Prep Hoops Nationals: Max’s Day Three Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Seven of the top performers I saw on championship Sunday at the Prep Hoops National Open Championship powered by VKTRY!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1521424"],"_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-687e8d4e72cf6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Kayden put in one of the best defensive performances I saw all spring/summer in the 17u title game for MN Fury. His combination of size, strength, and lateral agility allowed him to shut down his matchups in the half-court. He didn't give up a single easy look, and in most cases his man never even got the opportunity to shoot as Kayden was stuck to him like glue. Oakland also showed his toughness on the glass to secure rebounds, including the most crucial one of the game as he tipped in his own miss to give his team the win in double overtime. Impressive stuff from the SDSU football commit.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2140876"],"_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-687e8d4e72d67"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Austin played a key role in helping lead [program_tooltip program_id='2440507' first='Davis' last='Brothers Elite'] to the 16u title. Defensively he was a brick wall on the block, not giving up an inch to his man in the post. Austin had the strength to take contact right to the chest and remain straight up to either block/contest shots around the basket while avoiding fouling. On the offensive end he was scoring with baby hooks over size, and was also crashing the glass hard for putback buckets. Austin has an intriguing blend of size, strength, and explosiveness that makes him so tough to stop at the 16u level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1560801"],"_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-687e8d4e72dbc"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='2860073' first='Brady' last='Lam'] started to emerge as a key player for [program_tooltip program_id='2075685' first='Minnesota' last='Select'] over the past couple of months, and that trend continued in Select's win over [program_tooltip program_id='2078859' first='Starks' last='Elite'] on Sunday. The 6'6 stretch-four came out firing, knocking down three straight 3's in the opening minutes of play to get his team's offense rolling. When Brady caught in space, there was no hesitation to let it fly, as he and his team all have confidence in his shooting ability. Defenders were left chasing him all game long as he was cutting/running off of screens looking for pockets of space to catch and shoot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1560767"],"_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-687e8d4e72e0d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Ty was hitting some deep threes on Sunday against [program_tooltip program_id='2075685' first='Minnesota' last='Select']. His team in general got off to a cold start, so Ty took on a bigger scoring load than I've seen before, connecting on a handful of shots from NBA range to put points on the board. That shot making also helped open up space for his 6'10 teammate to go to work on the block, as defenders were afraid to help off of Ty. Nyberg had some accurate post entry passes, as well as a couple of dimes out of the pick &amp; roll to set his forwards up with quality looks at the rim.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2397555"],"_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-687e8d4e72e5e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Brady was a key reason why Fury advanced all the way to the 15u title game. In the semi-finals against [program_tooltip program_id='2440507' first='Davis' last='Brothers Elite'] 14u, Brady proved to be a difficult matchup with his blend of length and explosive athleticism. He was able to recover into position to block/alter shots in the paint, including pinning a lay-up attempt off the backboard. Brady is so quick off the floor, which allows him to seemingly come out of nowhere to swat shots. Ran the floor hard for some transition buckets, including a two handed slam late in the game. Impressed as a passer out of the high post/top of the key, as he sees the floor so well and is able to zip in passes to cutting teammates.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2402478"],"_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-687e8d4e72eac"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Kash ended up going down with an injury in the 15u semi-finals, but it didn't take him long to prove he belongs on this list. With his team playing up a year, Kash still stood out, attacking the basket for three early finishes. At 6'2 he's not afraid to play with physicality, and was bumping defenders off before powering his way up to finish. That toughness translated to the defensive end as well, as he was battling for every inch of position on the block against taller players, and wasn't afraid to step in and take a hit to try drawing a charge. He brought a level of composure to the floor that just had his team operating at a higher level offensively when he was in the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1560826"],"_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-687e8d4e72efa"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Joel was all over the floor creating good looks for his teammates on Sunday morning. His change of speed proved difficult for defenders to keep in front of, and once a help defender had to step up, Joel was quickly able to locate and pass to an open teammate. Had some accurate kickout passes to his three point shooters, and put an alley-oop pass on the money to his 6'9 teammate out of a pick &amp; roll. Although it wasn't as necessary in this game as Select's offense was rolling, we've seen Joel enter games before and completely switch around the momentum with his infectious energy on both ends of the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->