AOG Summer Tip-Off 2026 Forward Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On July 5th I attended the&nbsp;<strong>Attitude of Gratitude</strong>&nbsp;<strong>Summer Tip-Off</strong>&nbsp;located at the phhacility in Phx.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I watched over 10 teams play from 10:00am-6:00pm with 17 and 16U teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Here were some of the 2026 Forward Standouts</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2404559' first='Malaki' last='Cunningham-Hiadzi'] Tucson </strong>(<strong>Tucson Spartans)&nbsp;(Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A strong wing forward who plays with a feel and toughness. He will collect steals and dunks it on the other end. He is very active on defense covering multiple positions. Offensively, he has some counter moves to utilize and will fall away in the paint plus loves the mid-range jumper. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2848088' first='Daniel' last='Lavrinovich'] Dream City Christian (Peak UAA Rise)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A wing forward who will score with catch threes with deep range and a quick trigger. He will score with dribble drives to the basket with his stronger frame and he will drive and kick it with a good feel for the game. He seems to get better by the month. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1950116' first='Ethan' last='Hayes'] Horizon (Peak UAA Rise)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A highly skilled wing forward will hit the three and has one of those shooting strokes that look good on every attempt. He is starting to get more athletic and he had a dunk attempt in traffic showing off his improved bounce. He rebounds well in his area and he makes smart reads.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2884695' first='Justin' last='Rushing'] Bourgade Catholic (Hoop Code) </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An athletic wing is a plus defender and he will score. He loves getting downhill with a nice first step using either hand but will also hit the three off the catch. He is a top rebounder and will block a shot off the glass.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2297971' first='Hale' last='Hansen'] Brophy Prep (AZ Select UAA)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A versatile wing forward plays and defends multiple positions. He will score with offensive rebound put backs, transition layups and is strong inside the paint to out-muscle some of his opponents to score. He had multiple tip in dunks and he can seal his man and post up.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1875718' first='Melvin' last='Stubbs Jr'] Sandra Day O'Connor (AZ Select UAA)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An unselfish wing forward plays like a point forward. He threw a few ropes down the court perfectly in stride to his teammates. He scores with put backs, lob dunks and had multiple dunks on the break. He is great on the glass and seems to get 2-3 deflections every game on defense.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2492665' first='Anthony' last='Granger'] Phhoenix Prep (AZ Select UAA)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A hyper athletic power forward will score with tip in's and he is a big time leaper to corral the ball off the glass at its highest point. He will score with euros, mid-range jumpers off the dribble and had one of the top dunks with one hand that you will see. He rebounds well and he is a good passer with either hand.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2784892' first='Kaeden' last='Everett'] North (Legacy)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A high wire forward who plays multiple positions. He flies on the break with track-like speed and covers a lot of ground on defense. He had some impressive dunks on the break and rebounds anything near him. He will be the guy at North this season.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1950115' first='Alex' last='Taylor'] Desert Vista (AZ Select UAA)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A versatile defender who covers almost every position on the court. He will score with rips thrus and often earns trips to the free throw line with his aggressive play also after a quick crossover. He always seems to get the 50/50 loose ball and he is a good passer plus will block a shot off the glass. He was actually 8-8 on the line in one of his games.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1352797' first='Savion' last='Anderson'] Skyline Prep (Hoop Code)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A versatile wing forward works well from elbow and in. He can hit the mid-range jumper and loves getting downhill as he takes long strides. He will also euro down the lane with a nice handle for position and gobbles up a ton of rebounds in his area. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1323295' first='Brayden' last='Barrett'] Verrado (AZ Select UAA)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A good sized wing forward is a catch and shoot three point sniper with a quick trigger. He squares up in a blink of an eye and will take it to the basket and score thru the contact with multiple and-1's in traffic with either hand.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->