Saguaro at Mesquite Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Tuesday, Jan 28th I attended the match-up of #11 in 4A <strong>Saguaro</strong> traveling to Gilbert to take on #12 in 4A <strong>Mesquite</strong>. Both teams are firmly in the 4A playoffs and are right outside the OPEN playoff. Their is a youth movement in Scottsdale at Saguaro and their top-6 or 7 players will all be coming back next year. Mesquite has some nice young pieces mixed in with older players. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mesquite and Saguaro were both missing their starting bigs with [player_tooltip player_id='1679272' first='Jack' last='Raslavsky'] (sick) and [player_tooltip player_id='2322523' first='Joe' last='Miller'] (injured). Jack has really been playing well recently coming back from sitting out with the transfer rule. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I checked out all three levels with Freshman, JV and varsity.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Here were the standouts on the night&nbsp;</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Freshman Game (69-54 Mesquite won)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2755998' first='Anthony' last='Mazzio'] Mesquite&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long combo guard has a smooth gait. He scores with catch threes, he gets downhill and uses the floater game. Anthony has advanced court vision to thread the needle but he is wired to score. He will collect a steal and lay it in on the other end. He scored 15 points.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2755994' first='Weston' last='Bundy'] Mesquite&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A strong framed wing forward is a good passer. He is super cerebral with a high feel for the game with next level court vision. He can hit the three and he is a plus rebounder who outlets the ball well. He scored 3 points with multiple rebounds and assists.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2755995' first='Jasiah' last='Ellis'] Mesquite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A thicker frame guard/wing can score it a variety of ways. He can shoot the three off the catch and will score on offensive rebound put backs as he rebounds well. He is a downhill punisher with his thicker frame and sneaky burst. He scored 19 points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2755997' first='Joseph' last='Gutierrez'] Mesquite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A wing forward with some size. He can score with fall aways from mid-range off the dribble and has a quick release from the three point line. He rebounds well in his area and will move the ball. He has a good handle and plays the game from the neck up. He scored 15 points.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2755996' first='Beck' last='Rogers'] Mesquite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An undersized scoring point guard with a super quick trigger from the three point line with deep range. He uses the pick and roll game to his advantage and has a quick burst and floater game. He scored 7 points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2756000' first='Owen' last='Hardy'] Saguaro&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A face-up forward can step out and shoot the three off the catch. He is a rebound chaser getting on the glass, block shots and will score with put backs. He will score and-1's thru contact and smartly cuts off the ball. He will rip thru and score and scored 10 points and 8 points on JV using the 6 quarter rule.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2755999' first='Jett' last='Holmes'] Saguaro</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A combo guard is a little undersized with good court vision. He is a super crafty lefty who is tough and skilled. He changes speeds well to get downhill and has deep three point range. He has good lateral quickness on defense and smartly play off of two-feet. He scored 14 points and also played well on JV with 6 points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Junior Varsity Game (74-54 Mesquite won)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2552781' first='Paul' last='Richardson'] Mesquite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring point guard who can fill it up but is also competitive on defense to block shots and collect steals. He times his opponents well and will also drive and kick it and slip it in with advanced court vision. He scores with catch threes, speed dribble drives and will crossover into a mid-range pull-up. He scored 12 points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2330556' first='Noah' last='Garven'] Mesquite&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A bigger sized combo guard is a very good passer. He will whip it to a shooter threading the defense. He will score with a ball fake into a layup using his size, downhill attacks, catch threes with a quick release and transition buckets. He scored 12 points and also plays on varsity. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1679273' first='Adrian' last='Serrano'] Mesquite&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The big man got back after a year with a knee injury. He rebounds at a high level and will score on put backs. He keeps the ball high smartly and outlets it to his teammates. He can step out and shoot it to the three with some success. He probably had close to 8 rebounds in little action. He should make more of an impact next season.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2756954' first='Nathias' last='Jacks'] Mesquite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An undersized point guard who is quick on the ball defensively. He likes getting downhill with his super tight handle and has speed on speed in the open court. He handles contact well despite his size and will hustle to rebound the 50/50 ball. He scored 15 points.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2756870' first='Ben' last='Davila'] Saguaro</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A thicker forward gets downhill with a nice handle and uses a strong frame. He is a good passer and rebounds the ball well in his area with his thicker frame. He can also fall away from mid-range and in and plays with a high IQ. He scored 4 points and played on JV and freshmen ball.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2756822' first='Isaac' last='Hnat'] Saguaro</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A wing forward can create his own offense with a nice handle and using his size. He rebounds well in his area and will get to the free throw line and cash in. He will jab step into a jumper and can handle it the length of the court with some fluidity. He can get a step on his defender and beat him to the cup to score with reverse layups in traffic. He scored 16 points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Varsity Game (75-64 Saguaro won)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2386974' first='Nasir' last='Hailey'] Saguaro</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring defensive point guard. He has grown maybe three inches since my last viewing of him and comes with long arms and is good on-ball defender with his lateral quickness and speed. He will score with mid-range pull-ups, free throws, blow bys and plus footwork inside. He finished with 10 points.   </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2755925' first='Aidan' last='Whitaker'] Saguaro&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A two-sport standout is a high level football player who recently picked up a Kansas offer. He can hoop too as he scored 24 points in this game. He can score inside with some footwork and score from the perimeter. He will catch and shoot from the three point line and finger roll it inside. He will stop on a dime and will rise up from mid-range and drill it. He has a quick burst to the cup and can ball fake and get downhill as his first step is hard to contain. He is also aggressive on defense to rebound and collects steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2533651' first='Bentley' last='Elrod'] Saguaro&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A good sized wing forward has a pure stroke from the three point line. He has a deceptively quick first step to get downhill. He will jab step into a pull-up three or from mid-range. Bentley will ball fake into a layup and he even has a Dirk fall way. He passes it well and is plus rebounder in his area. He scored 14 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1938808' first='Justice' last='Hinds'] Saguaro&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A super powerful defensive point guard is tough to contain from getting downhill. He is like a running back getting thru the hole to the basket. He will also score with mid-range pull-ups. He will rip pockets with his strength and block shots and uses his speed to score on the other end. He scored 17 points with multiple steals.    </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2739044' first='Quinton' last='Simms'] Saguaro</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long wing forward who is a top-notch rebounder. He uses his long arms and a high end motor to corral the boards. He is an offensive rebound king and will defend multiple positions. He scored 4 points with close to 10 rebounds. A nice newcomer for the Sabercats.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2194803' first='Pierce' last='Harrington'] Saguaro</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A freshman guard came in and hit some big shots off the bench. He will catch and shoot from the three with his long and lean frame. It was a pivotal moment in the third quarter and he rattled in two back to back. He is also quick to the basket and very competitive on defense to go along with his skill. He scored 6 points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1679292' first='Kobe' last='Bradley'] Mesquite&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring point guard with good passing ability. He will facilitate and pour in points. He scored 20 points with rattling in threes off the catch. He is very elusive and quick with the ball and has a real burst with his dominant left hand. He is very fluid and fast on the break with a sharp mid-range pull-up. He uses his bounce to rebound the ball and he is a tough match-up.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1679293' first='Marcus' last='Ward'] Mesquite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring guard is one of the spark plugs and senior leaders for the Wildcats. He has a high releasing three point stroke with good ball rotation. He scores with polished mid-range pull-ups and will blow by his defenders on the baseline and score with his thicker frame. He scored 14 points. Him and Kobe put pressure on defenses nightly.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2330560' first='Braden' last='Miller'] Mesquite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A highly skilled and cerebral power forward is quickly improving, He uses his size and his body to get downhill with a nice handle. He uses ball fakes to get downhill and will create his own offense. A cerebral player with great hands and keeps the ball high after a tough rebound and will dime a teammate. He scored 10+ points with multiple rebounds.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2625032' first='Donovan' last='Richard'] Mesquite&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A power forward is one of their primary interior players in this game without Jack playing. He has good springs to leap up among the bigs and grab the board at its highest point. He is one of the team's glue guys. He scores with offensive rebound put backs, collects steals and he is sneaky good passer. He scored 7 points with maybe 7 rebounds.&nbsp;<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->