Midwest Melee: 14U Saturday Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nearly 50 14U teams were on the floor Saturday for this year's Midwest Melee. There's a lot of talent in Waukegan this weekend, so let's run through some of the standout performers from Saturday's action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2948495"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":3641022,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a0955b04456b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The top talent from Saturday has to be the kid with a bright future at Benet Academy: 8th grader [player_tooltip player_id='2948495' first='James' last='Rydberg'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>My experience covering these tournaments may not be as lengthy as others, but in my short time, I'm not sure I've seen a player who looks so talented, and appears so comfortable on the basketball court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is a kid who just does it all at an elite level: he's got a nice midrange fadeaway, he can hurt you on the glass with his size and length, he's got toughness, he's got speed, he has ballhandling skills... there appears to be no week spot in Rydberg's game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensively he's like a dog with a bone; he will chase you down mercilessly-eventually pestering you into either a bad shot or a turnover. And on offense, you couldn't hardly dream of better handles out of a kid who hasn't even started high school.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>James seems to have a good head on his shoulders, and is humble-yet confident in his own abilities. He takes pride in being a 3-level scorer with a good midrange package, along with the ability to distribute.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>James plays on an extremely talented [program_tooltip program_id='2076459' first='Breakaway' last=''] squad, but he alone is worth the price of admission.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2852120"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":3641040,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a0955b0445d2"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Dylan is another kid who's obviously put a lot of time into honing his craft, and his talent is paying off for his [program_tooltip program_id='2512324' first='Wisconsin' last='Legends'] team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dylan is extremely tough in the lane-he battles hard for boards, and his tremendous length allows him to track down rebounds from the opposite side of the rim. He already possesses terrific footwork as well, giving him the ability to work out of tough defensive situations.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dylan can do it all: passing, dribbling, rebounds, posting up for 3s... it's easy to be drawn to the skill he shows on the floor. And you can tell that his teammates rely on him when they need a basket in crunch time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":3641045,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Landen Bailey","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2031","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'1u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77246","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"[program_tooltip program_id='3151256' first='Midwest' last='Renegade']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a0955b044640"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">One of the top 14U performers of the day is also a kid who's playing up an age group: Landen Bailey.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Landen is just finishing 7th grade, and has another year before his prep career starts. And in spite of a size disadvantage, he's got a lot of game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Landen his quick feet and is slippery when he gets the ball in his hands. His midrange game is coming along nicely, and he's got a great arc on his shot, to drop in buckets over guys that are taller than him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Landen's got a great personality, and seems wise beyond his years. He's proving he can already play with guys who are bigger than him, and his experience this weekend is only going to improve his game for next year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2839897"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":3641047,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a0955b04469a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='2839897' first='Olby' last='Sender'] is a confident kid, who showed on Saturday that he's never afraid to put a shot up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Olby put on a 3-point shooting clinic during his team's first win of the day. He buried five 3-pointers in the first half, anding the game with 18 points on six deep balls total.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Asked afterwards if that's par for the course, Olby said that he averaged 4-5 triples per game, and he's gotten into a rhythm of using his speed to create a quick shot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Olby's also clearly earned the trust of his teammates. If he's open on the outside, they're going to feed him the rock, whether he's got a hot hand or not.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Outside of just being a 3-point shooter, Olby does have the ability to get to the basket when he needs to.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":3641050,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Christian Pease","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2030","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77248","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Martin Luther","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"Hoop Dreams","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a0955b04472a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Christian is a talented up-and-comer in Wisconsin for the class of 2030.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is a kid who must be absolutely terrifying when he's lined up against you on defense. He is simply an incredible defender; hounding his man-poking at the ball or slapping it away. He's jumping passing lanes, he's chasing down deflections. I lost track of how many steals he had in a win over Man Up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is a guy that's giving 100% every single second of the game. He might be one of the best defenders I've seen at this year's Midwest Melee. And I haven't even touched on his offense. He dropped 16 points in that win, with 7 field goals made.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Christian said after his team's win that he likes to think he does everything well. He works the floor and pushes for rebounds, and he humbly calls himself a "high-energy" defender.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3640309"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":3641060,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a0955b04476b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Joshua's already grown to 6'5" as an 8th grader, and he must be a nightmare for middle school teams. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For a kid his age, he has absolutely crazy reach. His wingspan gives him a natural ability to block shots on defense, and play above the D when he's on offense. And even off of a miss, he stays with his shot and can capitalize on a lot of putbacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Joshua isn't just a prototypical big man. I saw him bring the ball up the court a few times, so he can handle the ball well. And he's not afraid to put up an occasional midrange jumper.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Joshua scored 19 points in his team's win over [program_tooltip program_id='2075260' first='ABP' last='Athletics'], and he's very quickly evolving into a double-double machine.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2835835"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":3641066,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6a0955b0447a6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Grant is another member of an elite [program_tooltip program_id='2076459' first='Breakaway' last=''] team. But even in the midst of several star players, he finds a way to showcase his own skillset.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grant is just a blur on a fast break. He handles the ball with confidence, and likes to get downhill in a hurry. He's got the speed to blow past the defense, and the strength to go through a defender when he needs to. He's a guy who's so trustworthy when he gets the ball in his hands.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grant's shot-diversity is also off the charts. He can make an off-balance layup, or a midrange jumper. And he's got a confident 3-point stroke from the corner.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grant said after one of his team's wins that he likes to control the pace of the game, and distribute the ball. But he does enjoy the opportunity to score when the ball comes to him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->