Battle in Seattle Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There was quite a collection of top players and teams on display at the Battle in Seattle July 5-7. Here are some of the prospects I was able to see who left big impressions with their play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2375347' first='Lance' last='Horntvedt'] <em>Richland</em> | Beauchamp Elite</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Horntvedt is an emerging prospect out of Richland who showed a nice combo of outside shooting and rim defense last season. He's getting bigger and stronger, now standing 6-foot-7 and showing a more diverse offensive profile with an ability to score from more areas and be more effective at the rim. He'll be a key guy for the Bombers next season and is a promising player to watch with high potential.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2625563' first='Quentin' last='Mosby'] </strong><em>Lakeside</em> | Hoopland</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Hoopland guard has been lights out from long-range every time I've caught him in action and he continued that trend at the Battle in Seattle. He was also a dynamic ballhandler, taking on a larger role creating off the dribble without their usual point guard in the lineup, and had the ball in his hands in key moments throughout the game. He's a name to know in the 2028 class who has the skill set to have an immediate impact next season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2383271' first='Brody' last='Pierpoint'] <em>Lake Stevens </em>| Hoopland</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He's a tough player who took the ball into the heart of the defense, finished through contact at the rim, and went right at bigs inside with no fear. He played with good pace, was aggressive on both ends, and showed good strength and burst on his drives to shoot gaps and play with some physicality with defenders right on him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2021612' first='Jackson' last='Skaggs'] <em>Bellevue</em> | EBC Elite</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Skaggs was on point from behind the arc, spotting up to knock down shot after shot and showed some nice poise to sidestep hard closeouts, or attack them head-on and get to the paint. He plays up with their 17U team and shows he can handle the speed of the game and make good decisions with the ball while also finding space off the ball to be a weapon.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1631563' first='Liam' last='Kelly'] <em>Woodinville</em> | EBC Elite</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He's a solid all-around player who makes good reads with the ball, is aggressive when opportunities arise but displays the patience needed to find the right play. He shot the 3 with good efficiency and also showed some nice touch on varying paint finishes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1450991' first='Corey' last='Tita'] <em>Kentwood</em> | [program_tooltip program_id='2451463' first='NW' last='Drip']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tita was a mainstay at the rim and has a few moves to break his man down and get inside from the perimeter, none better than his in-and-out that froze defenders on numerous occasions. He can create a lot of looks on his own by getting to the rim and also started to play off of that threat of the drive by stopping and turning around for some midrange jumpers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1485586' first='Kenyon' last='Simmons'] <em>Timberline</em> | [program_tooltip program_id='2451463' first='NW' last='Drip']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Simmons is a tough kid to stop when he's searching for opportunities to get downhill, especially in transition and working immediately off the catch in the half-court. He's strong on drives, can finish high at the cup or slow it down and work around defenders with good balance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2816960' first='Christiano' last='Bonicillo']</strong> <em>North Creek </em>| Uptown Select</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He's a tough guard who played with good change of pace and was able to get to different spots to score the rock. He sets up drives well with jabs and fakes, has a quick initial burst and was efficient with the pull-up and at the rim, making defenders work to stay close and respect head fakes and pull-backs when he attacked downhill.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Legend Smiley</strong> <em>So Cal Academy</em> | NW Rotary Rebels</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was another strong weekend for Smiley who showed excellent touch from all levels and the strength to pull-up from 3-point and the midrange with defenders right on him. He had a couple of plays scoring with multiple defenders chasing him that showed the footwork, athleticism, and shooting touch of a high-level prospect.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1685504' first='Dylynn' last='Groves'] <em>Gonzaga Prep</em> | Hooptown Elite</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Groves is a skilled kid with some size and strength who can knock down shots from long range at a high rate. He showed a lot of growth in his game off the bounce, putting together quick combo moves to create space around the perimeter and bury shots. He's always had a pretty smooth offensive game but he looked much quicker and was scoring from just about every spot on the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1485677' first='Garrett' last='Marrs'] <em>Ellensburg</em> | [program_tooltip program_id='2076260' first='FOH' last='']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He was one of the most versatile forwards I saw all weekend and constantly posed mismatches with his size and ability to knock down the outside shot. His ability to move guys in the post and stretch the floor from behind the arc makes him an obvious D-I prospect. He wasn't just one of the biggest kids at the event, but easily one of the top shooters as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1984463' first='Carter' last='Hansen'] <em>Auburn</em> | [program_tooltip program_id='2451463' first='NW' last='Drip']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hansen consistently brings effort and energy on the defensive end and was able to pester dribblers, time up steals on the ball, and create turnovers leading to fast break buckets. His shot was on too, hitting some tough middy's and knocking down some 3s. When he's seeing the ball go in he's a really tough two-way guard who plays with a high level of confidence.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1631554' first='Will' last='McDonald'] <em>Mercer Island</em> | [program_tooltip program_id='2078823' first='Washington' last='Supreme']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>McDonald was a menace from 3-point range, exhibiting good feet and balance on all his shots that led to outstanding efficiency with extended range. He has a picturesque jumper and had a huge game against [program_tooltip program_id='2451463' first='NW' last='Drip'], including the game-winning 3 in overtime. He has good size at 6-foot-4 and can work off that outside shot with a pretty smooth handle and the poise to hit shots in the midrange and around the paint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1984467' first='Cole' last='Browne'] <em>Gig Harbor</em> | [program_tooltip program_id='2076260' first='FOH' last='']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Browne started off hot in the game I caught, nailing a few early corner 3s and then attacking defenders off the dribble, getting a step and then cutting off their angle back, allowing him space to finish at the rim. He played with good pace, showed he can knock down the open shots, and create some action to the rim to either score or locate open teammates.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Toren Franklin </strong><em>Oak Bay (BC) </em>| Canada West</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Franklin is a shifty guard who plays poised with the ball, can patiently prod or turn on the jets and shoot gaps to the hoop. He also hit some big 3s and showed some real guile to get defenders off their feet and out of position. He was able to score from a lot of different spots and seemed to have a shot for every scenario.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->