Windy City War: Tourney Standouts- 12U (1st Team)

These young players showed why they stood out above the rest. They are definitely worthy of being seen as 1st team tournament standouts.    This is my second write up of DJ. The first time I saw him play was last summer at the Prephoops National Championships. DJ put on a show! I believe he was one of the best players I saw in his age bracket. He was a dominant scorer who gave it to opposing teams how ever he wanted offensively. Well, this time around, I saw a player who has added play-making to his game. DJ was less aggressive on offense but always found ways of getting his teammates involved. During the game, I saw him break down the defense and find Team Hero players with nice dimes. A number of his assists led to high percentage shots at the basket. Don't be fooled! If DJ needs to turn it on and score, he can do so. Once you become a dominant scorer, it 's not something you can just turn off completely. Just as last summer, DJ gets by defenders, attacks the basket, knocks down mid-range jumpers and nails long distance threes. He's a great on-ball defender who forced his opponents into countless mistakes throughout the game. Keep it up DJ!!     This young man is a dynamic scorer and play-maker. He's great at handling the basketball and setting up teammates with pin-point dimes. His court vision was awesome! Blake always seemed to find open players all over the court. Whether it was cutting to the basket or hitting Team Herro players on the perimeter, Blake always made positive plays. Offensively, he shined in the biggest moments of the game. Blake easily beat defenders off the dribble and scored at the basket. He also showed the ability to knock down perimeter shots and long-range threes. Now, getting back to Blake's shining moment of the game. In the closing minutes of a tough two overtime game, Blake caught the ball on the wing, took a couple of dribbles and nailed the game winning shot. He showed his clutch gene by knocking down two crucial shots from the foul-line. These free-throws put the game away by giving Team Herro a four point lead. Keep it up Blake!!     This young man was the best shooter I watched throughout the tournament. He's an excellent shooter, who made a high percentage of his shots from beyond the arc. If there was an opportunity to attack the basket, he did by scoring on floaters or put-backs whenever he grabbed rebounds. In the two games I watched, Karon nailed a total of nine three-pointers. If this kid got his feet set, the ball most-likely went through the bottom of the net. Karon was very knowledgeable of finding ways to free himself for good looks at the rim. This guy has some wiggle to his game as a shooter. On numerous occasions, he was able to hit opposing defenders with hesitation dribbles and step-backs. These moves allowed him to clear enough space to get his shots off and drain them. Already at a young age, Karon has a weapon that all coaches love having on their team. A knock down shooter!!     Kobe was one of the shiftiest guards I watched throughout the tournament. He's a tough minded guard who plays fearless on the basketball court. Kobe excelled at breaking down defenses and making plays for himself or teammates. Whenever he attacked the paint, either he scored or dished out assists for easy scores around the basket. Kobe was un-guard-able on the wing of the court. There was an instance where he crossed over his opponent and immediately went into a step-back jump-shot. Of course he drained the shot and many others in this fashion. He also scores in transition whenever the opportunity's available. Kobe is a fiesty defender who applied great pressure on the opposing guards he faced. He generated numerous steals and caused them to make mistakes. Keep working Kobe!!     The big man was a defensive presence during the tournament. He dominated the glass on both ends of the floor. I can say with confidence, Devin led his team in rebounding. He was ferocious on the boards. Many of his defensive rebounds led to nice outlet passes as fast-break starters for his teammates. Offensively, he used great post moves to score in the paint. Devin snatched offensive rebounds and scored on put-backs around the basket. Where he truly excelled was shot-blocking. During the game, Devin blocked four shots when his opponents attempted to slash to the basket. One of those blocks came during a crucial point in the game. Devin was great at protecting the paint but in this instance he was guarding on the wing. The opposing player tried to create space off the dribble and launch a jump-shot. With great timing and anticipation, Devin was able to block the shot. He scored tough baskets down the stretch of the game. Some coming through contact. Devin calmly stepped to the foul-line and knocked them down. Keep grinding Devin!!     Jax is an excellent combo guard who slashes to the rim and knocks down perimeter jump-shots. He showed off a great handle of the basketball, with his constant blow-by's around opposing defenders. He's a good rebounding guard who didn't mind battling in the paint with taller players. Jax is the kind of player who plays the game with a calm demeanor. He lets the game come to him and doesn't take or force bad shots. Jax was great from the perimeter. He was able to knock down mid-range pull-ups and occasionally nail open threes when the opportunity presented itself. Whenever the [program_tooltip program_id='2076459' first='Breakaway' last=''] squad found themselves in fast-breaking situations, Jax was able to finish strong at the rim. On defense, he did a great job of playing the pass lanes and generating turnovers from the opposition. Jax is a great all-around player who puts the team first. Keep it up Jax!!     Jaxson is an excellent shooter who showed the capability of making long distance or mid-range jump-shots. In isolated match-ups on the wing, Jaxson was able to beat his defender off the dribble and get to the basket. He drew the foul, stepped to the line and nailed the free-throw for a three-point play. He's a very skilled player on the offensive side of the ball. What I appreciated about his game was his hustle to do everything on the floor. He did whatever it took to help his team win. Whether it was scoring the ball, rebounding, taking charges or defending, Jaxson always found himself around the basketball. He proved himself to be a good defender who had no issues staying with opposing players. If he had to fight through screens to stay with his opponent, he did with no issues. Jaxson also generated a couple of steals by playing passing lanes. Keep it up Jaxson!!     Keenan is a very athletic player who easily broke defenders down off the dribble and slashed to the basket. Some of his scores were tough drives in the paint. These led to multiple three-point play opportunities. He's a good free throw shooter who converted the three-point play, along with most of the others. Keenan was un-guard-able on the court. He always found a way to score the basketball. Whether it was taking it to the rim, nailing mid-range shots or scoring the ball in transition, Keenan would not be denied on this day. On defense, he excelled at forcing turnovers with quick hands and great footwork. He constantly poked at the ball handlers as they attempted to bring the ball up-court. He generated three steals throughout the game. Keenan even blocked a couple of shots! Keep working Keenan!!     I enjoyed watching this young man play over the weekend. Collyn is a high energy player who always found ways of making plays for his team. He's a small guard who played the game with a fearless attitude. Collyn showed the ability to create shots for himself or teammates by driving to the basket. Either he scored on floaters at the rim or dished out assists to open teammates around the basket. Collyn is a great shooter from the floor, particularly from mid-range. I can't count the amount of times I watched him knock down shots along the perimeter. Collyn has great offensive skills. Whenever he was in the game, Collyn stayed in "attack mode." This kept pressure on the opposing defense. He was very pesky on defense. He applied suffocating pressure on his opponents, which caused numerous turnovers. This little guy has a bright future in the game of basketball. Keep working Collyn!!

These young players showed why they stood out above the rest. They are definitely worthy of being seen as 1st team tournament standouts.