Connecticut Elite Senior Showcase Standouts: Part 1

Yesterday evening at the Hopkins School in New Haven, Connecticut, the Connecticut Elite Basketball Program hosted their Senior Showcase, invite only. Around 70 players from the Connecticut and New York area attended to compete in drills, receive high-quality basketball instruction, and play in multiple scrimmage games over two hours to impress themselves in front of various college coaches and personnel. I attended the well-run and enjoyable event, and here is part one of my standouts!    [player_tooltip player_id='1532444' first='Travis' last='Upchurch Jr.'] popped during the scrimmages, and I couldn't take my eyes off him. What stood out the most was his speed and athletic gifts. Nobody could contain him on his drives, and was easily getting paint touches with little effort at all. It resulted in defenders just fouling him at points and he was still finishing through contact and getting to the free-throw line. His playmaking ability also was impressive, finding open teammates when he was double-teamed and gaining assists like clockwork by leveraging his scoring gravity for the betterment of his team. He was dominant the entire night and was my top standout at the event.     [player_tooltip player_id='2553716' first='Xavier' last='Goode'] continues to impress and make a clear impact on the court when I see him. Last night was no exception. With the ball in his hands, he was getting to the paint on his drives and efficiently finishing around the cup. In transition, he would beat the defense and get open for wide-open baskets the other way, displaying swift reverse layups and confidence through traffic. He was competing for rebounds the entire time and his effort led to him getting balls that probably should not have gone to him. Defensively he was also contributing by being a devil in the passing lanes and creating turnovers with his anticipation skills. Overall, a wonderful outing that built upon his success at the New England Expo.     [player_tooltip player_id='2396740' first='Avery' last='Sutton'] had great moments on the floor and looked the part athletically versus the field. He looked great running the floor, and his speed and fluidity translated in both the half-court and full-court setting. As the ball handler, he displayed a comfortable dribble and was reading the defense well on his drive and kick attempts. He hit a three-pointer off movement which looked solid, and even finished a lob attempt off the glass by pushing the pace in transition. Defensively, the intensity he showed was also impressive, and was making things difficult when guarding the ball.     [player_tooltip player_id='2633557' first='Jared' last='Coleman'] is a big presence on the court and absolutely took advantage of it down low in the post. He was using his massive strength well by backing down smaller defenders and hitting easy buckets off the glass. He was grabbing misses by his team too and finishing them, acting as the clean-up crew for his squad. The competitiveness on the boards was also apparent, and was constantly giving his team second chance opportunities to score with his effort. He was the best true center at the event last night, and it wasn't close in my opinion.     [player_tooltip player_id='2546839' first='Kamryn' last='Salters'] brought his all-around skillset to the table and did not disappoint. He was using his length defensively when guarding his opponents and closed out on every shot which was great to witness. He was getting on the ball quickly which created turnovers and he would then score buckets on the other end. With the ball on offense, he was making smart decisions, highlighted by a sweet transition pass on the move. He was also effectively hitting three balls off the catch and looked smooth doing it.     [player_tooltip player_id='2553793' first='Hunter' last='Stoll'] was splendid defensively and had flashes of brilliance offensively. His versatility was the highlight part of his defense, as he was comfortable blocking shots down low in the paint using his height and length, while also defending the ball 94 feet on the entire court and having a deflection steal. Offensively, he was cutting without the ball for easy buckets, displaying soft touch floaters in the mid-range, and hitting a couple of catch-and-shoot three-pointers, while also looking really comfortable handling the ball in transition at his size.     [player_tooltip player_id='2359164' first='Tristan' last='Burth'] stood out for his athleticism and high motor at 6 foot 9. He was a fluid mover who looked smooth moving up and down the floor and slamming dunks through the net. He was dominating down low in the post by grabbing tons of rebounds, and competing on every loose ball or miss by his team. He even finished strong with putbacks and alley-oops as a lob threat.

Yesterday evening at the Hopkins School in New Haven, Connecticut, the Connecticut Elite Basketball Program hosted their Senior Showcase, invite only. Around 70 players from the Connecticut and New York area attended to compete in drills, receive high-quality basketball instruction, and play in multiple scrimmage games over two hours to impress themselves in front of various college coaches and personnel. I attended the well-run and enjoyable event, and here is part one of my standouts!