Hoophall/Nike TOC: 2027 Part-1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>January 2nd-4th I attended the annual&nbsp;<strong>Hoophall West&nbsp;</strong>located at Highland HS in Gilbert this year and also the&nbsp;<strong>Nike Tournament of Champions</strong>&nbsp;at multiple high school gyms throughout the East Valley. In the three days I viewed seven different brackets (Hoophall West, Saguaro, Sonoran, Coyote, Jackrabbit, Camelback and Sunrise) which included two championship games (Sonoran and Sunrise).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here are the 2027 Standouts I viewed (Part-1)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2717233' first='Travon' last='Darby'] Red Mountain (Pictured)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A newcomer for me shined. He transferred into the school this year and is already an impactful player. He is a bigger scoring point guard. He is sneaky quick to get downhill and absorbs contact with his size. He made some nice pocket passes and really sees the court well with good pace to his game. He will make tough shots with floaters, runners and in-traffic takes plus hit the three.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2295693' first='Maddox' last='Lazor'] Casteel</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A live bodied power forward who had a good showing. He rebounds well in and out of his area with his strong base and next level hands. He dunks it easily in traffic and he is fluid in space to collect steals and defend. He can score it from inside and out and he is also a great passer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1548525' first='Caron' last='Perez'] Williams Field</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A strong scoring combo guard can fill it up plus make plays. He has advanced court vision and finds teammates in stride. He can score with pull-ups from mid-range (which seems to be his sweet spot) and he can hit the three or get to the foul line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1464983' first='Mick' last='Riordan'] Boulder Creek</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A cerebral scoring lead guard plays on or off the ball seamlessly. He will find teammates with drive and kicks and skips the ball like you should. He will score with mid-range pull-ups with good elevation, he has a nice floater game and the deep three off the catch or dribble. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2039513' first='DJ' last='Spencer'] Desert Vista </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A tough and physical wing forward is a warrior. He is a little undersized and under the rim but there are not many tougher in the class them him. He will score off the catch from the three, get downhill and spin off of his defenders thru traffic. He is also an out of area rebounder. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2146175' first='LJ' last='Diamond'] Desert Vista</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A super shifty combo lead guard gets downhill better than most to the basket. He made a few great passes down the court on a rope. He is also a very good defender on the ball with his twitchy athleticism. He scores with threes off the catch and mid-range pull-ups off the dribble.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2466405' first='Marcus' last='Williams'] Deer Valley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A versatile and cerebral forward who plays both spots up front for the Skyhawks. He rebounds well in his area and he will move the ball for better shots. He will score and-1's thru contact and hit the three with space and time. He transferred over from Goldwater and will be a great player off the bench. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->