Music City Madness: 17U Saturday Top Performers part 1
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The first day of the Music City Madness started off as strong as it could. With more than 15 teams in the 17U division there is a ton of talent and competition. Here is a list of top performers from…
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Continue ReadingThe first day of the Music City Madness started off as strong as it could. With more than 15 teams in the 17U division there is a ton of talent and competition. Here is a list of top performers from the first day of the tournament. All of these players are looking to have a bigger day tomorrow with a chance to take home gold.
Out of all the players Saturday and the incredible amount of talent, i thought King Keary had the most impressive day overall. In their first game his scoring started slow but once he got comfortable and let the game come to him he started to shine. His best skill is reading the court and getting the ball to open players. The passes he was making weren’t flashy but it was the right pass everytime. Keary had 3 assist in the first 4 mins of their first game. His strength and body allow him to really attack through contact and finish. He has a smooth jumpshot that came back to him game 2 of the day for them, where NYBA won 94-73. No matter how his offensive game was going he never game up on defense. He had about 15 steals on the day, leading his team with his physicality on both ends.
The best shooter of the day happened to also be a NYBA player. Yanis Nebout had an incredible shooting day. With five 3s in their first game and four in the 2nd, Nebout led 17U with 3 pointers on the day. He is great at catching on a little hop so his feet are set as soon as he catches it, allowing him to get his shot off quickly. Even with how good of a shooter he is, defensively is where eh thrived today. With more than 10 steals on the day, Nebout showcased how good of a 3&D player he can be. His 6’11 wingspan makes it hard for opposing guards to dribble around him comfortably. I’m excited to watch what he can do day 2.
Ant Mcafee
Ant Mcafee
A smooth scorer from midrange, Ant McAfee shined in game 1 of the day for the Stars. He length allows him to shoot over contest with ease. When McAfee gets the ball inside he is looking for cutters and kick outs, not only focused on looking for his shot. He is hard to keep off the offensive glass with his relentless mindset and fast 2nd jump. While he’s not as comfortable on catch and shoot 3s just yet. He wants to take a quick dribble before the shot, but if he can develop it he becomes a true 3 level scorer.
My favorite guard to watch of day 1 goes to Hunter Moss Hunter Moss 6’3″ | SG Page | 2025 TN . He is a quick guard with a confident mindset at getting to the rim. Moss is great at finishing out in front of his body on layups to protect the ball from getting blocked. With the ball he uses his jerky moves that he can combine together to beat the defender. The ball is on a string for Moss. He really gets into the chest on defenders on attacks to take them out of the play. Moss can improve on the confidence of finishing with his left hand. The guard had a really good day 1 leading his team to a huge win in their 2nd game that came down to the wire.
Highlights
Xavier Vickerstaff dominated today in every aspect. He is a lefty with the ability to play any role his team needs. He has a nice 3pt shot, and really loves getting to his step back. Going right and stepping back with his left hand was his go to move for the day. He is strong and able to absorb contact and finish through contact. Even with his standout offensive game, the thing that stood out to me with Vickerstaff was how vocal he was on defense. Constantly communicating and be a leader brought energy to a team that looked defeated for stretches. He was always making sure his teammates were in the right spot and making sure he was being heard. I’m certain he was the most vocal 17U player of the day. He made his presence known.