ZG Rumble for the Ring: high potential youngins

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Saturday, September 27th, I attended Zero Gravity's Rumble for the Ring tournament. I saw games from the 8th grade, 9th grade, and varsity divisions, and I'll be having coverage throughout the beginning of this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To start, here are some 8th and 9th graders who impressed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Greg Katznelson","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2029","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'5u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77245","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Sharon High School","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"White Mamba","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68d964b34eb9d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Katznelson was one of the most impressive freshman I saw all weekend. The 6-foot-5 forward is strong and long for his age, but he also has some really impressive guard skills and feel. He has a nice rhythm and patience to his ball handling, often finding angles and space to attack deliberately, but he can also shoot it off the catch and finish in a variety of ways. For his age and size, it's quite rare to see this combination of physical gifts and skill. Very bright future ahead for Katznelson, who should be on varsity this year for Sharon HS.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Kellan Tinsley","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2029","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77248","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Natick High School","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Team New England","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68d964b34ec3c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Tinsley was the tallest kid on TNE at 6-foot-1, but he played the guard position and looked incredibly comfortable with the ball in his hands. He has a really nice looking shot from three and does a good job attacking closeouts and kicking out to shooters once the defense collapses. Tinsley's eventual college recruitment will probably depend a lot on how much he continues to grow, but he has solid guard/wing skills for his size currently and those will continue to develop as he gets stronger and works on his game in the coming years. He could make noise for Natick HS sooner rather than later.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Prinz Tober","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2030","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77247","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Fessenden School","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Team New England","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68d964b34ecc8"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Tober was the most impressive player on the floor in TNE's game against BABC Academy. The 6-foot-1 8th grader was the biggest player on their team but also one of the best ball handlers and creators. He got into the paint at absolute will and totally dominated at the hoop with his athleticism and finishing ability. He also couldn't be stopped on the break when he retrieved defensive rebounds and got downhill with a head of steam. I can't wait to see what Tober develops into as time goes on, because his combination of size, skill and athleticism for his age is quite intriguing.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2502190"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68d964b34ed19"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Butler was BABC Academy's best ball handler and creator and really impressed me with his ability to get into the lane and find spray outs for his teammates. The 5-foot-9 guard is lightning quick with his first step and has the ball on a string, so he can get paint touches virtually whenever he wants. At the hoop, he finishes well with contact and makes really good reads, and he's able to shoot it a bit from the perimeter as well. As he continues to grow and get stronger, he'll be a really tough guard to defend and stay in front of. The IQ and feel are already there.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2621104"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68d964b34ed5f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">I wrote about Poage recently but his performance with a new, higher level AAU team (White Mamba) warrants another write up. The 6-foot-6 freshman is incredibly skinny and long, but he has surprisingly good feel and instincts with the ball in his hands. On Saturday, I was incredibly impressed with his passing ability, both in transition and in the half court. He also understands spacing and timing and has really good hands for his size and age. If he can continue to improve his ball handling and shooting – which he probably will with all the time he has – he could be a really interesting college prospect in a few years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->