Derby City Duel: Saturday’s 16u Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Prep Hoops Circuit made it's annual appearance in Kentucky this weekend with a stop in Louisville for the Derby City Duel. I was able to catch several 16u games on Saturday. Here's a look at some of the top performers from Saturday's 16u games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Indiana Elite Gold Crossroad Led by Kentucky Guard</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I was able to catch a really solid Indiana Elite Crossroad 16u team as they coasted to a 30 point win over Mavericks Basketball Center 16u. The IE squad was dominant from the beginning of the game and never really slowed down. They were led by South Laurel's [player_tooltip player_id='2350471' first='Kaden' last='Taylor']. Kaden showed a good finishing package around the rim and also knocked down a couple of open three pointers in the win over MBC.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">TSI Select had a Dominant Weekend</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='2620245' first='Team' last='Southern Indiana'] Select 16u finished up their weekend 4-0, winning 4 games by a total of 128 points. The team is loaded with solid players and have obvious chemistry in their group. I watched them dismantle L4G 16u 70-39 with a balanced attack. [player_tooltip player_id='2560345' first='Caiden' last='Boswell'] stood out as a 6'5 wing with solid intangibles. [player_tooltip player_id='2539946' first='Eli' last='Gilpin'] led his squad in scoring with 20 points in the win over L4G. [player_tooltip player_id='2538849' first='Ethan' last='Noble'] pitched in 15 points as well. Just a really solid group of 2028s from Southern Indiana.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">Tennessee United has a Good Squad</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tennessee United finished up their weekend in Louisville going 3-1 overall and only lost to the previously mentioned Indiana Elite Gold Crossroad team. Two of the top players on the roster are actually from Pineville, Kentucky. [player_tooltip player_id='2451396' first='Preston' last='Zachery'] is a volume scorer who can play on or off the ball while his teammate Jacob Grubbs is a bruiser at 6'5". The United team has some potential to make noise this AAU season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline">[player_tooltip player_id='2819739' first='Fred' last='Stone'] is a Sleeper in Indiana</span></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stone was a complete unknown for me heading into Saturday but he left a strong impression. A heady point guard who is both quick and fast, Fred was consistently getting paint touches and making good decisions when he got there. Fred was a silent assassin who led the IE Gold Crossroads team to a strong weekend and is a growth spurt away from being a serious prospect, in my opinion.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->