NEXT Summer Slam: All Tourney Team 11U

I thoroughly enjoyed watching these young players ball over the weekend! They definitely showed off the skills that made them worthy of being All Tourney selections.    Cairo is a great scorer! Whether it was getting to the basket, converting shots from mid-range or knocking down three pointers, Cairo always found a way to be effective within the Gowdy offense. He showed the ability to make plays. There were numerous moments during the game when he found teammates cutting to the basket. His assists led to easy scores. Cairo is a great rebounder! He had no problems attacking the glass on both ends of the floor. He is a tough player who didn't mind mixing it up with opposing players in the paint. Like I said, this young man is a scorer. He knocked down multiple threes, attacked the basket and stayed aggressive throughout the game. Keep it up Cairo!!     Messiah excels at getting to the rim. Many of his baskets came through contact. This led to three-point play chances from the foul-line. Some he converted, some he did not. I was impressed by his drive to score every time the opportunity presented itself. Whenever Gowdy Basketball had chances to push the pace, they made positive plays. Messiah was the guy who handled the ball in these situations. He showed the ability to find teammates with great passes in transition. A number of his baskets came during fast-breaks. Whenever he had a chance to score on the perimeter, Messiah had no problem taking advantage of the situation. On defense, he was great at pressuring opposing guards into turnovers. He finished the game with three steals and double-digit points. Keep it up Messiah!!     Mason plays his position extremely well. He's advanced well beyond his years in regard to playing power forward. Mason showed the skills and knowledge of what it takes to succeed in basketball. He rebounds on offense and defense. Many of his offensive boards led to easy put-backs or second chance opportunities for his teammates. He showed great post presence by dominating his opponent in the paint, often scoring while being contacted. He knocks down mid-range shots and scores when transition opportunities are available. Defensively, he played tough and defended the paint. He finished the game with a couple of blocks and a few steals. Mason has a bright future ahead of him.     A play-making point guard who passes first, shoots second. Carter always kept his eyes up when he handled the ball. He was always looking to make the right play. This led to positive outcomes for Bucket Squad. His passes continuously found their mark. Four of his dimes were on the money. There was one in particular, where Carter saw a teammate slashing to the basket. He hit him with a precise pass that led to an easy score. Do not be fooled by his passing skills, Carter can score the ball too! He has an excellent mid-range game with a decent three ball. At any given moment, he could catch fire. I watched him nail multiple shots from beyond the arc. He's a great point guard who will only get better as he continues to grow and mature. Keep it up Carter!!     I enjoyed watching this little guy play over the weekend. Eytan showed off his excellent skills as a point guard. He's a great ball handler who easily breaks down the opposition. Eytan made countless plays by either attacking the paint or drawing in defenders. His shot of choice was the floater down the lane. I watched him score this way countless times. Eytan perfected the shot because he rarely missed. He has a decent step-back jumper that he used by creating space off the dribble. Eytan is a flashy passer. Many of his assists drew positive groans from the crowd. Defensively, this little guy was a terror for the opposition. His ball pressure was fierce! He forced multiple turnovers and made ball handling difficult for his opponents. Keep it up, Eytan!!     Zayden was one of the best all around guards in his age group. He has great ball handling skills to beat defenders to the basket. He was able to win his one-on-one match-ups on most occasions. Zayden was most effective on the wing of the court. Whether it was scoring in the paint or converting a mid-range pull up, it all started with his quick first step. Whenever the opportunity was there to take a three, Zayden knocked it down. He showed his toughness by attacking the glass, despite being smaller than the opposition. It is all about who wants it more! Zayden plays the game like he wants to succeed on both sides of the court. Defensively, his on ball pressure led to him scoring baskets in transition. His constant poking and timing allowed him to play the passing lanes and generate steals. He is a great all-around player who will cause havoc as he continues to grow and mature.     Brody is an impressive young basketball player. He dominated inside the paint. Whenever he had a smaller defender guarding him, Brody quickly took advantage of the situation. Sometimes he scored through contact which led to three-point play opportunities. Brody is a great rebounder! He finished the game with a double-double in points and rebounds. Brody showed his athleticism by running the floor and scoring in transition. He displayed a nice shooting touch from behind the three-point line. During the match up against D1 MN 2033, he was a scoring threat from every area of the court. On defense he protected the paint, blocked a few shots, and made scoring difficult for opposing players. Keep working, Brody!!     Marcel is an athletic center who excelled at blocking shots and scoring around the basket. During the game against [program_tooltip program_id='2512324' first='Wisconsin' last='Legends'], he was the most dominant player on the court. Marcel showed a knock for scoring tough baskets through contact. Many of those scores led to three-point play opportunities. Marcel converted numerous offensive rebounds into scores. Marcel scored transition points by running the floor during fast-breaks. He impressed me on defense. Marcel was great at protecting the paint and defending on the perimeter. Whenever opposing players attacked the paint, Marcel was there waiting, to turn away their shot attempts. Whenever Marcel defended players on the wing, he used his athleticism to keep the opponent in front of him. Marcel is a great player with a chance of becoming elite.     Malik is a shifty guard who had no issue getting what he wanted on the basketball court. He is an excellent ball handler, scorer, and playmaker. Whenever he found himself isolated against a player, he used a great first step to beat his opponent off the dribble. He scored at the rim or dished off assists whenever he drew in the defense. Malik scored the ball in a variety of ways. Whether it was attacking the paint, knocking down mid-range shots, or extending his range beyond the three-point line, he was tough to handle for the opposition. Defensively, Malik excelled in pressuring opposing guards into mistakes and turnovers. Malik is a special player with a bright future ahead of him. Keep it up, Malik!!

I thoroughly enjoyed watching these young players ball over the weekend! They definitely showed off the skills that made them worthy of being All Tourney selections.