2024 IYBL Back to School League- Forwards 2029-2030

The young men who play these positions are masters of all the intangibles needed for a team's success. Scoring, rebounding, passing and defense are all strong points that come with playing either small or power forward.    When I saw Jay play over the weekend, I was truly amazed at how he literally played every position for his team. He was the team's primary ball handler who happened to be the tallest player on the squad. Excellent passer who dished out most of his team's assists to go along with being their top scorer. A really good ball handler who drove around multiple defenders to get wherever he wanted on the floor. There were situations where where he posted up opposing players in the paint, often scoring with a variety of post moves. Showed the ability to knock down mid-range jump shots and attack the basket using the dribble drive. Jay also excels at rebounding and all the other intangibles. He can play solid on ball defense and block shots using his length. ( I saw him block two ) This young man plays with a lot of heart and hustle!! He was literally the point/forward for the team. I definitely plan to keep track of his progression as he continues his path through middle and high school.     Santos is still the high energy player I wrote up months ago. His all around game has really improved and I see it becoming even better in the future. Excellent rebounding small forward who loves to attack the glass and snatch down boards over opposing players. He continues to dominate the paint by aggressively slashing to the basket and scoring with ease. ( He scored through contact on multiple occasions ) A really good mid range shooter who knocked down a number of shots inside the three point line. Santos runs the floor well and finishes in transition with easy lay-ins at the rim. These transition points were caused by a lot of turnovers from the opposing team. He was one of the main culprits of forcing the opponents into turnovers with his four steals during the game. I really enjoy watching this young man play! He's the kind of player who hates to lose, while playing the game with a little fire and emotion. I expect Santos to have a big season in middle school basketball. He finished the game with 12 points and 7 boards.     I watched Drey show everyone how good of an all around player he was over the weekend. This young man was excellent at grabbing rebounds and having play-making ability at the power forward position. He's a really good scorer inside the painted area. I watched him be unstoppable in the post, often scoring over smaller defenders and converting on offensive rebounds. A really good passer who had a knack for finding open teammates for easy shots at the basket. Great at setting screens to free up shooters for open looks at the rim. Drey is a great defensive player who's really good playing on or off the ball. I saw him block a couple of shots and deter a number of opposing players attempting to attack the paint. In the game against Blackout 2030, he made a couple of clutch shots to give his squad a chance to win the game. One of those shots he made was a three. I didn't know he had three point shooting in his game!! Well, I guess I was wrong because it was unexpected. This just shows how much this young guy wanted to win. Drey is a really good player who plays with no fear and does all the necessary things to help his team win games.     Avery has good post moves along with the ability of making shots from the mid-range portion of the floor. He showed good ball handling skills by occasionally bringing the ball up court and attacking defenders off the dribble. Excellent inside scorer who made most of the shots he took in the game I watched. He's the kind of player who plays under control and lets the game come to him. Avery is really great at grabbing offensive rebounds and scoring on put backs. A decent passer out of the post where he seemed to always find open teammates for open three point shots. He has knowledge of where he needs to be in order for the Plainfield offense to run smoothly. Sets really good screens that allow teammates to be efficient on the offensive side of the floor. Avery is an excellent interior post defender who had no issues boxing out and grabbing defensive rebounds. He didn't go for many pump or ball fakes by opposing post players. Shot blocking was a strength that he demonstrated with great timing and athleticism. I saw him block at least three shots. Excellent player who'll only get better!!     Bryon showed the ability to score multiple ways inside the painted area of the floor. He attacks the basket with a sheer determination of scoring every time! A very high energy player who was all over the court on offense and defense. In the game I saw, most of his points were scored on hustle plays such as offensive rebounds and put backs. He occasionally stepped outside the paint and knocked down mid-range jump shots. In one on one situations Bryon was able to dribble around the defense and make plays for his team with good passes or scores for himself. He was great at running the floor and finishing in fast break situations. Good defensive player who made scoring difficult for opposing players with constant ball pressure and very quick hands. In my opinion, his biggest strength is the sheer hustle he has to be a part of every play on the court.     The slender big man displayed a good level of athleticism in the game I seen over the weekend. Kehan showed he's capable of being an unstoppable force in the paint. When I say this young guy scored at will... I mean it to the fullest!! He was like a man among boys out on the court. The opposing team had no answers for him anywhere inside key. There were a number of occasions where Kehan scored tough baskets through contact, which lead to three point play opportunities from the free throw line. Of course, he converted on his free throws too. He also had no problem stepping out the paint and knocking down jump shots. On the defensive side of the floor, he proved to be a difficult obstacle for the opposing squad. They had a hard to scoring the ball over Kehan with his length and shot blocking ability. An excellent player who's already good at such a young age. The sky's the limit for this young man and his basketball skills.     Sam has the skills to score from everywhere on the floor. He can knock down three pointers, score on smaller defenders in the post and breakdown defenders off the dribble. Great rebounding forward who always seemed to get to every loose ball that came off the rim. Showed the ability to attack the basket and make plays for himself or others with pin-point passing. Most of his assists went to open teammates behind the three point line. These players were knocking down threes at a high number because his Plainfield squad won in blowout fashion. Everything they threw up literally went into the basket. Sam also ran the floor and was able to finish at the rim in fast breaking situations. On defense, he was able to keep his man in front of him, force turnovers and make all the hustle plays needed to help his team get a victory.

The young men who play these positions are masters of all the intangibles needed for a team's success. Scoring, rebounding, passing and defense are all strong points that come with playing either small or power forward.