16U/17U Oklahoma State Tournament: 10 High Impact Players

Several players stole the show at the Oklahoma State Tournament this past weekend by understanding how to control games without forcing the issue. While these players had drastically different play styles, all of them excelled in their roles and found ways to make impacts all over the court.    [player_tooltip player_id='2505042' first='Jailun' last='Talley'] is an impressive athlete with good size and a non-stop motor. He showed the ability to guard 1-5 in switches and had great control of his length to disrupt opponents. His impact of defense was clear to see as he tallied a number of blocks and steals throughout the weekend. Jailun has very impressive foot speed and stood out with his willingness to communicate on defense. Offensively, Jailun dominated the paint and was able to finish out of the dunker's spot with ball-fakes and by making quick adjustments while in the air. He also consistently knocked down corner threes. Jailun never stopped moving and used his athleticism to keep the pace of play high and out run opposing teams.     [player_tooltip player_id='2498932' first='Julian' last='Jenkins'] had a strong showing this past weekend as an aggressive guard who can score from all three levels as well as setting the table for his teammates. Julian was a slippery driver who did a great job of getting past his primary defender before making reads as he got into the paint. He is an exceptional finisher and did-so well both in the half court as well as transition. Once his driving lanes were cut off, Julian forced defenders to step out as he has great form on his jumper. On the defensive side, Julian stay attached to his man if they had the ball, but excelled by reading passing lanes off-ball.     [player_tooltip player_id='1552359' first='Memphis' last='Burdine'] is a smooth and athletic wing who caused issues for opponents all over the court throughout the weekend. Defensively, he did a tremendous of trapping and forcing turnovers. Memphis consistently looked to push in transition and was able to get his teammates easy looks or finish the play himself. Having grown to 6'3", Memphis has great length with skills that you would typically see from undersized guards. He has a very quick first step to get defenders and often would make plays off of two feet in the paint. Whether finishing himself or kicking out to teammates, his ability to maintain control and balance was very impressive. Aggressively going after rebounds created transition opportunities as well as easy second chance points off of offensive boards.     [player_tooltip player_id='2409638' first='Luke' last='Bauman'] stood out this weekend as debatably the most impactful player on the best team at this tournament. Luke has a great feel for the game and seemed to never get sped up. He attacked rebounds consistently and was able to grab-and-go or throw outlet passes quickly. As a physical four, Luke established himself on the inside before stretching the floor for open looks from three. He was hot from deep throughout the weekend and rarely even hit the rim when shooting from deep. He has great range and is a threat from anywhere. His willingness to stay moving off-ball is very promising for a potential college player. Luke also ran well in transition which led to several easy points including finishing an off-the-backboard alley-oop with a big two-handed slam.     Bryson Jackson is a slippery guard who took over late in games for Team Arkansas. He stayed aggressive throughout games, but you could see him turn it up a notch if the game was close late. He attacked defenses in several ways depending on coverage but impressed me the most by creating fast-paced offense even after the defense has already been set. He can score from all three levels, but I was the most impressed with his ability to initiate the offense from all over the court. He has a great basketball IQ and did a great job of making decisions before defenses could could adjust. Bryson attacked the rim but also hit open shooters along the perimeter after defenses began helping on him as he drove.     [player_tooltip player_id='2374600' first='Swift' last='Moore'] is one of the better defenders from this event and did a great job of protecting the rim. He moves very quickly and is a great vertical athlete who deterred inside shot attempts even if he wasn't getting blocks. For how impressive Swift was on the inside, he was just as impressive with his switch-ability. He used his size and length to in front of smaller and quicker players as well as anyone at this tournament. While Swift was not asked to initiate offense in half-court sets, he was a magnet for loose balls and long rebounds which led to a number of transition opportunities and he consistently ran the court to get open shots.     [player_tooltip player_id='2385397' first='Titus' last='Westrope'] was one of the more complete players at this tournament. He scored from all three levels and also brought the ball down the court against full-court pressure. He has great touch around the rim and was also able to throw down several dunks through traffic. Titus made quick decisions and this led to a number of points for himself as well as his teammates. His ability to force turnovers all over the court helped create transition opportunities. When the offense slowed down and his team needed easy points, Titus would post up in the mid-post and could over power smaller defenders or blow past bigger players.     [player_tooltip player_id='2507325' first='Luke' last='Peffer'] is a lengthy big man with a high motor and a great feel for the game. He was one of the better rim protectors at this event and tallied a number of blocks throughout the weekend. One of his strongest skills was his ability to rim run. There were several instances where Luke would block a shot and still be able to beat his man down the court for a wide open look at the rim. He also scored a number of points out of post-up looks, but his biggest impact could be seen off of second-chance-points. Luke's second jump was very quick and this helped him to quickly grab offensive-rebounds and finish through contact. Whether Luke was tallying stats or not, Luke's impact was easy to see and I'm sure could be felt by opponents on both sides of the floor.     [player_tooltip player_id='2461654' first='Maddox' last='Morris'] has been one of the more impressive bigs that I have covered this summer. He is extremely active and aggressive with some guard skills that are not usually seen from players with his play style. Maddox has a very quick second jump and keeps the ball alive consistently. Maddox posts up in the high post and does a great job of making quick reads to hit open shooters or cutters. He rarely seems to force the issue but is still able to make aggressive plays all over the court. He is a very strong big man and consistently fights for position on the inside. Maddox also has the ability to grab-and-go off of opponents missed shots before making good reads to hit teammates in transition.     [player_tooltip player_id='1692613' first='Josiah' last='Rollins'] is an exciting lead guard who makes a high impact on both ends of the court due to his versatility. He has a tight handle and makes good reads consistently, but also can create looks for himself when needed. Offensively, Josiah can score from all three levels as well as set the table for teammates with ease. He is very creative and a great vertical athlete which allows him to finish with ease at the rim. He consistently stole the show with several big fast break dunks, but his ability to slow the pace down to get his team settled was very impressive. On defense, Josiah did a great job of applying pressure to opponents and force turnovers was consistently a problem. Josiah has a a great mindset and is definitely a name to keep an eye on.

Several players stole the show at the Oklahoma State Tournament this past weekend by understanding how to control games without forcing the issue. While these players had drastically different play styles, all of them excelled in their roles and found ways to make impacts all over the court.