Superstar Events: Bracket Challenge- Tournament Stand-Outs

If you love basketball, the talents of these young men gave everyone their fill over the weekend. The skills shown by these players allowed them stand above the rest Sunday afternoon.    After watching this young man play, I determined he's a legit scorer who effectively searches for his shot. Donell was able to score the basketball in a variety of ways during yesterday's game. Whether it was taking defenders off the dribble, getting to the basket or knocking down perimeter shots; Donell had no problem getting buckets. On numerous occasions, I watched him blow-by his defender and score at the rim. This often happened despite taller players defending the paint. Donell has a smooth play-style that allows him score, while making it look easy. He's the kind of player who lets the game come to him. When he needs to force the issue, he can do this also. Donell was able to score a number of baskets in transition due to his great on-ball defense. He forced his opponent into a couple of turnovers. Those steals lead to fast-break opportunities for himself and his teammates. Donell has a bright future at the high school level next season. Keep it up Donell!!     Carl played the combo guard position at a high level yesterday. He's a great ball handler who made flashy passes to his teammates. Many of his assists found a way to perfectly hit TTS players around or cutting to the basket for easy scores. On multiple occasions, Carl was able to beat his opponent off the dribble and score at the rim. A number of those scores turned into three-point play opportunities after being fouled by the opposition. Carl showed a lot of energy on the floor during the game. He was able to lead his team on scoring opportunities whenever he pushed the pace down court. This was really effective when the TTS squad didn't give HoopGeeks the opportunity to set its defense. As I said, this young man can play both positions on the floor. Carl showed the ability to knock down long or mid-range shots. If he needs to take over the game by scoring, I believe he has the capability to do so. On defense, he gets after it! Carl pressured opposing guards into numerous mistakes, which lead to turnovers. Carl is a great young player, who'll easy transition into high school play. Keep balling Carl!!     I truly enjoyed watching this young man play yesterday! Micah plays the game of basketball with power and finesse. He's strong enough to play big man ball in the paint, while being agile enough to beat defenders off the dribble and get to the rim. I watched him fiercely grab rebounds on both ends of the floor. Many of his offensive boards were converted as easy put-backs around the basket. Micah is a very athletic player, who had no problem putting an opponent on a poster. By this I mean, dunking on them. He also excelled at playing through contact from the opposition. Micah's upper-body strength allowed him to have a number of three-point play opportunities. There were also circumstances, when he handled the ball and pushed the pace down court. This either lead to scores for himself or dish-offs to teammates. Defensively, this guy was a human eraser! He blocked multiple shots and made scoring in the lane difficult for opposing guards driving into the paint. As I said, this young man put on a show. (Even knocking down a couple of threes) In my opinion, Micah's a star in the making if he continues to work. I'm looking forward to seeing how he progresses in high school, next season and beyond. Keep working Micah!!     In my opinion, Jayden was one of the best point guards I watched on Sunday. He's a great ball handler and facilitator of the basketball. After watching him play, I got the impression of a really good floor general who's unselfish and fearless. Jayden always looked to get his teammates involved within the IBC offense. Either with verbal communication and timely assists, which always seemed to find open teammates. I'm confident, he lead his team in assists Sunday afternoon. Jayden is a stout point guard who showed he's strong enough to take a hit from the opposition. Despite being fouled, he was able to score through it, step to the line and make the free-throws. This scenario happened on a number of occasions. Jayden also displayed a nice pull-up game from the perimeter. In a isolated situation with an Team Indiana defender, he was able to use a nice dribble move to free himself for an open look at the basket. Of course, he able to knock it down. On defense, Jayden excelled at playing the passing lanes and generating steals with his great timing and footwork. Jayden has the talent to be an excellent floor leader in high school next season. Keep it up Jayden!!     This is my second write up of this young man. I think I said something like " Amazen was amazing!" in my first article. Well, on Sunday this young man did it again! This time, I was able to see a different facet to his game, which I really didn't see in the middle school atmosphere. This little guy can shoot the rock. Amazen was in the zone yesterday afternoon. I wanted to see how many threes he could knock down. Unfortunately, his teammates didn't seem to recognize the "hot-hand." He was able to make four shots from long range. Amazen continues to be a player who stays in constant "attack mode" throughout the game. Whether it was driving into the paint or hitting mid-range shots; he was effective. This is the style of play I noticed the first time I watched him. He continues to be an excellent defender who gets after the opposition. Amazen has very quick hands to go along with excellent footwork. These skills allowed him to pressure IBC guards into mistakes and turnovers. He can also play the passing lanes really good. The first time I saw him play, he was able to generate five steals from the Northview squad. If Amazen can be as potent from the perimeter as he is attacking the paint, the sky's the limit for this young guy. Keep balling Amazen!!     This guy right here!! Dylan might've had the best performance over the weekend. When I say "this guy was unstoppable" I truly mean it. The HoopGeeks squad, literally had no answers for him defensively. Dylan was able to do what he wanted, when he wanted and how he wanted on the floor yesterday. I really can't count the number of three point plays he converted. He really excelled at beating defenders off the dribble and finishing at the rim. Dylan also scored many baskets in transitions off turnovers forced by himself and his teammates. While watching Dylan play, I truly appreciated the fearlessness he showed by constantly attacking the paint. He realized his opponents had no way of stopping him so he kept the pressure on. He didn't only drive to the basket. Dylan was also effective from beyond the arc. I watched him knock down at least five threes to go along with a few mid-range shots. He was in one of those zones every player dreams of being in, the one where you just can't miss. Dylan showed the ability of being a great all-around scorer. He finished the game with (36 points.) With his scoring prowess and attitude, Dylan could become a special player as he transitions to high school play. Keep balling Dylan!!     Now, the first time I saw this young man play yesterday, he didn't show any energy and lacked confidence. After Coach Little said a few words to him, Anthony was a different player in game two. This dude is an excellent point guard with almost elite level handles. He easily drove around his defenders and made plays in the paint. Whether it was scoring the basket or drawing in the defense, Anthony was able to dish off assists to open teammates around the basket or along the perimeter. There were numerous occasions when he was in one-on-one situations with Indiana Racers opponents. He shook the opposing guard got into the lane and made a floater over the taller defender. Oh, did I mention how Anthony got his three ball going in game two? Well he did in a big way! He knocked down five of them, one being a shot that basically cemented their victory over the Indiana Racers. I appreciated the attitude change Anthony made for game two. It seemed like he flipped a switch and turned into a more aggressive player who would not be denied. I see much success in this young guy's future. Keep it up Anthony!!

If you love basketball, the talents of these young men gave everyone their fill over the weekend. The skills shown by these players allowed them stand above the rest Sunday afternoon.