ACU Showcase: 1st Team

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Friday August 29th I spent a night at the <strong>Arizona Christian University Showcase</strong>. I watched 10 AIA teams and seven of the 10 were from the West Valley.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Here was my 1st Team</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>(These are not rankings-just how they performed in the 1 game I viewed)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2146267' first='Micah' last='Andrews'] Deer Valley&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the top junior point guards in attendance controlled the game and defended at a high level. He gets downhill with either hand with crazy hang time and he will hit the three off the pull plus he hit a pull-up at the buzzer from mid-range. His yo-yo handle and passing are top-notch.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2457665' first='Viktor' last='Babic'] Perry</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A bigger wing forward who can light up the scoreboard. He is unique to grab the rebound with his size and push it up the court and make a play. He takes long strides to the basket using his size advantage and then will hit the three off the catch. He also blocks shots inside.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1323295' first='Brayden' last='Barrett'] Verrado&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Barrett will have a huge year for the Vipers. He will be leaned on nightly to score 20+ points. He will score with threes using a quicker release, downhill takes with either hand and he rebounds and collects steals in his area.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2412268' first='Maurice' last='Carter II'] Willow Canyon</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the top performers of the showcase was Carter II. He will score with blow by takes to the basket in traffic thru the contact. He has a tough mid-range pull-up off the dribble, threes off the catch and throws live dribble passes perfectly to his teammates. He has great on-ball defense and won their game with a downhill burst to the rim for the layup.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1768202' first='Marquice' last='Cole Jr'] Hamilton&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A taller combo guard who is athletic and strong. He muscles his way to the basket using his tighter handle and power to score. He will hit the three with range and gets to the free throw line often with his aggressive play. He plays smartly off of the pick and roll game.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2146175' first='LJ' last='Diamond'] Perry</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring point guard had maybe five + assists in the game I viewed. He has great timing slipping dimes into tighter spaces. He is hyper athletic to get downhill and seems to hang in the air for a minute. On defense he is quick on the ball and he also had three blocks on the day.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1680907' first='Josh' last='Dillard'] Ironwood (Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The #1 scorer on the day I viewed was Dillard. He had 25+ points and did it in style. He plays the game with a high level motor to rebound out of his area and he will hit the three off the catch. He will step thru for the finger roll and boxes out like you should. He had close to 10 rebounds and he will block shots too.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1986845' first='Mason' last='Kendrick'] Arcadia</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A top notch scoring guard with size. He has a pure stroke from the three off the catch plus he has a nasty middy off the dribble he often uses. He talks a lot on defense and has become the leader on both sides. He will drive and kick it as a good passer and grabbed a lot of offensive boards.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2145741' first='Elias' last='Riley'] Deer Valley&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A bigger lead guard looks like he has grown an inch or so. He has an impressive first step to get past his initial defender and uses advanced body control to make tough shots in the paint thru the contact. He rebounds well with his new height and will make smart reads. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2767903' first='Jacobi' last='Thompson II'] Arcadia</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the top freshmen in attendance was a handful. He scores it with threes off the catch, the lefty makes tough layups with power and uses the euro step. He is an out of area rebounder and he is a great passer up the court, which is easily his most underrated skill. His motor, skill and athleticism shined.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->