2025 IYBL: Back to School League- The Newcomers

These up and coming players represented the class of 2030 through 2032 in the best possible way. The future is bright for the young men on this list.    Geon is a promising young player who facilitates and scores when he needs to. He's an unselfish player who always looked to get teammates involved offensively. Geon ran the Indy Premier offense with precision. Whenever he pushed the pace, the team made plays. Whether it was flashy assists, floaters down the lane or transition scores, Geon was the catalyst for setting up his teammates. He's an excellent ball handler who had no problem getting around opposing guards. When he did, Geon showed a knack for drawing in defenders and kicking out passes to his teammates. Those assists led to scores from the perimeter or near the basket. Geon is a talented player who will continue to progress as he grows and matures.     I enjoyed his aggressive style of play. Marquion is a player who hustles all over the court. He kept constant pressure on opposing defenders by attacking them off the dribble. Marquion is a great rebounder. Watching him attack the glass had me thinking of NBA great Dennis Rodman. He effectively grabbed rebounds on both ends of the court. Marquion welcomed the physicality of battling inside the paint. Most of his baskets came from grabbing offensive boards and scoring around the basket. Others came from sheer hustle to get to the rim. Defensively, he did it all! Whether it was applying pressure, blocking shots or stealing the ball, Marquion made his presence known. He already has great defensive skills. Imagine what happens if his offensive game picks up? Keep working Marquion!!     Malandis is a tough combo guard who is capable of playing both positions at a high level. He's a great facilitator. The majority of his assists were converted into easy points. His teammates were always in the right place, at the right time. When he moved to the shooting guard position, he became an aggressive scorer. Malandis easily beat his opponents off the dribble, attacked the basket or scored on floaters down the lane. He's a slick ball handler who used a host of dribbling moves to create for himself or others. Malandis has an excellent mid-range game. I watched him knock down perimeter shots on numerous occasions. Despite being closely guarded by the defense, Malandis created enough space to get his shot off. He's a tenacious defender who pressed opponents into committing multiple turnovers. Malandis is a promising young player who could become elite in the future.     A shifty ball handler who used a variety of moves to get around defenders. Hudson is a team player who does all the necessary things to help New Castle 8th win games. Whether it's attacking the basket, fighting for rebounds or knocking down open three-pointers, Hudson was effective in every area. He's an efficient passer who always seem to make the right play. Whenever he saw teammates cutting to the rim, the pass was always on the money. Some of his scores came during transition opportunities. Hudson scored tough lay-ups by finishing strong at the rim. In regard to defending, he was great at timing passing lanes and generating steals. I expect Hudson to have an excellent middle school basketball season.     Ryker is a skilled combo guard who is talented enough to be the team's leading scorer or primary facilitator. He's a great ball handler who found ways to attack defenders off the dribble. The majority of his points came from winning one-on-one match-ups. When Ryker got around defenders, he easily scored or dished out assists to teammates. When the team had opportunities to score in transition, Ryker finished with tough lay-ups around the basket. He's a confident shooter who knocked down a high percentage of his shots from three-point range. A couple of those threes were made when he used the hesitation dribble to free himself. This is a skill he effectively used to get clean looks at the basket. He's an excellent passer who showed a knack for finding teammates cutting to the basket. Ryker is a talented guard who has a chance to be great in the near future. Keep working Ryker!!

These up and coming players represented the class of 2030 through 2032 in the best possible way. The future is bright for the young men on this list.