays while driving and kicking and easily handles pressure. He is a plus defender on the ball and scores with pull-ups from mid-range and likes the floater game. Look for him to get burn on varsity next season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2257790' first='Nicholas' last='Topolosek'] Liberty (AZ Grind 15)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A strong and polished scoring point guard with some size. He is a very confident scorer who gets to his spots. He can pull-up from mid-range and shoot the three. He gets downhill thru contact and has a floater game. He is very aggressive and can facilitate with up the court passes and will find a teammate.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->