Jimmy John's Grassroots Championships- Scorers and Play-Makers

There were a lot of plays being made and baskets being score over the weekend. These young men were difference makers for their coaches and teams.    Reggie's an aggressive scorer who constantly attacked opposing defenses. In Saturday's game, he showed the ability to draw contact from Gibson Southern defenders. On many occasions, this lead to him getting to the free-throw line. During the game Reggie was able to create off the dribble and nail mid-range shots or three-pointers. in an isolated match-up, I watched him easily blow-by a Gibson Southern player, drive into the lane and score on a high arching floater. this is where Reggie truly excelled. Whenever a one-on-one match-up presented itself, he won the majority of them. He was able to make plays on the defensive end of the floor by playing passing lanes. Many of his steals resulted in fast-break scores for himself or his Blaze (Orange) teammates. Keep scoring Reggie!!     Lucas showed off his shooting range from deep on Saturday. He's a good shooter who knows how to get open and knock down shots. He has great shooting form with excellent ball rotation. I watched him nail three shots from beyond the arc versus Team Blaze. (Orange) On numerous occasions, his teammates set multiple picks and screens. These screens were set with the purpose of getting him free looks at the basket. Lucas also showed the ability of being a good passer. He threw a couple of nice dimes in the paint, which lead to easy scores for his starting center. He often found ways to shoot high percentage shots on the perimeter. Many of these dropped for him. As, I said, this young guy was very knowledgeable in regard to getting open within the Gibson Southern offense. Being a great shooter can really take a player far in the game of basketball. I believe Lucas has the shooting skills to be successful. Keep shooting Lucas!!     This is my second write up for Robert. I watched him play during the middle school basketball season and was thoroughly impressed. Well, I can honestly say, " nothing has changed." Robert continues to be an excellent pass first point guard, who can get a bucket when he needs to. He handles the ball at an elite level. I watched this little guy use a variety of in-and-out and hesitation dribble moves. These handles allowed Robert to break down opposing defenders and get wherever he wanted on the floor. His blow-by moves lead to either easy floaters in the paint or dish-offs to teammates for easy baskets. Robert was also great at creating space and knocking down shots for both mid and long-range. Defensively, Robert was great at using his quickness to apply excellent on-ball pressure to opposing guards. He forced many of them into costly mistakes and turnovers. As he ages, I believe this young will continue to grow as a point guard. He finished with (10 points, 4 assists, 2 steals) Keep it up Robert!!     Kesean showed the ability to do it all on the basketball court. He can shoot the ball from both mid or long range. In the game I watched, Kesean was able to knock down a couple of threes against Owen Valley. He's a good ball handler who had no problem beating his defender to the basket. Many of his slashes to the rim lead to easy lay-ups or passes on the perimeter. His assists resulted in open shots for his teammates. Kesean can also pass the ball. I watched him throw a number of pin-point dimes that resulted in positive outcomes for the Blaze (Blue) squad. He played hard on both ends of the court. Kesean scored a number of baskets in transition. Many of the transition baskets were the result of turning the Owen Valley team over. At least three of those steals were a result of the great on-ball defense Kesean played. He was able to cause multiple turnovers and force numerous mistakes on the opposing guards. Keep balling Kesean!!     Dane showed great leadership skills on the court Saturday afternoon. He flawlessly ran the Owen Valley offense to perfection. He's a pass first point guard who looked to get his teammates involved on the offensive side of the ball. I watched Dane make numerous plays with his passing ability. He lead his team in assists, by easily finding teammates inside the paint, along the perimeter or cutting to the basket. Most of his dimes lead to positive outcomes for the Owen Valley squad. Dane excelled at attacking the paint and scoring with a nice lay-up package. He scored on reverse lay-ups, floaters, and runners down the lane. Dane was also great at knocking down mid-range jumpers from the wings of the basketball court. On defense, this young man play tough and physical with the Blaze (Blue) guards. He constantly poked at the ball and made tough on the opposition. Keep working Dane!!     Hank is what I would call, the "glue guy" of the team. He was able to be effective at every facet of the game. Hank got to the rim with no problems, sometimes scoring despite being fouled. He was great at rebounding the basketball from the guard position. Hank was constantly in the paint fighting for boards or chasing down loose balls. He's also one of the best passers on the team. Hank constantly hit players in the paint or behind the three-point line whenever he attacked the basket. He showed the ability to make shots on the perimeter, while occasionally nailing threes whenever the opportunity was available. Defensively, Hank made handling the ball difficult for the Blaze (Blue) guards. He constantly pressured them into mistakes with his quick hands and great footwork. He's a good all-around player who should have no issues producing at the high school level. Keep working Hank!!

There were a lot of plays being made and baskets being score over the weekend. These young men were difference makers for their coaches and teams.