2024 IYBL- Back to School League- Championships

For the last two months this league has provided coverage of some of the most talented players in the state of Indiana. It comes to an end on Sunday    This is my second write up of Nigel and I have to say "he's become even better!!" In the game against Blackout 2030 Gold.. he showed up an showed out! This kid was unstoppable on the court. He made plays for his teammates on numerous occasions with pin-point passing. These passes always seemed to find the open man on offense. As a result, multiple shots were converted from the perimeter and behind the three point line. I'm certain Nigel was the team leader in assists over the weekend. Offensively, he did whatever he wanted to do on the court. He used his superior ball handling skills to get around defenders and attack the basket with either scores or flashy passes to others. Created of the dribble numerous times to get his shot off on the perimeter. If he needed to knock down a three.. he did without hesitation. Defensively, Nigel was as fiesty as ever. Applying constant ball pressure on opposing guards and causing havoc on that side of the floor. I counted at least three steals he caused with his quick hands. Overall, this young man has the skills to be an elite point guard in the very near future. Keep working Nigel!!     Zamari's a prototype of what a true point guard is supposed to be!! This young fella lead his team in assists during the game I saw over the weekend. He's a pass first point guard who always look to make his teammates better. Excellent passer who made a number of flashy dimes that always seemed to find his squad-mates. These passes often lead to easy buckets via layup or perimeter shots. He's really good at using his ball handling skills to get around defenders and penetrate the lane. The floater was his weapon of choice.. as he attacked the basket, often shooting them over taller defenders. Zamari's a great floor leader who's always vocal on the basketball court. He constantly encouraged his teammates to move around on offense and dig deep on defense. Whenever a positive play happened for the team.. he displayed an emotional reaction that would be contagious to other players. He can also knock down mid-range shots and step out behind the arc when necessary. On defense, he's very quick with his feet. This allows him to stay in front of most guards without fouling. Anticipating passes in the passing lanes were also a defensive strength of Zamari. He had at least two steals in this fashion. This young guy is so good.. he's playing up an grade level with eighth graders. I definitely, see good things in his basketball future.     I really enjoyed watching this big agile guy dominate the competition this past Saturday. Noah was unstoppable in the paint !! Haggerstown 8th had no answers for him on the offensive end of the court. He scored a lot of points in the post with a variety of moves. Noah's an excellent rebounder who generated a number of points off offensive rebounds and put-backs. The most surprising way I saw him score was being able to create off the dribble and get to the rim. I have to admit, I didn't see this as being a part of Noah's game. I solely expected him to be a power player whose most effective in the post. I was completely wrong!! There was a circumstance, where Noah had the ball out on the wing and faced-up his opponent. I totally expected him to pass the ball to a teammate. Nope! This dude showed his quickness by getting past the defense and scoring at the basket through contact. This lead to a three point play with the conversion of his free throw. Noah showed the ability of being a really good interior post defender who basically gave up nothing to the opposition. His size and strength made scoring in the paint very difficult for Haggerstown 8th. In my opinion, Noah's an excellent player who'll be valuable to any team he plays for. He can score, rebound, defend and do whatever it takes to win games.     Sonjai has the ability of scoring the ball in various ways. This young man was very dominant inside the painted area. I counted eight baskets he scored in the post area. Most of the points he scored were on hustle plays such as put backs and layups. Excellent rebounding forward who grabbed double digit boards on both offense and defense. A lot of his rebounds lead to fast break opportunities for his teammates. On a number of occasions, he was able to run the floor and finish at the rim in transition. Sonjai was also good at passing the ball, often finding his teammates along the perimeter for easy shots. Setting picks and screens was another intangible he used to help his squad succeed. He showed the ability to create his own shot off the dribble and knock down mid-range jumpers in isolated situations. If he needed to step outside the arc and knock down a three.. he could, especially when he was left alone. On defense, he was really good at protecting the paint with shot-blocking and forcing opponents into very tough shots. Sonjai's a really good player whose biggest strength was the sheer hustle he showed while being a part of every play on the floor.     Graham's a very aggressive scorer who seemed to relish the contact while attacking the basket. He's a really good all around player who's ball dominant like a point guard but scores like a two guard. I believe he put up between 25 and 30 points in the game I watched him play. Most of those shots were exclusively on slashes to the basket. As I said, a number of those scores were through contact, meaning he converted on a number of three point- play opportunities. He's a really good rebounding guard who grabbed close to double digit boards on both offense and defense. Some of those boards he took coast-to coast for easy layups at the rim. Graham and his teammates pushed the pace in the game. Literally running the opposition "out the gym." He often spear headed this by staying in constant attack mode! I saw him knock down a couple of threes and a few mid-range jump shots on the perimeter. He can really handle the ball and find teammates with excellent passes that always seemed to find their targets. Defensively, he showed quick hands and great footwork that allowed him to stay with opposing players on offense. I saw him force multiple turnovers with timely steals and really good on ball pressure. I truly expect Graham to be Westfield's leading scorer at the Junior High level. He has that mentality of not being denied. Keep it up young man!!     This is my second write up of Gabriel. He's still a really good post player and defensive shot-blocker. During the game I saw Gabriel score all the necessary shots he needed to make within the paint. In this game he wasn't the focal point of the offense, so he scored most of his points on put-backs. These points came from offensive rebounds or slick passes in the paint from his teammates. There were also a few occasions when the big man ran the floor and scored in transition. Gabriel can still rebound the basketball at high level compared to a lot of other kids his age. He reminds me of Dennis Rodman when he attacks the glass. He understands that grabbing rebounds is an important part of the game. Extra rebounds can mean extra scoring possessions for his team. On defense, I believe this young man could be elite!! Gabriel already has the athleticism to block shots at a high level. I watched him turn away the opposition three times as they attempted to score in the paint. He's an excellent interior post defender who made it very tough for the opposing team to score. Once this young guy develops more post moves and continues to get stronger.. he could become a serious force in the near future.

For the last two months this league has provided coverage of some of the most talented players in the state of Indiana. It comes to an end on Sunday