Midwest Melee: 14U Best of the Big Men

With this year's Midwest Melee all wrapped up, we're taking a look back at some of the best big men from the weekend. Listed in no particular order, here are the big men who really stood out.    If you're looking for a kid who's gritty, works hard, and does a little bit of everything, Dylan is the kind of guy you'd want on your team.   As a power forward, his ballhandling skills are already so finely tuned. He dribbles well, he's a great passer, he can bring the ball up the floor, he's able to control the tempo of the offense. This might be the most well-rounded player that I saw at this year's Midwest Melee.   If you want to dive a little deeper into his skillset, his size is already giving him a serious advantage over his opponents. At 6'3" heading into high school, he's going to be a serious problem for the next four years. He's already in possession of a crafty hook shot, his reach allows him to corral rebounds anywhere in the paint, and he's got an inspired level of toughness that seems ingrained. Right before halftime of one of his games, I saw him score a putback layup right as the buzzer sounded; giving his team momentum going into the break.   And we can't overlook how deep he took his team in this year's tournament. Few teams could compete with the highly lauded Breakaway Academy out of the Chicago suburbs, but Dylan and his Wisconsin Legends group took them to double overtime, before eventually losing in the semifinals. And Dylan's defensive efforts against one of Illinois' best players was a huge reason why they were able to keep pace in that game.   This is a kind of leader that you can tell has the respect of his teammates, and he'll be a player to watch in Wisconsin over the next few years.     Eli is part of a fierce post tandem for his Dream Ballers team out of Minnesota.   He's already grown to 6'1", but plays like he's even a little bit taller than that. He has defensive intensity and plays incredibly physical in the paint. He'll battle for rebounds on both sides of the floor, and defensively he's a terribly difficult player to match up against. When he's playing D, he won't give a moment's rest to his offensive assignment.   Eli's a kid who's got a big frame and can use that to his advantage, and his coach took the time to point out that he's one of the hardest-working kids that he coaches. Eli himself takes pride in okaying defense well, and getting rebounds. He says that he is still growing too.     Jaylen already has size and muscle that he's able to use to his advantage, and he'll be a terror on the AAU circuit for opposing post players in the coming years.   Jaylen has great balance and body control at this age. He puts up smart shots in the paint, and he seems able to hit off-balance leaners, just as easily as a wide open layup.   One attribute that especially jumps out right away is his ability to jump right out of the gym. His hops are already off the charts; giving him the ability to play above the rim and disrupt a lot of shots on defense.   He told me after one of his team's wins that he knows that defenders can't stop him, and that's why he looks so fearless when he's taking it downhill. He's very confident with the ball in his hands, and you'll want to get out of his way if he starts coming at you.   Jaylen has the size and work ethic that will make him a double-double machine when he gets to high school.     Treshone has incredible size and skill for his age. As a 7th grader, he was playing up an age group over the Midwest Melee weekend, and was able to hold his own against some of the best in the midwest.   Treshone has a large and imposing presence as soon as you see him step on the floor, and he uses it well to enforce himself on the glass. It looks incredibly easy for him to reach over opponents to snare rebounds.   He's also already very advanced in his ball control. He's a big man who can handle the ball in transition, and is able to work the ball around the perimeter. He also has great bounce and athleticism for his age, and shows great fight when getting to the rim.   On offense, Treshone prides himself on his ability to drive to the rim and finish through contact. And defensively,he has no trouble getting in the way of the offense, and disrupting shots that come his way.     At 6'5", Terrell was one of the biggest players at this year's Midwest Melee, and he finds ways to use that size well.   His skills start on the defensive end. He has such long arms that he's able to be a natural disruptor; both on shots and passes. He's a difficult player to get a shot over, and he's very active in trying to get in the way of the ball-often coming out to the perimeter to play defense. He forces a lot of steals and tipped balls for his team.   And offensively, he has a strong shot-making ability-even when he's under pressure. And he says he's really improved his game in transition speed and passing ability. And he prides himself in having a high basketball IQ.     Senu has a size and skillset that immedietaly jumps out at the viewer. During one of his team's wins on Saturday, I saw him throw down a ferocious 1-handed dunk in transition; something I don't see often from kids who have yet to enter high school.   He's so strong that he could contend with any big man. He goes really hard when he drives to the rim, and shows off impressive footwork when he's in the paint. On offense, he's so aggressive with the ball in his hands, that opponents often shrink out of his way because they know what's coming at them.   Senu's got a lengthy stride and plays with a lot of confidence. He says that he tries to play both sides of the ball well, playing strong defense and getting in the way of shots.     Joshua is the other half of a fierce front-court tandem on his Dream Ballers team. At 6'5", he presents a serious size advantage right out of the gate. His reach is crazy; wrangling rebounds all over the perimeter and disrupting a lot of shots when he's on defense.   He's a hard-working kid who is still working on his shooting, but his size allows him to stay with his shot and collect a lot of rebounds on offense. He's going to be a natural double-double threat when he hits high school.   For a man of his size, I was also impressed with his ballhandling skills. He brought the ball up the floor a few times; something I don't often see out of a 6'5" 8th grader. And he's not afraid to play a little farther away from the rim and put up some midrange jumpers.   Joshua said after one of his team's wins that he's worked a lot on his post moves, and driving right at the hoop.

With this year's Midwest Melee all wrapped up, we're taking a look back at some of the best big men from the weekend. Listed in no particular order, here are the big men who really stood out.