Durant/KLow/Thrill 17s Tri-Scrimmage: Guard Notebook

On Saturday we were in attendance for another loaded three-team scrimmage featuring [program_tooltip program_id='2078457' first='Team' last='Durant'], KLow Elite and [program_tooltip program_id='2077005' first='Team' last='Thrill']. We'll break down the various prospects that stood out to us during our time in the gym.   Noteworthy that all programs were missing some pieces. For the 17s, Thrill was without the services of Darrell Davis, Braydon Young and [player_tooltip player_id='2454548' first='Tayron' last='Malonga']. Durant was without Jamaal McKnight Jr. KLow was without [player_tooltip player_id='1454260' first='Silas' last='Graham'].    One of the most productive guards I saw all day and it comes to no surprise as Gray has prided himself throughout his high school career as a tough-nosed, stat-stuffing backcourt presence who is adaptable in different systems. No matter the style, he's going to bring a relentless on-ball pressure defensively that refuses to go away. On several occasions, he met his man at the halfcourt line and never too a retreat step. Instead, he holds his ground with a low center of gravity and active hands that have cat-like quickness, which resulted in multiple steals or deflections and him finishing the job at the other end. He ran the show for Durant 17s as Jamaal McKnight Jr. was out and things functioned fluidly. The value with Gray is that he'll be able to shift off the ball as well while maintaining his workmanlike approach and dial in to his long-range shooting off the catch with underrated precision. It's very rare that Gray has an unproductive outing whenever he takes the floor and Saturday was another day of work for the southpaw guard.     Always enjoy watching Udo take the reigns for a team from the point guard position because of the mature pace, efficient decision making and the shot diet that translates well to the college level that the 6-foot guard brings to the floor. He'll be a valuable addition to this KLow Elite roster who, when at full strength, has a chance to be one of the best shoe circuit teams out of Philadelphia. Similar to Gray above, Udo is the type of player who can mesh in almost any system because of his instincts. He understands when to get off of it as a primary ball handler, actively moves without the ball to make himself available as actions unfold and does a nice job of anticipating his attack as the ball is in flight to him. Defensively he's solid and guards his position respectively, but it's the offensive end where his command and poise can resonate through his team and make everything run fluidly.     I thought Hill looked improved in this viewing compared to the weekend prior and it had to do with his overall pace and decision making when it came to being an aggressive slasher. Hill has high-level twitch on the ball and can change directions in the blink of an eye before the help side defenders knew what hit them. When he's initiating high ball screens and snaking them, Hill causes a ton of problems for defenses because it forces the big to decide whether he'll switch or continue his drop coverage. If the switch is aggressive, Hill makes tough pocket passes look routine. If he probes his way into the paint he can quickly process the defense and find shooters on the weakside spotting up. Lastly, when he's playing with the pace and balance that he was on Saturday, Hill can get into his midrange jumper with rhythm and good results.     Next to Udo in the backcourt on Saturday was Stewart, a long, lanky 6-foot-5 guard who can also slide to the wing when needed. As [player_tooltip player_id='1454260' first='Silas' last='Graham'] is expected to run with this KLow group, the trio will be a big reason why their games will be priority for college programs this summer. Stewart has done a nice job steadily improving throughout his high school career and while the frame, fluidity and upside always drew you in, now the tangible evidence in production confirms the projection. He took on a role as a primary scorer for Westtown this season and looks to carry that momentum into 3SSB play. He's good at finding his opportunities within the flow of the offense, but has shown a heightened sense of assertiveness in creating scoring plays for himself when an advantage presents itself. He can rise over the top of his defender with a silky smooth jumper, covers a lot of ground in minimal dribbles attacking driving lanes and has shown growth in his processing as an overall playmaker on the attack. I was pleased with the development in strength as well in comparison to the last viewing I had of Stewart in December.     This Thrill backcourt rotation is filled with tough, rugged guards who should do a great job of playing the style that program director/head coach Mookie Dobbins thrives with. Wood brings a nice balance of size, bulldozing physicality and a soft touch when he has space from the outside to make for a tough assignment. He's more than willing to get his nose in the mix for 50/50s or rebounds outside of his area to win extra possessions and runs the floor with intent to make plays in transition at both ends. On Saturday, he came up huge for Thrill with his shotmaking prowess. It seemed like whenever the ball touched the paint or quick reverse swing was executed, Wood was on the receiving end in the corner or the wing ready to knock it down. He'll be a crucial piece to this roster once UAA play rolls around if he can maintain his floor-spacing skills to allow others like Darrell Davis and Samartine Hill to expose driving lanes.     Standing 6'3"-6'4", Lunn will be categorized as a guard but with his put-together frame and ability to maintain leverage, he can realistically slide up and down 3-to-4 positions when needed. A willing junkyard type of guard, Lunn has taken clear strides in his development as a creator off the bounce where he consistently got into the lane, played off two and made perfect reads to cutting teammates for scores. Playing his high school ball in New Mexico, it's been over six months since our last viewing of Lunn and it was good to see the obvious improvements in his agility, finishing with his weak hand and ability to keep the defense honest with his jumper when he has time and space.

On Saturday we were in attendance for another loaded three-team scrimmage featuring Team Durant , KLow Elite and Team Thrill . We'll break down the various prospects that stood out to us during our time in the gym.