G365 High Desert Showdown: 16U Standouts From Day 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I was able to catch a decent amount of 16U games at the Grassroots 365 High Desert Showdown yesterday. Below are a few of the standouts that I saw.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I will also be coming out with more articles soon featuring more top players from this weekend. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2053685"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6833704be03a9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='2053685' first='Wilbert' last='Townsend'] (pictured above) had a very strong shooting performance in Vegas Elite's game against the LV Aces. He was getting open off ball and made the most of his catch and shoot opportunities. By the end of the game he had knocked down 5 triples and he also made some lay-ups and free throws as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stats - 22 Points </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1965124"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6833704be042a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1965124' first='Jayvion' last='Wall'] was making it look easy on Saturday. The 2027 guard was scoring from just about everywhere on the court and in bunches. He did a nice job of leaking out in transition, which led to him scoring quite a few layups. He also threw down a dunk and made slick assists. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Playing for Vegas Elite National 16U</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2370259"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6833704be0480"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='2370259' first='Terry' last='McKinney III'] had one highlight reel dunk after another yesterday. He was getting some hangtime and I finished the game with 4 dunks in all. McKinney was also utilizing his length on defense to poke the ball away from his opponents. Which resulted in him causing a couple of turnovers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2374347"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6833704be04cf"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='2374347' first='Aaron' last='McMorran II'] poured in three triples for Vegas Elite in their win over Utah Valley Prime. Two of them ended up being 4-point plays, and he also dropped in quite a few more free throws. McMorran II also dished a nice pass to teammate, Michael McIntyre for a monster dunk. On the defensive end he had some deflections and covered ground quickly.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stats - 18 Points</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Marquise Pless","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2029","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'3u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77247","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Vegas Elite ","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6833704be058c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">I was very impressed by the play of Marquise Pless on Day 1 of The High Desert Showdown. He was using long strides to get to the rim and had a few impressive finishes. His opponents also had a difficult time getting around him when he was playing defense. I expect that he'll make more noise the rest of the spring/summer, as he has a lot of the qualities needed to succeed at the next level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->