Grassroots Report: Most Improved

There is nothing I like more than watching players get better. The Summer time has historically been the time when players hit the gym, and looked to hone their skills. While it may have changed a bit with the influx of AAU games and camps, players still dedicate the summer to improvement. Here's a look at some of the players who improved the most during the off season.    Key Area Of Improvement: Perimeter Skills   Thomas has always been a player with tremendous potential. His ceiling is directly tied to his ability to stretch his game away from the basket. Over the summer we saw that he was able to not only handle, but make plays for teammates as well.     Key Area Of Improvement: Perimeter Defense   Gomez has gone from a player that is a good defender, to one that could be a great defender. He is athletic, has long arms and plays hard. What is most impressive about his improved defense is how effortlessly he defended both perimeter and interior players alike.     Key Area Of Improvement: Scoring   Denson has always been an athletic player, that was good in transition. You're now seeing him hone his skills to the point where he's able to create for himself. He's improved a couple parts of his offensive game including his wiggle and shooting.     Key Area Of Improvement: Ballhandling   Jordan is a player that gained a reputation as a shooter when he was younger. He has quickly added on to his game by improving his overall ballhandling. The result is a player now with the ability to create for himself off the bounce, while remaining dangerous from distance.     Key Area Of Improvement: Athleticism   Nwapa has some wow factor to his game including his long arms. Sometimes improvement means simply getting better at what you already do. The long arm rising sophomore is an explosive athlete that uses his quick twitch ability to impact the game as a rebounder and rim protector from the forward spot.     Key Area Of Improvement: Conditioning   Any talk of improvement must include Bruning. He's done a remarkable job of transforming his body from his freshman year, and know has a legit shot to become a prospect. His improved conditioning has allowed him to become a dedicated rim runner, willing to take up space on the interior.     Key Area Of Improvement: R&J athleticism   I don't want to make much out of one play, but Cummins transition, in traffic throw down during the GV Christian Summer League, kind of punctuated his athletic improvement. He's one of the best shooters, and passers in the state, when you combine his R&J improvement, look out.     Key Area Of Improvement: Off the dribble passing   Pendleton is one of the more entertaining players in the state. The Boulder City PG has always had the ability to shoot it and pass it, he's now wrapped that around some sensational dribbling skill. True to his pass first mentality, he's developed into one of the better dime droppers off the bounce.     Key Area Of Improvement: Rebounding   Baudreau's improvement has come over the course of a few years. He's always been a bouncy big, however he's added a high IQ , to make him one of the top forces in the state. He's become more active, and it's resulted in cleaning the glass effectively at both ends.

There is nothing I like more than watching players get better. The Summer time has historically been the time when players hit the gym, and looked to hone their skills. While it may have changed a bit with the influx of AAU games and camps, players still dedicate the summer to improvement. Here's a look at some of the players who improved the most during the off season.