Spurs City Shootout: Impact Players (17U)

Some players enter the game and instantly know how to make significant differences for their squads. The group of athletes below did just that in their impressive tournament showings this past weekend.    Nikolai is a tough, gritty shooting guard that can survey the floor on the fast break like a true professional. He provides instant offense when he's on the floor and he's a great shooter with deep range. He's skilled at realistically pump faking and drawing contact on his jumpers on a regular basis, which leads to extra points for his team and extra trips to the line for himself. He creates a ruckus in the paint, taking on bigs with no fear and being involved nearly every time a rebound is up for grabs. He has quick hands that can stack steals throughout the game and his vision to find his streakers when they're running is elite. Martinez makes a huge impact in multiple ways and is the type of player that makes his team significantly better.     John is a strong, communicative combo guard that catches your eye quickly when watching his games. He has a solid build and a fearless approach to driving the lane, often finishing through contact and getting to the line to stack more points. He leads the break for his squad effectively, calling out plays and using the attention he attracts himself to get his teammates wide open looks. He's a skilled passer with great peripheral vision - seemingly knowing where his guys are on the floor at all times. He's vocal on defense as well, helping out teammates where he can and fighting through picks with a ferocity while doing so. Fioroni stands out early and often and I expect that to continue going forward.     Rashaan is a solid, shifty shooting guard that can stack points in a hurry when he gets hot. He's a reliable shooter from beyond the arc and his ballhandling skills are advanced to the point where he makes creating his own offense look easy. He's got a strong frame and surprising speed to go along with it, which makes him incredibly hard to stop when he gets a head of steam on his drives to the lane. He's skilled at finishing at the rim through contact and has a knack for putting the ball in un-blockable positions on his shot attempts. He's got a nice vertical ability that he uses to contest shots on the defensive end and he's a smart, patient player on both sides of the ball. Listenbee displays the skills any coach would love to add to their squad.     Kade is a savvy, strong point guard that does a bit of everything for his team in the right ways. His frame is solid and he's a pure hustler - constantly battling for rebounds on both ends and capitalizing on easy opportunities in the paint. He's a great shooter with range extending beyond the arc and he has an uncanny ability to draw contact and follow through with the play. He's tough and bounces off the floor more often than not when he goes down for one right reason after another. He's smart when reading the floor, patiently waiting for plays to develop and lanes to open up naturally before deciding where to go next. He can create his own offense with ease and can pull his team out of a slump single-handedly. Lockett is going to turn plenty of heads going forward.     Braedyn is a physical, focused combo guard that stays locked in at all times when on the floor. When other players are chattering, you can often see him gazing straight ahead, no expression, simply planning his next move and thinking about how he can get his team closer to victory. He's a talented ballhandler with the ability to create his own offense. He has great rotation on his jumper and is prompt and effective when it comes to closing out his man on defense. He has surprising elevation on his vertical and uses it to challenge and block jumpers with regularity. He's an aggressive, pesky defender with no quit in his approach. His hands are fast and stealthy, consistently snatching steals and causing chaos for the opposition. His one-handed whip passes are a thing of beauty and he has a keen eye for finding the open man. He's vocal on both ends - calling plays and looking out for his guys. Cates is the kind of player that can elevate any team in significant ways.

Some players enter the game and instantly know how to make significant differences for their squads. The group of athletes below did just that in their impressive tournament showings this past weekend.