The Tune Up: Texas- All Tournament 2nd Team 15U

These young men are big time players in their own right. Making the decision of placing them on the All Tournament 2nd team was a tough decision.    Will is an athletic big man who scores inside, attacks the glass and defends. He used various moves to score in the post. Will was great at scoring with either hand in the paint. I noticed a nice fade away jump-shot in his scoring arsenal. He gained position in the post and knocked this shot down numerous times. Whenever the LivOn team had an opportunity to score in transition, Will finished strong at the rim. He's a great rebounder who aggressively grabbed boards on both ends of the court. Many of them led to second chance shot opportunities for his teammates or himself. Defensively, Will's timing was excellent as it pertains to shot-blocking. He finished the game with three. When the New Heights players attacked the paint, guess who was there to alter their shots?     Kam led the New Heights team in every statistical category. Whether it was scoring, rebounding, assisting or defending, Kam was the catalyst to the success of his squad. He was the primary ball handler and facilitator. Many of his assists led to easy scores for his teammates. Kam is a great defensive rebounder. Most of the boards he grabbed allowed him to push the ball up-court. In some instances, this led to success in transition. Kam is a decent mid-range shooter who showed the capability of extending his range beyond the three-point line. He's an excellent on-ball defender who thrived at causing opposing guards into mistakes. Kam is a great lead guard who is capable of enhancing his skills at the high school level.     I thoroughly enjoyed watching this young man play over the weekend. Dominic came off the bench and made an instant impact on the court. In my opinion, he was the best passer at the Tune Up: Texas event. Every assist he threw was on the money! Some were regular, some were flashy. Whether it was behind the back, bounce or no-look passes, Dominic was efficient as a play-maker. He's an elite ball handler who has the capability of beating team defenses with his penetration and decision making. Dominic is the prototypical pass-first point guard who looks to make everyone better. He's not only a passer, he scores if he needs to score. In some instances, he found himself isolated against defenders on the wing. Dominic used a quick first-step to easily get to the basket. Some of his scores came in transition after he forced opposing guards into turnovers. A promising player with a great future ahead of him.     C'Dontaye is what I call the “glue guy.” He's a great two-way player who showed the ability to be effective on both sides of the ball. Offensively, he handles the ball, scores, rebounds and defends. In his one-on-one match-ups, C'Dontaye easily beat his opponents to the basket. Most of his drives led to tough scores through contact. C'Dontaye is a great perimeter shooter from mid-range. I watched him make a variety of shots regardless of who defended him. He can also extend his range beyond the three point line. C'Dontaye converted two during their match-up against Texas [program_tooltip program_id='2698387' first='Platinum' last='Big Country']. Defensively, he applied pressure on opposing ball handlers. His tenaciousness forced turnovers that led to positive outcomes for [program_tooltip program_id='2885301' first='Texas' last='Elite DFW'] 15U. He's a great all-around player with a bright future.     Philemon was one of the best young guards at The Tune Up: Texas. He showed great ball handling skills by getting around defenders and making plays. Philemon jump-started the [program_tooltip program_id='2885301' first='Texas' last='Elite DFW'] offense by scoring seven of the first fifteen points of the second half. He knocked down a three-pointer and scored two layups attacking the basket. This young man is a scorer in the making! He's very knowledgeable of creating shots. Whether he used the dribble or teammate screens, Philemon found ways to stay aggressive offensively. He's an excellent ball handler who easily broke down his opponents off the dribble. On numerous occasions, Philemon dribbled the ball between his legs and had the defender going in the opposite direction. On defense, he generated steals by jumping the pass lanes. Philemon is a special player who has a bright future in basketball.     Peyton was awesome! I enjoyed watching this young man play as both scorer and facilitator. His ball handling skills allowed him to be an effective passer. Peyton easily got around his defender and found teammates in scoring positions. His assists led to positive outcomes for his team. He used these same skills to be an effective scorer of the basketball. Peyton showed the ability to drive by his opponent and score floaters in the paint. He did this on multiple occasions. Peyton is a great shooter from mid or long range. Whenever there was an opportunity to knock down a three, he did so. Defensively, he made game changing plays. Peyton applied on-ball pressure to opposing players using quick hands and foot speed. This forced a number of turnovers and mistakes. Peyton is a promising young player.     Juston came off the bench and made an immediate impact for the Texas [program_tooltip program_id='2698387' first='Platinum' last='Big Country'] team. He provided instant offense by knocking down multiple threes and scoring put-backs around the basket. Juston is the kind of player who gave his all to help the team. He scored tough baskets through contact. These scores led to three-point play opportunities from the free-throw line. His enthusiasm was inspiring to his teammates. Whenever he made a positive play, Juston was fired up! His actions inspired his team to go on a mini scoring run against [program_tooltip program_id='2885301' first='Texas' last='Elite DFW'] 15U. Defensively, Juston gets after it. He played excellent man-to-man defense on his opponent. He forced numerous turnovers and made scoring a difficult task. Juston is a good all-around player who could become great as his game progresses.     Gavin is a great floor leader who did everything on the basketball court. He scored, assisted, rebounded and defended. When he stepped on the floor Gavin immediately made an impact. On offense, he knocked down numerous shots on the perimeter. He often found teammates in scoring positions with his passes. Gavin was excellent at driving around defenders for easy scores around the basket. He played the game with heart and determination. Especially in he last half of the game. He literally took the game over for [program_tooltip program_id='2478808' first='B3' last='Elite'] 15U. Whenever Gavin needed to make a play, he did so in the form of scoring timely baskets. When the team had an opportunity to score on fast-breaks, Gavin took advantage of the situation. On defense, he fought for rebounds, took charges and forced turnovers. Gavin is the perfect lead guard for any team.

These young men are big time players in their own right. Making the decision of placing them on the All Tournament 2nd team was a tough decision.