Friday Under Armour Wing / Forward Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The UAA Finals brought a lot of talent to the Chicago area with a well attended second July live period event for college coaches to watch. In this article I'll break down my Friday standouts among wings and forwards that I saw.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2043503"],"_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-687e62e92fb70"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">One of the elite floor spacing bigs I saw all weekend, Niven allows his team to play five out offense with his prolific 3-point shooting ability. Knocking down five 3-pointers in the first game I caught in the morning, Niven was hitting shots from both the corners and above the break. With his size and length, Niven also blocked a couple shots at the rim. Needing to put on considerable weight and strength to play at the college level, Niven is a project right now but has incredible tools that are very rare to find. I think whatever program puts in the time and resources to fill out his frame could be rewarded with a great player down the road.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2323620"],"_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-687e62e92fbf0"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">I really enjoy watching the Illinois Wolves play no matter what age group I'm watching. This day happened to be 16 U and Stasys did an excellent job moving without the basketball, making himself available and finishing at the rim with either hand. Also a capable decision maker on the perimeter, Stasys could execute a set play with a pass from the perimeter as the Wolves offense features a lot of off-ball movement with cuts, screens and actions to get the defense moving and thinking. Maybe my favorite play of Stasys on Friday night was a give and go where he finished with an and-1 layup. Stasys is a forward to know in Illinois 2027 class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2458397"],"_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-687e62e92fc58"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Friday might've been the best game I've seen Hemphill play as he was impactful at both ends of the court against one of the better UAA groups. Hemphill has developed a little more of a perimeter game as he attacked a closeout off the dribble for a layup finish and also shot the ball well from 3-point range with his feet set. A strong player in the paint, Hemphill fought for loose balls, rebounds and tried jumping a few passing lanes for steals as well. Very interesting dual sport athlete from central Ohio.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2522741"],"_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-687e62e92fcab"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Brown was giving his opposition trouble due to his combination of size, strength and soft hands to catch contested entry passes to the paint. Once Brown caught the ball on the block or in the dunker spot, it was almost always two and sometimes three points thanks to his ability to finish through contact. A tough player to move in the paint as well because once he got position Brown was not moving outside of the paint. An excellent piece for his SOH team, Brown provided a different dynamic next to their talented guards. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2445452"],"_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-687e62e92fd19"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Ohio Champion 17 U ended up making the Ua Rise Championship game and on Friday I saw them clinch an elite 8 berth thanks to some balanced offense across the board. Tough to pick one player to spotlight from a team that shares the ball and spreads the wealth around but I landed on Bennett thanks to him having a couple contested paint finishes including a nice up and under move, the ball finding him in the paint and stretching out to knock down a 3-pointer. An impressive rebounder and high motor big, Bennett should be on regional scholarship radars heading into his senior season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->