Middle School Camp- Indiana - Standouts

These young players showcased the reason why they're standout players for their squads during the AAU/School ball seasons.    Eli is an excellent scorer of the basketball. Numerous times I watched him take his defenders off the dribble and score with relative ease on Sunday. He's a good team player who does everything on the floor to help his team win games. Good ball handling and passing ability to make plays for himself or teammates. This young man never seems to get tired whenever he steps on the floor. Eli runs the floor and has a knack for being in transition situations. I counted at least five fast break scores during both full court sessions. He uses really good dribbling skills to drive around the defense and attack the basket. As I said, this kid is a dynamic scorer who gave it to the opposition in many ways. Whether it was knocking down mid-range shots, scoring in transition, slashing to the basket or knocking down threes, Eli has all these tools in his bag. Defensively, this kid was a menace for opposing players. Constantly swiping for the ball, playing passing lanes and forcing turnovers with elite man to man pressure. He's an excellent all around player who'll have no issues raising his game to the next level.     This young man has great ball skills!! He can literally do it all on the basketball court. He's a great ball handler who can make things happen for himself or his teammates. He uses dribble penetration to attack the lane and dish off flashy passes to open teammates. Showed the capability of knocking down shots from everywhere on the floor. His mid-range game was deadly and he didn't seem to miss any shots he took. Drew is an excellent rebounding guard/forward who always looked to attack the glass at a high level. Really good at grabbing offensive rebounds and scoring. ( Sometimes through contact ) He also showed a great shooting touch form behind the three point line, converting on multiple shots. On the defensive side of the floor, he was a strong presence in the paint and on the wing. He blocked numerous shots and forced a number of turnovers from the opposition. Drew is an excellent player who has the potential to be great in the near future.     I loved watching this young man play! When I say "glue guy" it totally epitomizes how Cameron plays the game of basketball. He does it all on the court in regard to scoring, rebounding, play making and solid defense. Cameron really excelled at generating positive plays for himself and others with precise passing. These passes often lead to easy baskets for his teammates. He showed excellent ball handling skills to create off the dribble and attack the paint. Scoring was no problem for this kid, as he knocked down mid-range shots and occasionally hit a couple of threes during both five on five sessions. An elite rebounding guard who always found a way to snag every board he could get his hands on. There were a number of occasions when I saw him go inside the paint, attack the glass, grab the rebound and lead the fast break. During those breaks, he either scored or dished off a pass to a teammate streaking to the basket. On defense, he forced multiple turnovers with great man to man pressure that lead to positive plays for his squad. I saw him pick the pocket of his opposition at least four times during both games. Cameron is the type of player any coach would love to have. He's a multi-talented player who's not one dimensional.     Gino has above average ball-handling ability. He is capable of leading the fast-break and making correct decisions leading to scores for his teammates. A very aggressive player who loves attacking the basket and knocking down threes from long distance. This kid has unlimited range!! In the games on Sunday I counted six threes he converted. ( most were contested )He ran the point guard at a high level, often looking to get others involved. Gino was vocal on the court which showed his leadership qualities as a natural team leader. I truly love how some players have that take charge attitude regardless of who they play with. Gino is this type of player and it showed on Sunday. Aggressive on the defensive end of the court. On defense he excelled at playing passing lanes that generated turnovers. He displayed some traits of being a solid on ball defender with quick footwork. Gino was calm and composed on the basketball court. This young man has all the necessary skills needed to be a successful point guard for years to come.     This will be my second write up of Elijah and I must say "he did not disappoint!!" He's still an excellent defender and good all around player who made things happen for his squad on Sunday. A great scorer who puts the ball in the basket in various ways. Elijah has the ability to score anywhere on the basketball court. He has a smooth jump-shot that he used to knock down shots from mid-range. It really didn't matter who defended him on the floor, he was able to get wherever he needed to be effective. Good ball handling ability to blow by the defense and make plays for himself or teammates. He's not really a high level three point shooter but he has the skills to knock them down also, especially if he's in a zone. Runs the floor and shows the ability to finish at the rim in transition. (This happened on a number of occasions ) On the defensive side of the court, he is an aggressive player who uses his quick hands to steal the ball from opposing players. He also has excellent timing and good footwork, which lead to a number of blocked shots. I look forward to seeing Elijah's progression as he moves on to school ball. He finished both games with ( 10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks )     This little guy was tough!! I love watching the smaller players ball with no fear. Parker is definitely that player who plays to win. There were a number of occasions when he attacked the basket and converted regardless of the opposition waiting in the paint. He's a dead-eye shooter for behind the arc. In both full court sessions I counted seven threes he made look easy. Some of those threes were contested by taller defenders and it didn't matter because of his quick release. On defense, he was very aggressive in forcing the opposition into mistakes and turnovers. Excellent quickness and footwork which allowed him to stay attached to opposing guards. Parker plays the game of basketball with a ton of energy that I truly enjoyed watching! Every time he knocked down a three, he let the opponent know about it. This kid is already dangerous and he's only a sixth grader. Imagine how he is two or three years from now. He could be a problem for opposing coaches and players.     Jakais is a high energy player who has the ability to create for himself or teammates. He's a good shooter from anywhere on the floor, often knocking down floaters, mid-range jumpers and three pointers if given the opportunity. This young man loves attacking the basket and scoring through contact. I saw him convert multiple three point plays during the full court sessions on Sunday. He used the dribble drive to get to the basket anytime he wanted. The defense had a hard time preventing him from getting into the lane, often finishing with floaters over taller players. Jakais has great offensive skills that I believe will make him an elite scorer in the future. Whenever he was in the floor he stayed in constant attack mode, always looking to score. Jakais plays with a high level of feistiness on defense. He's a tough minded guard who really pressures opposing guards into mistakes. After watching him play, I get the impression that he seems like the type of kid who hates to lose. Who wouldn't want a player of this caliber??

These young players showcased the reason why they're standout players for their squads during the AAU/School ball seasons.