Rumble in the Rapids: 16U Up-and-Comers

At this year's Rumble in the Rapids, we saw plenty of high-caliber stars, who are making waves on the recruiting circuit. But there were a lot of names that emerged as new players to watch in the future. Here are some of the lesser-known players who stood out this weekend:    Noah is an offensive and defensive weapon for his newly-formed [program_tooltip program_id='3509505' first='Dream' last='Loudly'] program.   On defense he has incredible reach and has the ability to disrupt your offensive plans. He's still filling out a bit size-wise, but he really fights hard down low for rebounds.   On offense he has a solid pump fake, which gives him the ability to show off his ball-handling on the way to the rim.   Noah's a strong team-first personality, who really cares about his teammates.     Heyden was part of a WM Premier team that's normally in a 15U field, but they decided to play against older talent this weekend. And he certainly held his own against the more-experienced competition.   Heyden is a lockdown defender, who's quick to the ball and makes life difficult for the offense.   Offensively he's got a quick release on his 3-pointer, and it unafraid to pull up and bury a shot right in his defender's face.   He can display patience; waiting for the right shot to open up, but this weekend he also made plenty of contested shots. He absorbs contact well, and finds a way to shake a defender.   Heyden prides himself on his ability to catch-and-shoot.     I had the chance to see Coby play a few times this weekend, and he always seemed to stand out; even if he wasn't always the high-scorer.   Coby's length allows him to play above the rim; keeping him involved in every play-whether it's stacking up rebounds or deflecting passes on defense.   Coby works hard for boards, and he's incredibly smooth getting into transition-pushing the ball up the floor and finding an open teammate.     There's no getting around the fact that Darrias is still a bit undersized, compared to his competition. But even though he may be several inches shorter than most other players on the court, he still finds a way to make big plays.   Darrias is crafty on defense and came up with some clutch steals in a game against A1 Performance. He's got very active hands that lead to some opportunities for turnovers.   Offensively he goes hard to the basket, and looks fearless against kids who are quite a bit larger than him.   He also plays well in adverse situations. Trailing by double-digits in the final two minutes of one game, he made a couple of quick shots and nearly brought his team back for a comeback win.     Lucas is evolving into a very talented shooter from distance for this REAL ballclub. He lines up a clean shot, and always appears confident when he has an open look.   Defensively Lucas will hound you all over the court. He doesn't give up on a play, and in spite of his size-he manages to chase down a lot of rebounds.   Lucas is also a strong distributor and has a soft touch when he gets to the rim.     Modou played in the very first round of games for the weekend, and he was a standout from the very start.   It was his first time playing with this team, but very clearly looked like one of the best players on the floor. He's strong and fearless driving the paint, and seems to easily handle opposing defenses.   Modou looks the part of a floor general. Everything seems to revolve around him. He's got great defensive length; coming up with a clutch block late in a game that went to overtime.   Modou rarely leaves the floor, and was suffering cramps late on the opening night. But he returned as soon as he could, and it was evident that he was playing through some pain.   Modou received a lot of credit after the game; getting plenty of compliments from the opposing coaching staff on how good he looked.     Jack began his first game of the weekend by banking in a 3-pointer. And that shot seemed to spark a confident deep game. He made a trio of triples in that first game, part of a 15-point showing.   Jack's got great handles and really good hustle. He never gives up on a play and is quick to transition from offense to defense.   Jack says that he's always been a confident shooter, but he likes being versatile as well.

At this year's Rumble in the Rapids, we saw plenty of high-caliber stars, who are making waves on the recruiting circuit. But there were a lot of names that emerged as new players to watch in the future. Here are some of the lesser-known players who stood out this weekend: