NEXT National Championships: Best of the Best 12U

These players are the best from the class of 2031. The skills they displayed show why these young men have bright futures ahead of them.    He is one of the best players in the 2031 class. Malique excels at every aspect of the game. He scores, passes, rebounds and defends. Whether it's beating opponents off the dribble, attacking the basket, knocking down three-pointers or winning one-on-one match-ups, Malique was unstoppable. He has a great handle of the basketball. Malique easily beat his opponents to the basket. Whenever he had smaller defenders in the post, Malique dominated. In some instances he used the dribble to create the space he needed to get his shot off. Malique nailed three baskets from beyond the arc in this fashion. Defensively, he was great at blocking shots, protecting the paint and applying pressure to his opponents. Malique is a great player who has a chance of becoming elite in the near future.     The big man attacked the glass on both ends of the court. He dominated inside the paint with excellent post moves. Osita is great at using either hand to score over smaller opponents. Whenever transition opportunities were available, Osita showed his agility by running the floor and finishing strong at the rim. Many of his scores came by cleaning up teammates' misses around the basket. Some came through contact from the opposition. Those scores led to three-point play opportunities from the foul-line. Osita was able to convert most of them. On defense, Osita used his size and agility to block shots and protect the paint. Whenever opposing players attempted to drive the lane, this young man either turned them away or made scoring a difficult proposition. Keep working Osita!!      This is my second write up for LJ. The first time I watched him, I was amazed. This second time around, I was surprised. He is a great point guard who plays with poise and aggression. In the team's first game he was not as aggressive as he normally plays. LJ continues to be the best play-maker for the All-In-Sports team. During the game, he dished off numerous assists and knocked down multiple threes. Normally this little guy is full of energy and ready to go! I'm going to blame it on being the team's first game of the day. I'm confident enough in LJ's skills to believe he picked it up as the day went on. On defense, he forced a couple of steals by jumping passing lanes. As I said in his first write up, this young man is well on his way to becoming an elite player. I wish he played with more fire and energy in the game I watched yesterday. Keep grinding LJ!!     I loved this young man's hustle throughout the tournament. Lee is the kind of player who does all the dirty work for his team. Whether it's rebounding, scoring or defending, Lee always managed to be around the basketball. He used a quick first-step to easily get by defenders. This led to scores or assists for himself or teammates. Lee did not mind battling opposing players for rebounds in the paint. He showed a knack for taking charges and diving on the floor for loose balls. If there was an all hustle team, Lee would be the catalyst! Defensively is where he shined the most. He's an excellent on-ball defender who forced numerous turnovers. Lee showed his toughness by defending larger players in the post. He blocked multiple shots and displayed enough strength by not allowing himself to be taken advantage of. Lee finished the game with 2 blocks, 3 steals, 6 rebounds and a couple of baskets. He will become a serious threat as he continues to develop offensively.     Uzziah was unstoppable in the first game of the day. This young man did everything on the basketball court. He is great at breaking down defenders off the dribble. Whenever he had opponents isolated on the wing, Uzziah quickly beat them to the rim. He plays with great energy. Every time he scored, Uzziah showed emotion. His energy gave teammates the boost of confidence needed to get the job done. He showed the ability to knock down mid-range shots on the perimeter. Uzziah also has the capability of extending his range beyond the three-point line. He did on numerous occasions, by nailing multiple shots that were highly contested. Uzziah attacked the glass with the same ferocity as he did on offense. He did not mind battling in the paint with opposing players. Many of his offensive boards led to put-backs around the basket. Defensively, he showed a knack for stealing the ball by jumping pass lanes. The majority of plays he made, led to positive outcomes for the All-In-Sports squad. Keep it up Uzziah!!     I love when the smallest player has the biggest impact on the court. Desmond is a fiesty player who handles the ball and scores tough baskets in the paint. This young man is a play-maker! He's a great passer who always found teammates cutting to the basket or beating their opponents off the ball. Whenever they did, Desmond hit them with accurate passses. He has elite ball handling skills. Desmond used these skills to easily get into the lane and make plays. Opposing defenders were no match for his speed and quickness. Whenever he attempted a floater, more than likely it was going in. The shot was sweet because of his small stature. He floats up a high arching shot that's just out of reach of the taller defenders. Of course, the shot swishes through the net! On defense, he pressures opposing guards the full length of the court. Desmond forced numerous turnovers and came away with multiple steals. Keep it up Desmond!!     This is my second write up for Tristian. The first time I saw him play was at last summer's NEXT National Championships. He has definitely improved as an overall player. Tristian has grown a few inches since I last saw him. He now has a post game to go along with having the same guard skills I watched last summer. Tristian dominated his opponents in the paint. He's a great finisher around the basket with either hand. He continues to be a great teammate who plays unselfish and lets the game come to him. Tristian is an exceptional mid-range shooter with the ability to extend his range beyond the arc. He knocked down multiple three-pointers in the game I watched yesterday. Last summer Tristian was all about scoring the basketball. Now I see the growth! He's become a better passer, rebounder and defender, along with his scoring improvements. Tristian is well on his way to becoming an elite player in the future. He finished the game with 14 points and 8 rebounds. Keep it up Tristian!!     I enjoyed watching this young man play basketball. Stokes showed a nice touch from the perimeter. It didn't matter if he scored in the post or nailed mid-range pull-ups, Stokes had the complete package working for him. In the post he used his size to effectively score on smaller defenders. I was pleasantly surprised by his agility. I didn't expect to see him beating players off the dribble. Well, he proved me wrong because Stokes did it. He used a variety of great moves to get around opponents. These one-on-one moves led to easy scores at the rim. I truly appreciated his ability to score from mid-range. Stokes was very effective from fifteen feet. I can see the amount of work he puts in to make his shot unstoppable. The mid-range game doesn't exist much in today's game. It was refreshing to see a young player taking advantage of converting easier shots instead of firing up three-pointers. He is great at rebounding the basketball on both ends of the court. His offensive skills will take him far in the game of basketball. Keep balling Stokes!!     Taylen excels at every aspect on the basketball court. He breaks down defenders off the dribble, scores on strong drives to the basket and knocks down perimeter jump-shots. He's a slick passer who finds teammates in scoring situations. Taylen attacks the glass with the same ferocity as he does offensively. Every offensive board he grabbed led to him scoring easy put-backs around the basket. Whenever Semo had chances to score on fast-breaks, Taylen always finished strong. He showed the ability to knock down the deep ball. Taylen finished the game with two highly contested three-pointers. He used step-back dribble moves to get his shot off over the opposition. On defense, he utilized his length to force turnovers, block shots and make ball handling difficult for his opponents. Taylen is a great young player who has a chance of becoming an elite two-way player in the near future. Keep working, Taylen!!     Jonmarion is an athletic big man who used his length in the most effective ways. He is great at scoring in the paint and being dominant on both ends of the court. Jonmarion is a beast! Especially on the glass and defensively. Whether it was rebounding, scoring inside, taking charges or defending, Jonmarion found ways to be effective. He is the kind of player who takes pride in grabbing rebounds. Jonmarion attacked the glass on both sides of the floor. I believe he finished the game with a double-double. He also showed the ability to be a play-maker. Most of his assists led to positive outcomes for the Semo Basketball Club. Don't be fooled! Jonmarion does all the intangibles, but he also scores. He scored in the paint with various post moves and made baskets during fast-break opportunities. Whenever he was left alone on the perimeter, Jonmarion calmly knocked down jump-shots. He is a great defender who came up with timely blocks and steals. The pressure he applied on the opposition forced numerous turnovers. Keep it up Jonmarion!!

These players are the best from the class of 2031. The skills they displayed show why these young men have bright futures ahead of them.