9th Annual Gatorade Invitational: Rising up the Ranks 2030

These players are commonly known as some of the best in their class. The skills they showed represented why there are the best of the best.    Levin continues to be a dominant presence on the basketball court. Whether it's scoring, rebounding, passing or defending, Levin was always in the vicinity of the basketball. He used his size to take advantage of smaller defenders in the post. Levin is a multi-dimensional scorer. He shoots fade-away jump-shots, scores transition baskets, dominates around the rim and knocks down mid and occasionally long-range shots. A couple of his fast-break scores were finished with dunks. Levin continues to be a great rebounder. He excels at grabbing boards on both ends of the court. Defensively, Levin is a menace to opposing players. He blocked multiple shots and protected the paint. Levin is a great player who is expected to dominate this fall.     Dominique continues to stand out as an elite player. After watching him play during the middle school basketball season, I was thoroughly impressed by his skills as a two-way player. Dominique is a great scorer who does it in a variety of ways. He's an excellent ball handler who regularly beats defenders off the dribble. He scored tough baskets by attacking the paint, knocking down short perimeter shots or making long distance threes. Where I continue to be impressed with Dominique, is the elite level of defense he plays. The first time I watched him play, he finished the game with thirteen steals. In Saturday's game, he finished with five in limited playing time. As I said in his first write up, he's already an elite defender who has excellent timing and defensive instincts. Dominique is a great player who will continue taking his game to a higher level. He finished the game with 11 points and 5 steals.     My first impression of Logan was his skills as a shooter and defender. Throughout the game he showed why he was a threat from the three-point line. He finished the game with four long range shots. Logan has the ability to create shots off the dribble by attacking the basket and scoring mid-range jumpers. Logan aggressively battled in the paint for rebounds. Especially on the offensive side. Most of his boards led to second chance shot opportunities for himself or teammates. On defense, Logan used his length to be disruptive for offensive players. He forced turnovers and had a number of blocked shots. He's a good two-way player who has the opportunity to become even greater. Keep working Logan!!     Shane is a do-it-all player that excels at every facet of the game. He's a shifty guard who found ways to be effective on the basketball court. Whether it's getting to the basket, assisting teammates, scoring in transition or knocking down perimeter shots, Shane was a tough cover for opposing defenders. There was a point in the game where he scored tough baskets in the paint. He fearlessly drove the ball at the opposing Center despite being undersized. Of course, he finished with a nice floater over the top of the defender. Defensively, Shane had numerous steals by jumping the pass lanes. These turnovers led to transition scores for his teammates. Great all around player who will have a major impact in middle school this fall.     Jeremiah is a great power and finesses player. This is my second write up of this young man. I have seen improvements in his game since I watched him at Prephoops Next Middle School Camp Indiana. He dominates smaller defenders in the post, rebounds at a high level and defends the paint. He now has a dependable shot from mid or long range. I did not see these skills at the Middle School Camp. The majority of his scores came inside the paint. Jeremiah now has the ability to stretch the floor. In Saturday's game against Kobe Elite he knocked down three shots from beyond the arc. Whenever IE Indy Hoops 7th Elite had opportunities to score in transition, he ran the floor and finished strong at the basket. Jeremiah is a great interior post defender. Opposing players had a difficult time scoring inside. With continued growth, Jeremiah will become a major threat to opposing defenses.      This young man is an athlete! DJ is what I call a “glue guy.” He's a player who hustles to make plays all over the court. DJ showed the ability to score in the paint by beating defenders off the dribble. He also excelled at cleaning up his teammates' misses around the basket. DJ batted for rebounds on both ends of the floor. Many of those boards led to second chance scoring opportunities for Kobe Elite players. Whenever there were chances to run fast-breaks, DJ finished with a variety of dunks. Defensively, he was a nuisance against the IE Indy Hoops 7th Elite squad. DJ's athleticism and defensive tenacity could take him to new heights in the game of basketball. He finished the game with two blocks and three steals.      Landon was the most dominant player on the court. He easily scored in the paint using various post moves around the basket. Landon made tough shots despite being fouled by the opposition. This led to numerous trips to the foul-line. Landon stepped to the line and converted multiple three-point plays. He was a monster on the glass. Landon attacked the boards with ferocity on both ends of the court. Ultimately, finishing the game with double-digit rebounds. When Kobe Elite had chances to score in transition, Landon ran the floor and finished with dunks. Defensively, he blocked four shots and protected the paint. Whenever opposing players attacked the lane, Landon was there to alter their shots. Keep it up Landon!!     Dakarai is a great two-way player. Whenever he was on the floor he gave maximum effort. Offensively, he handled the ball, beat defenders off the dribble, attacked the paint and knocked down mid or long range jump-shots. There was a sequence in the game where Dakarai beat his opponent to the basket with a strong drive. He score through contact, which led to a three-point play opportunity from the foul-line. Dakarai stepped up and converted it. I was thoroughly impressed with his aggressive play on offense and defense. Most of his scores came from playing excellent on-ball defense. Dakari caused four steals with quick hands and great timing. After each turnover he immediately scored uncontested lay-ups over the duration of the game. His overall skills as a scorer and defender will take him far in the game of basketball. Dakarai finished the game with 13 points and 4 steals.

These players are commonly known as some of the best in their class. The skills they showed represented why there are the best of the best.