Prephoops The Stage: 13U- All Tournament Team (Best of the Rest)

These young men proved to be some of the best players in the tournament over the weekend. I witnessed future stars in the making.    Ellison was one of the most skilled power forwards at the tournament. He was great at scoring around the basket or hitting teammates with nice assists. During the game, I watched this young man be a dominant force on the glass. He finished the game with twelve or more rebounds. It didn't matter what side of the court it was on. Ellison had every intention of grabbing every board he could get his hands on. Many of the offensive rebounds he grabbed, lead to easy scores at the rim. Defensively, Ellison blocked shots, protected the paint, guarded out on the wing and made attacking the basket difficult for opposing teams. He's an excellent young player who still has time to grow and mature. Keep working Ellison!!     This young man is definitely a shooting guard! He was the most aggressive players on the floor Saturday afternoon. He excelled at creating space by beating his opponents off the dribble. Whenever this happened, Montez either got to the basket or knocked down mid-range jumpers. I can honestly say, he was one of the best scoring guards in the 13U class over the weekend. On numerous occasions, I watched him attack the defense, get to the basket and score despite being fouled. Of course, he went to the free-throw line and completed the three-point play. Whenever there was an opportunity to shoot threes, Montez took full advantage of the circumstances. Some dropped, some didn't. It was all about staying aggressive for this kid. On defense, he stayed with his opponent by not allowing them to beat him off the dribble. He constantly poked at the ball and harassed them into mistakes. Keep it up Montez!!     I swear this young guy reminded me of NBA great Dennis Rodman in regard to rebounding. Champion has the appropriate name because this kid plays with a winner's mentality. He attacked the glass on both ends of the court. Specifically on the offensive side. Most of his points in the paint came from grabbing boards and scoring in the paint. Champion was a vital piece of the RTG offense because of the effective screens he set. His effort allowed teammates to get clean looks at the basket. Defensively, he blocked shots, took charges and forced a couple of turnovers. A player who treats rebounding with the same importance as scoring, always has a place in the game of basketball. Keep grinding Champion!!     This is my second write up of Kehan. He continues to be a player who dominates in the paint. He's an excellent scorer around the basket. Kehan towers over most defenders his age so this gives him a great advantage. He can also step out the paint and nail mid-range shots if they're available to take. I witnessed him swishing a couple of perimeter shots during Saturday's game. He has a long slender frame which allows him to run the floor and score transition points. Defensively, Kehan excelled at changing the shots of players attempting to attack the paint. There were a total of six blocks I counted during the games over the weekend. This young guy continues to impress me. He's a multi-skilled big man who hasn't discovered his full potential yet. Keep working Kehan!!     An aggressive guard who stayed in "attack mode" the entire game. Jordan always looked to score the ball. Especially if he had an advantage over the defender guarding him. In one particular match-up, Jordan took advantage of his opponent by scoring the basketball on three straight possessions. He can also make a high percentage of his shots on the perimeter. Jordan was awesome at hitting mid-range shots and extending his range beyond the three-point line. During the game, he was able to connect on two scores from deep. I was really impressed by Jordan's tenaciousness to grab rebounds. He had no issues fighting for boards among taller players. This young guy has a certain toughness about him. He played fearless and did what's necessary to help his RTG squad win the game. Excellent young player in my eyes. Keep balling Jordan!!     Destin was special on the defensive end of the floor Saturday afternoon. After watching him play, I counted four blocks and seven rebounds. This young guy excelled at doing all the little things for his team. Destin used his length to score in the paint by grabbing offensive rebounds and catching passes from his teammates. He was great at setting screens for others. This allowed Team Blaze 2030 players the option of getting up clean shots. Many of his screens setup teammates with finishes at the rim or jump-shots on the perimeter. In my opinion, Destin's already a great defensive player. If he continues to work on his game offensively, he may turn out to be even greater on both offense and defense. Keep working Destin!!     Karsen is a tough rugged player who always played with aggression on both ends of the court. He plays with a certain physicality in the paint. Karsen showed the ability to dominate in the paint against smaller players. There was a sequence in the game where he scored two consecutive baskets to give his team the lead. Karsen had a knack for crashing the offensive glass and scoring tough baskets. Many of these scores happened despite being fouled by the opposition. Karsen was great at using his size to grab rebounds and give his team second shot opportunities. He has an excellent mid-range game that he took full advantage of throughout Sunday's game. Karsen showed a willingness to play tough/physical defense on the opposition. Keep it up Karsen!!     Daylin played one of the biggest roles for his team over the weekend. He's an excellent interior post player. He excelled at grabbing rebounds and blocking shots. One major assets is his ability to protect the paint. A number of his scores came from grabbing offensive boards and scoring on put-backs around the basket. Daylin was vital to freeing up his teammates for open looks at the basket. He did this by setting perfect screens which allowed his teammates to find their shots. There were instances during the game where Daylin was able to score on pick and roll plays. He also showed his athleticism by chasing down offensive players and blocking their shots. This young man has all the intangibles needed to have a successful basketball career. Keep working Daylin!!             Parell showed the ability to catch and shoot effectively during Sunday's game. He's the type of player who can score the ball in all facets on offense. Parell is a dynamic scorer who takes it strong to the basket, scores through contact and has no problem stepping out and nailing threes. Parell's a steady defender who forced turnovers and stayed with his man on the defensive end of the court. In my opinion, Parell showed traits of a player who has a good all-around feel for the game. This young man has a bright future in the game of basketball. Keep it up Parell!!     Caleb is an excellent shooter who showed the capability of knocking down shots from the perimeter. Whether it was mid or long-range; Caleb showed no discrimination in regard to taking shots from the floor. He's a great ball handler who used his dribbling skills to get around defenders and score in the paint. Whenever he had an opponent isolated on the wing, Caleb attacked! This lead to positive outcomes for his teammates. Either he scored or dished off assists. Caleb's a very skilled player on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively, he's great at staying with opposing players and forcing turnovers. Caleb had no issues fighting through screens and disrupting the offensive player's shots. He showed his toughness by going inside the paint and grabbing rebounds on both ends of the court. Caleb has an all-around game that will take him far in the game of basketball. Keep balling Caleb!!

These young men proved to be some of the best players in the tournament over the weekend. I witnessed future stars in the making.