Midwest Melee: 14U Sunday Stars

This year's Midwest Melee is officially in the books, featuring a pair of champions from the Gold and Silver brackets. Both sides of the tourney featured some thrilling games on the final day, so let's look back at some of the best players from the final day of action.    Sam not only is an elite point guard for one of the best clubs in Illinois, but he delivered with some heroics to help send his team to the finals of the Gold bracket.   In [program_tooltip program_id='2076459' first='Breakaway' last='']'s semifinal matchup against [program_tooltip program_id='2512324' first='Wisconsin' last='Legends'], the game was in double overtime when Sam knocked down a deep baseline jumper in the final seconds-giving his squad a two point win and a spot in the championship, which they went to win as well.   Sam's clearly got the clutch gene as a point guard. But his talent was on display all weekend. He has terrific handles, and tremendous control of his dribble. His court vision is on point, and he has an innate ability to find the open man. And when he takes it upon himself to score, he's got wicked moves on his way to the rim, finding a lane through defensive double teams.   On defense, he's incredibly frustrating to play again. He will pester his man until forcing a turnover or bad pass.   Sam says that he has a few assets of his game that help him stand out: his shooting, his defense, and his hustle. He also prides himself in an ability to knock down shots, no matter who's guarding him.     Eli is another kid who's late game heroics helped deliver his team a title in this year's Silver bracket of the tournament.   In the title game against NEB, toward the end of regulation, Eli scored the go-ahead basket for his team-and then came up with a clutch block on defense. Then after the game went to overtime, Eli was the one who delivered the game-winning 3-pointer, and followed that with a game-sealing steal; along with a pair of clutch free throws.   Eli's clutch heroics came up big in the final minutes, but he was dominant from start to finish. He's already got a big frame, but still has slick moves in the paint. He can post up strong, but you can also give him the ball at the top of the key and he'll drive right through the defense. He's still at a size where he can be incredibly versatile; running the point or playing the post-depending on his team's needs.   And as an 8th grader, we can't overlook his free throw shooting abilities. On Sunday I once saw him make 5/6 free throws over one stretch of the game. That might not sound exceptional at first glance, but I rarely see free throw shooting at that strong of a clip for kids who have yet to enter high school... not to mention that some of those free throws were in high-stress situations late in the game.   Eli has a sick euro-step, and has the body control to shrug off a defender before burying a jumper. And he's also a solid team-first kind of kid. He gathers his teammates to him, and rallies the troops in tight situations. And obviously has the ability to play the hero as well.   Eli prides himself in being able to drive the ball well and finish in contact. And he admits that he's never afraid of a big moment on the floor.     Cam spent the weekend helping his [program_tooltip program_id='2512324' first='Wisconsin' last='Legends'] team nearly knock off one of the best AAU clubs in Illinois. He showed that he's a point guard who can be trusted in big game situations.   Cam is an incredibly skilled 3-point shooter. In the 3 games I saw him play, he knocked down at least three 3-pointers in each game. He made four against Sharks Basketball, and he dropped 30 points in the Gold bracket semifinals against an elite [program_tooltip program_id='2076459' first='Breakaway' last=''] team.   Cam also possesses great ballhandling skills, and shows an ability to run the baseline well. Cam has a physical style of play also. He says that he's more of a driver, but he's confident in hanging around outside and shooting the deep ball as well. Plus, he says he's worked a lot on his handles over the last few years.   Cam has a talented lineup around him, but he consistently finds a way to stand out among his peers.     Abdi played no small amount of minutes over the weekend. His first game started while his team was shorthanded, so he was forced to play the entire first half 4-on-4. And then when one teammate showed up at halftime, he still had to finish the full game playing 5-on-5. In spite of the heavy workload, Abdi never showed signs of slowing down.   Abdi is a confident ballhandler, who can take it coast-to-coast with confidence. And his footwork gives him the capacity to split a double-team and knock down a jumper when it's called for.   He's a strong downhill dribbler, and has the speed to torch the defense on a fast break. And when the ball is on the perimeter, he's got a quick trigger on his 3-point shot.   Abdi is a trustworthy teammate when he has the ball in his hands, and he's smart enough to not force a shot if he doesn't have to.     Charlie is great at running the point for Mean Streets' 14U team. He attacks the rim with force, and puts up a really beautiful shot-even when the defense is bearing down on him.   Charlie drives the baseline very well for his age, and is comfortable making difficult shots under the rim. He has supreme ball-handling skills, and is very trustworthy in taking the ball up the floor. He's a kid that you'll rarely see make a mistake when the ball is in his hands.   Charlie scored 15 points in his final game of the weekend, but still describes himself as a pass-first point guard. He takes pride in shooting the ball at a high clip, and being able to score through any defender.     Maddox and his team took a tough loss in the final game of the Silver bracket. But his play had NEB on the cusp of a tournament title. And he still rallied to play one final game for another team before the weekend was over.   Maddox is an extremely confident 3-point shooter. He has Caitlin Clark energy, with the confidence to pull up from anywhere past half court, even when his team is still in transition.   Maddox scored 13 points in the finals of the Silver bracket, and he says that he's comfortable shooting the 3-ball, but also likes to stand out as a point guard. He hopes people see he's not just a one-trick-pony shooting deep balls, but he has a diverse game that can beat opponents any number of ways.   Maddox also takes pride in motivating his teammates; of which he had several on Sunday. After the championship game with NEB, he took the court again with [program_tooltip program_id='2785912' first='Team' last='FVV'] to help that team win its final game of the weekend as well.   This is a kid with seemingly limitless energy, and an ability to lead a team (or teams) deep in a tournament.

This year's Midwest Melee is officially in the books, featuring a pair of champions from the Gold and Silver brackets. Both sides of the tourney featured some thrilling games on the final day, so let's look back at some of the best players from the final day of action.