Clovis North Valley Children's Tip-Off: Standout Upperclassmen

Last Saturday, December 6th, I attended Championship Saturday of the annual Clovis North Valley Children's Tip-Off Invitational, which featured 4 games and 8 teams (Clovis North, Lincoln of Stockton, Santa Barbara, Bullard of Fresno, Dinuba, Redwood of Visalia, Liberty of Bakersfield, and Central East of Fresno). Clovis North took down Lincoln in the title game, and I was in attendance for all 4 games. This article takes a look at 7 upperclassmen that had standout performances on championship Saturday. This article includes the following information: player's information, my own personal recorded statistics, and a brief description of each player's skill sets. The players are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked order, and this article will be followed by a Part 2 of standout upperclassmen, followed by standout underclassmen. We begin this article with tournament co-MVP, McKae Amundsen.    The 5-foot-10 lead guard has dynamic handles, keeps the ball on a string to survey the floor, uses the crossover, step-back, between cross, behind cross, and hesitation moves to create space from his defender, is accurate with the jumper from the mid-range to the 3-point line off the bounce, with a quick release on the shot, gets into his defender off the dribble drive, and is a creative finisher around the basket with use of the floater, the reverse, or the Euro-step move to score around height in the paint. Amundsen makes good reads off the drive and kick pass, is a tough on-ball defender with active hands and good lateral footspeed to get into his opponent's dribbling space, and looks to poke the ball out or jump passing lanes with timely instincts to turn defense to offense. Amundsen led the Broncos with 15 points in the championship win over Lincoln of Stockton and earned tournament co-MVP honors along with fellow senior Bronco [player_tooltip player_id='2977779' first='Elias' last='Gish']. The Idaho State commit will be a key factor for Clovis North this season, as it looks to win another TRAC title and possibly his first league MVP, but the focus in the present is stacking wins against tough competition.     The 5-foot-5 lead guard has shifty moves, the handles to weave through traffic, and can score in volume with efficiency beyond the arc. Espirito did all he could to keep the Emperors close in its loss to Redwood of Visalia in the 7th place game, as he would score 20 points connecting on 4 threes in the process. Espirito keeps the ball on a string, uses the crossover, step-back, and in-and-out dribble to get his defender of balance and create space, moves well off the ball to get to his shot spots, is accurate with the 3-ball off the bounce or the catch, uses the floater off the dribble when defenders over pursue on the perimeter, and is able to score at the basket drawing contact and earning trips to the free throw line routinely. Espirito has good court vision to make reads off the drive and kick pass, has active hands and quick feet to stay in front of his opponent, and looks to poke the ball out and get out into transition. Espirito will be relied upon to lead Dinuba in scoring this season, as it has a relatively young roster that will need his senior leadership and experience.     The 6-foot-3 lead guard has a strong build, has great court vision in the half court and full court settings, and has become a true 3-level scoring threat with range beyond the arc. Coleman had a stellar showing in the 3rd place game win over Santa Barbara, as he would go for 29 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals to display his versatility on both ends of the court. Coleman has elite handles, keeps the dribble alive to probe the defense, has a good burst of speed off the bounce when looking to attack the core of the defense, has the court awareness to either find open teammates off the drive and kick pass or score through contact at the basket, with the ability to use the Euro-step, reverse, and up-and-under lay-ups to finish amongst height in the paint. Coleman uses the crossover, behind cross, hesitation, and step-back moves to create separation from his defender, is accurate with the jumper off the bounce from the mid-range to the 3-point, moves fluidly off the ball to get to his shot spots, and is effective on the jumper off the catch. Coleman is a good positional rebounder, looks to push the pace of play up the court, makes pin-point passes to players ahead of the defense, is a strong on-ball defender with active hands and good timing to rip the ball out or deflect passes to get the ball out in the open court. Huge year for the senior guard with a young but talented core of players that will lean on his experience as a four-year varsity starter at Bullard.     The 6-foot-1 combo guard can space the floor from beyond the arc, is active on the glass, has added to his scoring arsenal, and is a tough defender that can guard bigger players on switches. Connors had a strong showing in the 3rd place game win, as he would score 15 points connecting on 3 threes in the process. Connors has a solid handle on the ball, uses the crossover and hesitation to get his defender off balance, gets into his defender's body when attacking the basket with the ability to use the spin-move to get space or muscle through contact on shots around the basket. Connors plays with good body control and change of direction when attacking the defense, has the court vision to find open teammates off the drive and kick pass, has touch on the floater, and moves fluidly off the ball to get open looks off the catch from the 3-point line with accuracy, as was evident with the 3 threes he knocked down. Connors is a good positional rebounder, is a versatile defender, and does the little things that help his team win. Connors has really stepped up since the departure of some key players over the Summer and could be big time for the Knights with a young roster.     The 6-foot-5 forward has a strong, physical build, is active on the glass, and plays much bigger than his listed height on both ends of the court. Lee had a strong showing in the Consolation Game against Liberty of Bakersfield. As he would put up an impressive double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds, as well as 3 blocks to show his ability to protect the basket. Lee crashes the boards on both ends, giving his team second chance scoring opportunities with good touch on putbacks, while limiting opponents to single shot possessions, outlets the ball quickly to get ahead of the defense for transition scoring opportunities, has enough handles to attack the basket from the top of the key with the strength to score through contact and earn trips to the free throw line, and works well in the pick and roll action, sealing off his defender on the roll to the basket. Lee has good timing and length to block/alter shots in the paint, is effective with the jumper from the high-post or short porch, and provides the necessary interior presence to go with a solid group of guards around him.     The 6-foot-3 wing/guard excels in the open court, can catch fire from beyond the arc, and is an effective 3-level scorer. Makely had a strong start to the Consolation Game against Liberty of Bakersfield, scoring 11 of his 14 points in the first half before he tweaked his ankle. After being sidelined for a bit, he returned to the game and helped the Bengals defeat the Patriots 82 to 73. Makely has solid handles, uses the hesitation, the crossover, and between cross to create space from his defender, uses his long strides to get by his initial defender, gets good lift on the jumper with accuracy from the mid-range to the 3-point line off the bounce, and is a crafty finisher around the basket with the use of the Euro-step and reverse lay-ups, as well as the floater to score over height. Makely is a scrappy defender, has active hands to poke the ball out, the instincts and timing to deflect passes and jump passing lanes, and uses his length to alter shots on the perimeter. Central East looked good and with some additional pieces joining the team recently, the Bengals could be more of a threat to the favorites in the TRAC.     The 6-foot-3 lead guard can score in volume, impacts the game in various ways on both ends, and controls the flow of the game for the Dons. Oakes showcased his playmaking, shot making, and overall control of the flow of the offense, as he would go for 19 points connecting on 3 threes, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks in the loss to Bullard of Fresno in the 3rd place game. Oakes has solid handles, keeps the dribble alive to survey the defense, has the court vision to make plays to open teammates off the drive and kick pass, as well as timely passes up the court off the glass or to the screener out of the pick and roll action. Oakes uses the crossover, hesitation, and toss-cross to get his defender off balance, moves fluidly off the ball, and is accurate with the jumper off the bounce or the catch from the mid-range to the 3-point line, with limited space needed to get his shot off. Oakes is a solid on-ball defender, active hands to poke the ball out, and has timely bounce and instincts to block shots from the weakside, as well as on the perimeter on close outs.

Last Saturday, December 6th, I attended Championship Saturday of the annual Clovis North Valley Children's Tip-Off Invitational, which featured 4 games and 8 teams (Clovis North, Lincoln of Stockton, Santa Barbara, Bullard of Fresno, Dinuba, Redwood of Visalia, Liberty of Bakersfield, and Central East of Fresno). Clovis North took down Lincoln in the title game, and I was in attendance for all 4 games. This article takes a look at 7 upperclassmen that had standout performances on championship Saturday. This article includes the following information: player's information, my own personal recorded statistics, and a brief description of each player's skill sets. The players are listed in alphabetical order, not ranked order, and this article will be followed by a Part 2 of standout upperclassmen, followed by standout underclassmen. We begin this article with tournament co-MVP, McKae Amundsen.