PH Live: Teddy’s Top Defenders

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a look at some of my top defenders from this weekend up in Batavia. 15u all-tournament will be released tomorrow.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Khaliq Austin</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Austin is also one of the best defenders I watched. Utilizes his footwork tremendously to help keep ball-handlers in front of him. Good vision defending off-the-ball. Reads passes before they happen. Helping create easy transition points on the other end.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2393884' first='Dexter' last='Simmons']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2029 prospect that's playing up. Displays tons of length on the interior with his 6'3” frame. Forced lots of misses on the interior and cleaned the glass at an efficient rate. Did a great job closing out shooters in the corner in game 2. Avoiding silly fouls.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2830620' first='Will' last='Scranton']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defended his home school in Batavia this weekend! Excellent footwork defending on-ball vs 58 hoops on Saturday. Never lost his mark while playing man-to-man. Switched to zone sometimes and it was the same thing. Always seemed to be on-page with his teammates on the defensive front. 3-and-d wing/guard to monitor.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2817332' first='Izayah' last='Cunningham']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This [program_tooltip program_id='2078449' first='Meanstreets' last=''] National point guard was smaller than most. But that didn't prevent him from becoming an impactful defender Sunday morning. I saw him force numerous turnovers in the early stages vs AK Elite with quick hands defending on the ball. Elite vision and playmaking abilities as a floor general on the offensive end with three-level scoring capabilities.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2837364' first='Ben' last='Vandenbergh']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vandenberg's interior defense made it a big challenge for [program_tooltip program_id='2078449' first='Meanstreets' last=''] prospects to find buckets Sunday morning. Active hands forced numerous misses with a pair of blocks. Also showed he can cut off passing lanes. Started to defend on the perimeter towards the end of the game. Getting on the floor for a loose ball and assisting an easy fastbreak bucket.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->