Queen City Clash- All Defensive Team 14U

These players showcased their skills on both ends of the court. After watching them play, I saw players who prioritized defense more than offense.    Adrian is a do-it-all type of basketball player. He has excellent ball handling skills to go along with the ability to pass. Adrian showed his scoring prowess by attacking defenders and getting to the rim. He was also great in the post. Many of his points came inside the painted area of the court. Adrian dominated smaller defenders with excellent post moves. He was tough to handle around the basket, scoring on most of his team's possessions early in the game. Adrian is an excellent rebounder on both ends of he court. Especially, on the offensive side of the ball. I watched him snatch four rebounds over the opposition and immediately score on put-backs. This young man is all hustle and defense. Adrian played great perimeter defense by pressing opposing players into turnovers. He took charges, blocked shots on the interior and hit the floor after loose balls. Adrian is a great all-around player who will easily transition onto the high school basketball scene. Keep it up Adrian!!     I thoroughly enjoyed watching this young man play over the weekend. He plays extremely hard and does all the dirty work for his team. Taurean is a tough young player who fights for everything on the basketball court. Whether it's attacking the basket, grabbing rebounds, hitting perimeter shots or chasing down loose balls, Taurean was the team MVP. He's an athletic player who scored whenever fast-break opportunities were optional. Where Taurean really shined was defensively. This guy was everywhere on the floor! He guarded on the perimeter and within the paint. Taurean excelled at playing great man-to-man defense. He forced numerous turnovers from the Unit 14U guards. Taurean showed the ability to be a great interior post defender. Despite being shorter than his opponent, Taurean made it difficult to score in the paint. He's already an elite defender now! Just imagine how good he could be when his offensive skills match his defensive talents? Keep working Taurean!!     Rajon is a crafty ball handler who constantly beat every opponent off the dribble. He penetrated the paint and finished on floaters around the basket. Rajon was the flashiest passer on the court. A number of his passes generated positive reactions from the crowd. This young man definitely has the skills to be an elite combo guard in the near future. Rajon had the quickest first step I saw at the tournament. During the game, I watched him blow-by his opponent and easily score at the rim. He used these same handles to free himself for open looks on the perimeter. Opposing defenders had a hard time defending Rajon. Defensively, he thrived at using his quick hands to force turnovers. His anticipation of playing pass lanes was second to none. I watched Rajon cause four steals throughout the game. He had two on the ball, others came from jumping passing lanes. I believe special times are ahead for this young man. Keep it up Rajon!!     Watching this young man play was fun! Dominic was definitely the heart of his [program_tooltip program_id='2320052' first='All' last='Ohio Red'] EYBL team. When I say, "this guy does everything" I truly mean it. Dominic plays the game with heart and determination. Whether it was grabbing rebounds, scoring in the paint or hitting the floor after loose balls, Dominic was always in the vicinity of the action. He showed the ability to handle the basketball and make plays. On many occasions, he was able to beat his opponent off the dribble and dish off passes to teammates slashing down the lane. These assists led to easy scores for his teammates. Defensively is where Dominic really shined! He showed off his skills of defending both on the perimeter and the paint. I enjoyed watching him take up the challenge of guarding the opposing team's best player. He harassed his opponent into multiple turnovers by being physical. These steals lead to easy transition baskets for the [program_tooltip program_id='2320052' first='All' last='Ohio Red'] EYBL squad. Dominic will easily adjust to the challenges of high school basketball. Keep grinding Dominic!!     After watching Cyerre play a couple of weeks ago, he let his emotions get the best of him. Well, this time around, I was able to see a better version of his game. He's a hardworking player who gave maximum effort on the basketball court. Cyerre is a great rebounder who controlled the glass for [program_tooltip program_id='2844220' first='Next' last='Level Basketball']. He dominated on both ends of the floor in regard to rebounding. I strongly believe he finished the game with double-digit boards. Cyerre did all the "dirty work" for his squad. He played physical in the paint by snatching offensive rebounds and scoring easy put-backs around the rim. Cyerre showed his value to the team by helping others score. He set solid screens that freed up teammates for clean shots at the basket. On defense, he was awesome at protecting the paint. Whenever an opposing guard attempted to drive down the lane. Cyerre turned them away by blocking shots and forcing them into difficult looks at the basket. He's a hardworking player who'll be a major asset to a high school team next fall. Keep working Cyerre!!     Carson is an excellent shooter who showed the capability of knocking down long or mid-range shots. Whenever he was in isolated situations, Carson showed the ability to drive around his opponent and score around the basket. This young man was very skilled on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively, Carson was great at staying with opposing players. He had no issues fighting through screens and being disruptive on defense. In regard to rebounding, Carson had no issues going inside the paint and fighting for boards. He had the lateral quickness to be a great defender. Carson stayed attached to opposing guards, while not giving them any space to operate. He's the kind of player who lets the game come to him. Carson plays at his own pace and communicates with his team on both sides of the ball. Keep working Carson!!

These players showcased their skills on both ends of the court. After watching them play, I saw players who prioritized defense more than offense.