NEXT Summer Slam: All Tournament 1st Team 12U

I was thoroughly impressed with the skills of the 12U players over the weekend. These young men showed what it takes to be an All Tournament 1st team player.    A shifty guard who excelled at scoring the basketball. Ari is an elite ball handler! He beat his opponent off the dribble and made positive plays for [program_tooltip program_id='2391400' first='Team' last='Herro'] 12U Brown. Whenever he found himself in one-on-one match-ups, Ari dominated. There were moments when he used great hesitation moves to attack the paint and score. The floater was a shot he consistently made. Ari is an excellent three point shooter. During the match-up against D1 MN 2031 White, he knocked down seven. He showed great play-making ability by leading the team in assists. Defensively, he can lock down opposing guards. Ari made handling the ball a difficult task for D1 MN 2032 Gold players. He forced multiple turnovers with his on-ball pressure. Ari shows signs of being a future great. He will have no issues playing either guard position. Keep it up Ari!!     I enjoyed watching Greyson dominate the boards. He excelled at rebounding on both ends of the court. With his team being undermanned, Greyson showed why he is a guy who does all the dirty work. He attacked the glass with the same ferocity as he did offensively. Many of his baskets came from grabbing offensive rebounds and scoring around the rim. Greyson is the type of player who hustles on every play. He fought his opponents for loose balls and grabbed every rebound he got his hands on. Greyson showed off a nice shooting touch from the perimeter. He knocked down a number of jump-shots that were vital to the success of [program_tooltip program_id='2391400' first='Team' last='Herro'] 12U Brown. Defensively, Greyson was great at protecting the paint and guarding on the perimeter. He blocked multiple shots and forced numerous turnovers. Greyson finished the game with seven rebounds and double-digit points.     Aiden was dominant in the paint. He scored many of his baskets through contact. These baskets often led to three-point play opportunities from the foul-line. He is a great mid-range shooter who has the ability to knock down perimeter shots and free-throws. Aiden scored numerous times when his team had the opportunity to initiate fast-breaks. He showed his athleticism on defense when he blocked shots chasing down the opposition. Aiden protected the paint by making shots difficult for opposing players. He found ways to alter their shot attempts. Aiden is a tough player who could become great with growth and maturity. Keep working Aiden!!     Amarie did everything for the WI. [program_tooltip program_id='2075790' first='Playground' last='Elite'] 12U team. He handles the ball and shows the ability to be a creative scorer. Amarie easily beat defenders to the rim. He has a package of lay-ups which proved to be effective. Whether it was floaters, reverse lay-ups or straight drives to the basket, Amarie was hard to handle. I was surprised to see him convert multiple shots behind the three-point line. After watching him play in the first half, I viewed him as strictly a slasher. Amarie showed a skill he could use effectively when he needed. On defense, he applied excellent pressure on opposing players. Amarie dives on the floor after loose balls and plays the pass lanes. He forced a host of turnovers and mistakes from the opposition. Keep it up Amarie!!     Dominik showed his overall skills as a rebounder and scorer. He rebounds the basketball on both ends of the court. Dominik attacks the glass with as much ferocity as he does on offense. He handles the ball and has a knack for making the right play. A great passing big man who always found teammates in scoring positions. Dominik scored in a variety of ways throughout the game. He attacked the basket, scored in the post and knocked down mid-range jumpers. Defensively, he used his size to make scoring difficult for his opponents. In some instances, Dominik defended smaller players on the perimeter. His effort generated a number of steals from his opponent. Dominik is a good scorer who has a chance to become great in the future.     This young guy was the truth! He is an excellent point guard with elite ball handling skills. Josh easily broke down defenders, attacked the paint and scored at the rim. Many of his assists were converted into baskets by his teammates. I can say with confidence, he led the Mac Irvin Fire team in assists. Josh is a player who scores from everywhere on the floor. Whether it's knocking down long distance threes or shots on the perimeter, his opponent had no answers. Defensively, he excelled at pressuring opposing guards into turnovers. Most of his steals led to transition scores for himself or teammates. Josh has a bright future in the game of basketball. With his continued growth and maturity, he could become elite. Keep it up Josh!!     Cam is a tough player who stayed in “attack mode” throughout the game. He was great at keeping the pressure on opposing defenses. This young man never stopped going at his opponent. Whether it was scoring, rebounding or defending, Cam was always in the right place, at the right time. He is a tough player who excelled at drawing contact from his opponents. Cam has the ability to shoot from mid or long range. During the game, I watched him knock down multiple shots from behind the three-point line. The baskets he scored from mid-range were a host of floaters and pull-up jump-shots. On defense, Cam took charges, forced multiple steals and applied excellent on-ball pressure. Cam is a excellent all-around player who excelled on both sides of the ball. Keep it up Cam!!     In the match-up against [program_tooltip program_id='2076025' first='Wisconsin' last='Blaze'] Red 12U, Vincent was the most dominant player on the court. He easily scored in the paint using various post moves around the basket. Vincent made tough shots despite being fouled by the opposition. This led to numerous attempts at free-throw line. Vincent calmly stepped to the line and converted three-point plays opportunities. I was surprised to see how good he shoots from mid-range. I did not expect to see a great shooting touch because most of his damage happened in the post. In the second half of the game, he knocked down shots all around the perimeter. When Junior Raptors 12U had chances to score in transition, Vincent ran the floor and finished strong. Defensively, he was great at blocking shots and protecting the paint. Every time opposing players attacked the lane, Vincent was there to alter their shots. Keep working Vincent!!

I was thoroughly impressed with the skills of the 12U players over the weekend. These young men showed what it takes to be an All Tournament 1st team player.