Southern Arizona Showcase: Forward Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On October 27th I attended the&nbsp;<strong>Southern Arizona Showcase</strong>&nbsp;at Immaculate Heart Gym in Tucson, AZ hosted by&nbsp;<strong><em>John Millyard.&nbsp;</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were some of the Forward Standouts I viewed:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1986833' first='Noah' last='Mckinney'] Pusch Ridge (Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A true point forward or scoring guard was another stock riser for me. He is a very good passer up the court with some ropes thru defenders. His skill has steadily improved since my last viewing of him. He has a polished mid-range jumper off the dribble with high elevation, but it was his three point shooting that stood out. He got hot in almost every game he played and made it look effortlessly. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1875718' first='Melvin' last='Stubbs Jr'] Catalina Foothills</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The most outstanding player <strong>(MOP</strong>) of the showcase wasn't able to attend the top-20 game but he showed off during the regular games. He defended every position on the floor and blocked many oncoming opponents over and over. He plays the right way the entire game and you will never see him take a forced shot. He had some high flying dunks, catch threes, quick drives to the basket and moved the ball for assists. He is the current top dog in Tucson.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2404559' first='Malaki' last='Cunningham-Hiadzi'] Tucson</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A two-sport athlete was actually in football shape. The WR wasn't in basketball shape yet but the lefty still showed out using that frame of his. He makes good decisions with the ball and scores with offensive rebound put backs, tough drives in traffic and dunks on the break. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2535877' first='Adrian' last='Powers'] Palo Verde</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A wing forward is a glue guy for his team and is turning into the classic 3 and D type. He has good length and is a twitchy athlete. He is an out of area rebounder who will also block shots and collect steals. He scores it on the break and will hit the catch three. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1875584' first='Mykael' last='Nunez'] Canyon del Oro</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A power forward is a fluid athlete who can score from inside and out. He can shoot it from the perimeter plus rip thru&nbsp;and go to work with some post footwork. He is a good passer and rebounds well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2533435' first='Adrian' last='Taufaasau'] Florence</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A power forward who has a high level motor and he is a top of the food chain type of rebounder. He has a long wingspan to grab balls out of his area and will score with reverse layups with his reach and bounce in heavy traffic.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2052364' first='Nitai' last='Buchler'] <strong>Tucson</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A cerebral power forward who passes the ball well and can handle it to create some of his own offense. He rebounds well and will block a shot in and out of his area. He will run the court for layups and should provide some inside depth for the 6A Badgers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->