The Tune Up: Texas- All Tournament 2nd Team 14U

Players came to from all around Texas to tune up their playing skills. These young men proved to be valuable assets to the teams' they played with.    Christian is the designated shooter for Courtside United. He was a legitimate threat from behind the arc. In the match-up versus Arnold Elite SATX he knocked down four of them. Christian was knowledgeable of finding ways to free himself for good looks at the basket. He took advantage of teammate screens and moved around within the Courtside United offense. Whenever he had an opportunity to score from mid-range, Christian capitalized on it. He's a great teammate who plays hard and gives maximum effort on the defensive side of the court. With his shooting ability, Christian will always have a spot on a team.     Cooper is the ultimate team player! He does all the intangibles on the basketball court. Whether it's rebounding, assisting, scoring or defending, Cooper showed a knack for making plays. If the team needed a crucial rebound or defensive play, he made it happen. Most of Cooper's baskets came off hustle plays like scoring put-backs around the basket. His aggressive style of defense forced multiple turnovers of the opposition. In some instances, Cooper showed off his passing ability. He made plays by finding his teammates cutting to the basket for easy scores. As I said, this young man is a great team player who excels at doing all the intangibles. Coaches love players like Cooper!     An athletic wing who beats opponents off the dribble, attacks the paint and knocks down perimeter shots. There was a sequence in the game where Clyde caught the ball at the top of the key. He immediately blew by his opponent, got into the paint and finished strong at the basket through contact. This led to a foul being called with an opportunity to complete a three-point play from the free-throw line. During warm-ups Clyde was throwing down dunks. I asked him to “do it during the game.” Well, he did! One of his teammates stole the ball and hit Clyde with a pass down court. He promptly finished with a one-handed slam. On defense, he played great on the perimeter. He guarded smaller players and used his athleticism to block shots and force turnovers using his length. Great player who will only get better.     I loved this young man's toughness! He's a great ball handler, leader and assists man. Emilio made an instant impact as soon as he stepped on the court. He entered the game communicating, assisting and defending. Emilio excels at making his teammates better with efficient passes. Most of his assists were on the money. Whenever he attacked the lane, he looked to draw in defenders and dish off passes to others around the basket. Emilio's shot of choice was the runner down the lane. He converted the high arching shot on numerous occasions. Defensively, he was tough! Emilio stalked opposing guards by using quick hands and excellent timing. He forced three turnovers and made ball handling difficult with great on-ball pressure. A great leader who will thrive in high school.     Brandon is a shifty point guard who played fearlessly against Courtside United. Whenever he was in isolated match-ups, Brandon easily beat his defender and made plays. Whether it was scoring at the basket or hitting teammates with flashy passes, the outcomes was positive. He was showed his shooting ability from mid-range. He knocked down multiple pull-ups from the perimeter. If Brandon had an open look from beyond the arc, he did not shy away from it. One of his biggest strengths was his leadership. Brandon was always communicating with his teammates on both ends of the floor. Calling out plays, switches in defense and overall encouraging words were a major part of his game. He's a great young player who will continue to improve his overall basketball skills.     Brandon is a hard-working player who can shoot the ball from mid-range. I watched him knock down a number of shots in the game against [program_tooltip program_id='2478808' first='B3' last='Elite'] 15U. He plays with maximum effort on both ends of the court. Whether it's chasing down loose balls, taking charges, grabbing rebounds or being a solid defender, Brandon was always around to make a play. Offensively, he handled the ball and showed off his play-making ability with great passes. On defense, he applied excellent pressure on opposing guards. Brandon is a awesome team player! With his continued growth and maturity, transitioning into high school basketball will be easy.     Noah is a well-rounded player who does it all on the basketball court. In some intances, he handled the ball as the primary facilitator, others he played as the off-guard. He made plays by throwing nice assists to his teammates. Most of his passes led to easy scores at or near the basket. Noah played a great all-around game to help lead Arnold Elite ATX to a big time win. He has excellent ball handling skills. Many of his drives allowed him to score lay-ups around the basket. Noah was great at drawing in the defense using the dribble drive. This often led to positive plays for the team. He also excelled at creating space and knocking down mid-range jump-shots. Defensively, Noah was good at jumping the pass lanes and generating steals. A good young player with a bright future.     Torrey is a tough minded guard who has the ability to score and defend. He played with no fear, despite being the smallest player on the court. Torrey handles the ball, drives by defenders, knocks down threes and scores in the paint. This little guy had an impressive package of skills within the Arnold Elite ATX offense. Whenever he drove into the paint, Torrey's shot of choice was the floater. He often scored it over taller defenders attempting to block his shot. In two halves of play, I watched him knock down three shots from beyond the arc. On defense, Torrey was a pest! His quick hands and great movement allowed him to generate multiple steals from the opposition. I have always had a soft spot for the little guy. Keep it up Torrey!!

Players came to from all around Texas to tune up their playing skills. These young men proved to be valuable assets to the teams' they played with.