Big Shots Carolina Open: Big Shots WV Reign Elite 2025

A shorthanded yet motivated group of 17U players rode into Rock Hill with a purpose to play well and get better by the end of Sunday. That certainly seemed to be the case with two solid games under their belt going into Sunday, the Reign ran into a buzzsaw in that final game and would likely take a mulligan for Sunday. However, all was not lost with some bright spots including the three 15 year olds who were the bench support throughout the weekend.   [player_tooltip player_id='2306139' first='Logan' last='Boyce'] has been one of the most steady hands for coach Nuzum since last year. Boyce is multi-skilled and rarely makes the wrong play or decision. Boyce is equally good getting to the rack as he is in his 10-12 foot pull up game. This weekend was no different while Boyce was in double figures all weekend along with doing an impressive job of controlling tempo and balancing the floor. Boyce seems to be just as effective and comfortable playing off the ball as he does at point. Boyce showed he's a complete player and point guard who is gonna be a next level point guard with no glaring weaknesses.   [player_tooltip player_id='2457787' first='Matthew' last='DeGroff'] most notably shot a very high percentage from deep and several times throughout was the springboard to push the Reign ahead a bit. DeGroff has an ever-developing game offensively as he has largely played as much distributor has he has scorer. However, DeGroff is dedicated to becoming a better player and assertive scorer and we saw evidence of that last weekend. DeGroff could benefit from a mid-range game, something in the area of 6-10 feet as he has a great knack for getting past that first defender and finding space. Overall a solid outing for him and I think showed a couple things I hadn't seen before.   [player_tooltip player_id='2617683' first='Jaden' last='Fleming'] is newly acquainted with the WV Reign group and stepped up to the plate in short notice last weekend to be a bench player for the 17U squad. Fleming has a great ability to use his body and shield defenders whether in half court or transition. He's a fearless ballhandler and a push the ball pass first point guard. Definitely some old school characteristics to his game which I greatly admire and enjoy watching with Fleming and he understands how those benefit his team. Fleming is assertive about his scoring but simultaneously efficient and crafty. A clever but effective passer who will push for serious varsity time this winter.   [player_tooltip player_id='2869449' first='Gabriel' last='Neal'] is another player relatively new to the WV Reign program and has benefited already from the pace of play and emphasis on defense. Neal seems to have alot of offensive ability untapped and waiting to be unwrapped. I think Neal is still feeling his way into finding his role with this team but he's playing hard, scoring when the opportunities arise and starting to build some chemistry with this team. Neal does have some length and could easily grow into a taller and longer guard who could bloom into a very good player.   [player_tooltip player_id='2385111' first='Caden' last='Ours'] has been one of the WV Reign veterans for a couple years now and knows the drill, play defense and you'll get on the floor. Ours had some streaky areas shooting the ball but did have some very bright spots, namely in the second game where he racked up ten points in approximately twenty minutes of floor time. Ours has a great smooth stroke from outside, good basketball IQ and will have to develop himself into a point guard type player to get to the next level which he's more than capable of.   [player_tooltip player_id='2869454' first='Mason' last='Parrish'] came off the bench more than once in Rock Hill and had no fear and shot unconciously from thee. A couple of those times he really added a much needed spark and helped push the team forward. Parrish is going to be fun to watch develop in the next several months. He should have ample opportunity to get on the floor as a varsity player this year and stretch some defenses with his long range shooting.   [player_tooltip player_id='2695190' first='Bowen' last='Rader'] is another player who I haven't seen alot but got to see him and really watch purposefully with intent to evaluate as much as possible. What I saw was a player who's comfortable playing at any tempo, a player who seems to have great chemistry with everyone on the squad and also a player who understands his role and makes sure scorers get the ball on time and effectively.   [player_tooltip player_id='2395976' first='Cam' last='Strode'] was the biggest man on the 17U roster at 6'3", however also one of the youngest at 15. What Strode did show was some fearless grit and toughness against some older and bigger players. He did struggle in a couple short stretches but always came out on the other side with steady production whether it was defense, rebounds or points. Great experience to test your post skills against players who are 2-3 years older and much more physically ready.

A shorthanded yet motivated group of 17U players rode into Rock Hill with a purpose to play well and get better by the end of Sunday. That certainly seemed to be the case with two solid games under their belt going into Sunday, the Reign ran into a buzzsaw in that final game and would likely take a mulligan for Sunday. However, all was not lost with some bright spots including the three 15 year olds who were the bench support throughout the weekend.