DMV Live: 15u and 16u Impact Players

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Live Period event in Baltimore brought out over a hundred college coaches, looking mainly at the class of 2027. But that didn't stop other prospects from making winning plays and drawing attention. Here are a few from 15u and 16u who stood out:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>16U</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nyrobi Johnson | 6'3 G 2028 [program_tooltip program_id='2428018' first='Sideline' last='Cancer'] MHC 16U </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Johnson's physicality and shotmaking stood out. Defensively, Johnson's strong torso allowed him to wall off drivers and push them off their lines. On fastbreaks and in the halfcourt, he powered through defenders on his way to the rim. When the team got down, they funneled the ball to #24 to dig them out of the hole. Johnson's sense of urgency had him pulling from deep behind the arc. With good footwork off-the-catch, he hit multiple threes and attacked closeouts to maintain the advantage and capitalize at the rim or kick it to another shooter. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2450697' first='Luke' last='West'] | 6'0 G 2028 Team Iverson MHC 16U </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West gave defenses trouble keeping track of him off-ball. As soon as his primary defender took his eyes off him, West had relocated into an open catch-and-shoot jumper. He made opponents pay for not picking him up once he passed halfcourt by trailing into one three and and for not working over screens on other actions. By the time they started running him off the line, it was too late. West had made three triples and he adjusted by playing off two feet for his floater. He also managed to gum up driving lanes and intercept a couple passes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2982204' first='Chase' last='Williams']-Vaughn | 6'5 W 2028 [program_tooltip program_id='2428023' first='Philly' last='Revolution'] MHA 16U </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Williams's ability to bring the ball up the court did wonders for his short-handed squad. On inbounds plays and on defensive rebounds, he comfortably pushed the tempo versus pressure and used his combined momentum and fluidity to get downhill. After several high-percentage buckets of his own from the paint, he exploited the extra attention he garnered by making easy reads with a pocket pass to the opposite block or a kickout for three. In addition to his glasswork, Williams deployed his athletic tools as a disruptor with steals and shot-contests. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>15U</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>AJ Griffin | 6'6 F 2029 Uptown Basketball MHC 15U </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Griffin is still putting it all together, but he's an intriguing ball of clay. With his condor-like wingspan, he gloved a few passes on defense and snatched multiple rebounds out of the air. When someone came driving or cutting into his territory, he met them with force and attacked the ball at its highest point. Then, once his team got the ball back and fed it to him, Griffin showed off his agility as driver with step-throughs to the hoop. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2675807' first='Tommy' last='Leis'] | 6'3 G 2030 Team Iverson MHC 15U </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There was a lot of “Hand down, Man down” when Leis was on the floor. With the defense scrambling after a paint touch, his teammates consistently swung Leis the ball on the perimeter where he knocked down multiple three-pointers. He was so potent that he drew frantic closeouts and got fouled twice, but he just went to the charity stripe and hit 5-of-6 free throws. Leis held his own on defense too, blocking a shot and getting a steal that he pushed ahead to someone else for two points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->