NHR State: Friday Night’s Top 16U Defenders

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The NHR State tournament got kicked off on Friday night, and what better way to start it than with some hard-nosed defense? These guys were some of the highest energy guys and really helped their teams succeed. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2810595"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":2873760,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","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-683a804c11bfc"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Kitila was one of the tallest guys on the court, helping him pick up three blocks in the first five minutes of the game. He continued to be a disruptor on the inside the entire game and forced the other team into uncomfortable shots all night. His interior defense should not undermine his quickness and ability to defend on the perimeter. Even if the ball-handler got a step on him, he could recover using his length to get back in front of his man. His lateral quickness and long build helped him tip passes to spark fastbreaks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2552741"],"_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-683a804c11c97"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Despite what they say, basketball is a physical sport, and Neeley-Davis embraces that. Whether it is playing up on a ball handler from halfcourt or stepping into the paint, Neeley-Davis uses his wide frame to his advantage on the defensive end. His TLC Elite team scored a lot on the fast break, and Neeley-Davis, along with his teammate [player_tooltip player_id='2810595' first='Galatan' last='Kitila'], sparked a lot of opportunities. The defensive energy translated to the offensive end as well, where he punched a dunk on top of the defender's head and brought the energy up in the gym.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2382203"],"_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-683a804c11d23"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Aulick and his Select team were trailing for most of the first half, but he is a big part of why they stayed in the game. At 6'1, he can stand his own in the paint, and wasn't worried about putting his body on the line when someone drove in on him. As the primary defender on a shooter, Aulick got a hand in the face every single time. After getting a stop, he was usually in the mix, trying to get a rebound or looking for someone to box out. The combination of rebounding and defending made Aulick stand out from the rest of his team on the defensive end.<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2140607"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":2873762,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","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-683a804c11dcd"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Ezra is the smallest guy on this list, and it is because of his knack for getting his hands on loose balls. His Real Phenom team was not running a set press, but when he had the chance, he would pressure the ball handler into a turnover. What impressed me most was his off-ball defense. His basketball knowledge is high because you can tell he knows when and when not to go try to trap or poke a ball from behind.</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":"[player_tooltip player_id='2877054' first='Asher' last='Wieberdink']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'6u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77245","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Central Minnesota Christian","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"SW Minnesota Stars","_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-683a804c11edd"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">At 6'6, Wieberdink has the natural ability of being a rim protector. It isn't just because of his height, however, as he played great help defense, tracking a ball from one side of the court to the other, always knowing where the ball is. If he were guarding a bigger guy, he wouldn't worry as much about the perimeter, and he would be even more valuable as an interior defender as a second line defense for his teammates. Wieberdink understands his role and succeeds as a rim protector while still being an asset as a perimeter defender.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->