Midwest Best Showcase: All-Star Game Standouts

The play of these young men showcased why they're worthy of being All-Star selections.    I watched one of the best players in the showcase Saturday afternoon. Reid was unstoppable during the exhibition games. I can't count the amount of baskets he scored in transition. Many of those scores came off defensive rebounds and coast-to-coast drives to the basket. There was a sequence in the game where Reid scored eight straight points for his team. He was very aggressive on the offensive side of the ball. Whenever he was in isolated situations against his opponent, Reid "took it to them!" Ultimately, driving around the defender and scoring at the rim. He showed the ability to make perimeter shots and long range threes on multiple occasions. During the exhibition games, I watched him nail four shots from beyond the arc. On defense, Reid was great at using his length to generate turnovers and force opposing players into mistakes. This young man will make a flawless transition into high school basketball next season. Keep it up Reid!!     I really liked this young man's game! He's a really good small forward who handles the ball, scores, passes, rebounds and plays defense. Meaning: This dude excels at every facet of the game. Kemoriyon was great at attacking his opponent off the dribble in one-on-one situations. I watched him win most of his match-ups during the game by using cross-overs or in-and-out dribbles to get to the basket and score. Kemoriyon can also knock down mid or long range shots with accuracy. In another match-up, I watched him use a number of step-back moves to free himself for clean looks from beyond the arc. Some went in, some didn't. As I said, this young man did it all. He didn't mind attacking the glass on both ends of the floor or hitting teammates with precise passes. Defensively, he was able to use his long arms to force turnovers by hassling the opposition. Keep balling Kemoriyon!!     After watching this young man play, I believe he could become an elite player in the near future. Za'Kari has the capability of putting up major numbers on the offensive side of the ball. He dominated smaller defenders in the post by using great footwork and strong hands to score around the basket. Za'Kari made low post scoring look easy. He used a variety of drop-steps and pump-fakes to be a force inside the paint. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Za'Kari knock down perimeter shots. It was totally unexpected because he did most of his damage attacking the paint off the dribble or scoring in the post. He showed off a great shooting form with excellent ball rotation on his release. In Saturday's game Za'Kari scored on contested pull-ups and wide open looks on the wing. I'm curious to see how he shoots from the three-point line. If he can develop this part of his game, Za'Kari will definitely become an elite player. Keep working Za'Kari!!     Juju can handle the ball, be a facilitator and score when he has to. After watching him play, I saw a player who'll be able to excel at both guard spots. It's just a matter of where coaches want him to play. Juju's an excellent combo guard who showed the ability of being a great floor general for his team. During Saturday's game, he played with a pass first mentality. He looked to get his teammates involved on offense by setting up players with pin-point assists. Many of his passes led to easy scores. Whenever Juju played the off guard spot, his whole demeanor changed. He became more aggressive as a scorer. Whether it was getting to the rim, shooting perimeter shots or knocking in threes; this guy became a monster offensively. He broke down defenders and made a number of plays, which lead to positive outcomes for his team. On defense, this kid was a ball-hawk. He thrived at applying excellent pressure on the ball and causing mistakes by opposing guards. Keep working Juju!!     This young man continues to be one of the most dominant seventh graders I've seen play basketball. Tomarri is very tough to handle on offense. Most kids his age are not his size, which puts him at a big advantage over everyone. This guy can handle the ball and make plays like a point guard. He showed the ability of being a really good play-maker and high level assists man. Tomarri was able to setup his teammates numerous times as they cut down the lane. Many of his assists lead to easy scores. His biggest strength is scoring the ball. He gets to the basket, creates his own shot, knocks down perimeter baskets and scores in the post. Whenever there's a smaller defender guarding him in the paint, Tomarri takes full advantage of the situation. He's also strong enough to score through contact. I watched Tomarri score multiple times despite being fouled by the opposition. in the King of the Court event, This guy couldn't be stopped in one-on one scenarios. Either he beat defenders to the basket, nailed mid-range pull-ups or used his strength to score in the post. As I said, in his first write up, Tomarri is already elite. The future is very bright for this young man. Oh yeah, he won the King of the Court event by the way. Keep balling Tomarri!!     I enjoyed watching the fearless attitude this young man displayed Saturday afternoon. Kai was one of the most aggressive players on the court. No matter who matched up against him, Kai went at them with bad intentions. This was evident in the King of the Court event. Kai easily took defenders off the dribble and scored at the rim. I saw him do this on multiple occasions. King of the Court was basically one-on-one match-ups. During exhibition games, he showed a variety of ways to score the basketball. Whether he attacked the basket, nailed perimeter shots or knock in step-back threes: Kai played with a purpose. I truly appreciated his mind-set as a confident scorer. He's a great offensive player who knows how to find ways of getting open within an offense. Defensively, Kai was great at playing the passing lanes and forcing turnovers. Kai already has the makings of an elite scorer as a seventh grader. Just imagine how good he'll be in the next couple of years? Keep working Kai!!     Tyrice is an energetic point guard who has excellent passing ability. I watched him throw a number of flashy passes that always seemed to find the open man. He's a shifty ball handler who often made his opponents look silly as they attempted to guard him. Tyrice excelled at creating winning plays for himself or his teammates. He's also a great scorer, who showed the capability of taking over a game if he needs to. Tyrice is a great shooter from the floor, often connecting on perimeter shots and floaters over taller defenders when he attacked the paint. If the opportunity to nail a three presented itself, he didn't hesitate to take it. Throughout the exhibition game, Tyrice stayed in constant "attack mode" by keeping the pressure on the opposition. He definitely had no issues running his team as the lead guard. Defensively, he's a tough minded guard who really pressured opposing guards into turnovers and mistakes. Tyrice is what a future point guard looks like, successful and elite. Keep balling Tyrice!!     Elijah showed why he's an excellent shooter who's very capable of making shots from both mid or long range. He excelled at taking advantage of defenders by either driving by them or knocking down shots on the perimeter. Whenever Elijah found himself isolated against a defender, he took advantage of his quickness. He often beat his opponent to the basket for easy scores. Elijah is a very skilled player on the offensive side of the ball. Attacking the paint and drawing contact was a big part of his game. Elijah drew many fouls and got to the free-throw line a lot of times. He converted multiple three point-play opportunities. Elijah was great at rebounding the basketball on both ends of the court. He's a tough player who didn't mind fighting for boards in the paint. On defense, he stayed with his opponent and made it difficult for them to be successful offensively. With the skills Elijah has shown, making the jump into high school basketball will be easy. Keep it up Elijah!!

The play of these young men showcased why they're worthy of being All-Star selections.