Prep Hoops Next National Championships: The Best of the Rest

The weekend was promising for these young prospects. All and all, the Prep Hoops Next National Championships turned out to be a major success. A wealth of learning and growth was obtained by players from all over the country. They can all return home with the knowledge of having confidence to achieve their goals of being great basketball players.    Mason was one of the top players for his team over the weekend. He's a good all around player who has a handle for the ball to go along with good mid to long range shooting skills. In the game I watched him shoot a high percentage from the floor by consistently knocking down both twos and threes. He attacks the glass and grab rebounds with ferociousness. This young guy plays with a large amount of heart and determination. Whenever a fast break situation arises, he showed the ability to finish at the rim. Mason is the ultimate teammate and team player who makes everyone around him better.     Robert has the capabilities of being a great lead guard. He showed off an excellent floor game over the weekend by being an excellent facilitator of the ball. A top flight assists man who made flashy passes that always found the hands of his teammates, often leading to easy baskets. He's a really good ball handler who has the ability to attack the defense and score on drives to the basket, mid-range jump shots or floaters in the lane. Robert demonstrated how good of a leader he was on both ends of the court. He stayed in constant communication with his team by making sure all players are where they needed to be on the floor. This young man is already the engine that allows his team to be successful. Just imagine an older version of this guy putting in work!!     A really good passer who can make things happen off the dribble. Cassius has good ball handling ability which allows him to make plays for teammates. When the situation arises, he makes positive plays in fast breaking situations, either by scoring or assisting. Has the ability of getting into the lane and scoring with layups or floaters. A good mid-range and free throw shooter who converted on most of the attempts he took. Cassius is a really good defender who forced numerous turnovers of opposing guards over the weekend. He stays attached to whoever he guards and makes it difficult for them to be effective.     Offensive minded shooting guard/forward who scores in numerous ways. Karmelo is an explosive scorer who likes to drive to the basket and score no matter whose in the paint. A really tough minded player who seeks contact from the opposition when he attacks the basket. During a game I watched, he converted on multiple three point play opportunities because he scored through contact. He displayed a high level of fearlessness by attacking the glass and grabbing rebounds at a high level. On defense, in stayed attached to his opposition, not allowing him to get free for open looks. Karmelo is a player who has all the important intangibles needed to be a successful player in the future.     Owen is a tough rugged player who plays with aggression on both ends of the court. He plays with a certain physicality in the painted area. He often played through contact while scoring tough baskets and converting three point plays. Good free throw shooter who knocked down most of them. Excellent at grabbing offensive and defensive rebounds, either solo or in traffic. Owen showed the ability to step out the paint and nail mid-range shots when left alone. He was a team player who contributed to the success of his team by doing the little things such as setting screens and hustling for loose balls on the floor.     Excellent shooter who made three point shots with relative ease. Braxsyn shoots a high free throw percentage and knocks down shots inside the perimeter. He always found ways to free himself up for open looks at the basket. What I learned by watching him play is shooting isn't the only part of his game. He showed the ability to get around defenders and make plays for himself or others. Braxsyn displayed good effort on the defensive end of the floor by keeping his opposition in front of him at all times. This young man is an excellent shooter whose catch and shoot ability will work in any type of offensive set.       Edje has good post moves along with the ability of making jump shots outside of 15 feet. He can handle the ball and make plays for others. A really great offensive rebounding forward who scored on easy put backs. Knows how to work on offense by getting to his spot and demanding the ball in the post for easy scores. He sets good screens that allowed teammates to be effective and run a fluid offense. Good interior post defender who had no issues boxing out and grabbing defensive rebounds. Edje is also an elite shot blocker who constantly turned away opposing players as they attempted to attack the basket. This young man has a ton of potential... he just has to keep working at it.     Samuel is an offensive minded shooting guard whose great in one on one match-ups. He looks to get teammates involved on offense while searching for ways to free himself up for looks at the basket. He has a nice mid-range game and the ability to slash to the rim for easy layups. On defense he has the lateral quickness to be a great defender. Samuel stays attached to opposing guards, while not giving up any air space. He also shoots the passing lanes for steals and forces turnovers with good man to man defense. Excellent team player who plays a vital role to his squad's success.     Will is a really good shooter who can convert from both mid and long range. Over the weekend, I witnessed him knock down multiple threes on numerous occasions. Has knowledge of using the screens of his teammates to free himself for open looks at the basket. He's a good passer who always looked to find other players for easy shots. A good team defender who always seemed to be at the right place when a play needed to be made for his squad. Will is a good player who will always be a part of a team because of his shooting ability. Basketball teams will never go wrong by keeping a legitimate shooter around.

The weekend was promising for these young prospects. All and all, the Prep Hoops Next National Championships turned out to be a major success. A wealth of learning and growth was obtained by players from all over the country. They can all return home with the knowledge of having confidence to achieve their goals of being great basketball players.