Mitten State Mash: 15U Best of the Guard/SF Talent

Julian is the kind of player who turns up the speed early, and barely lets his foot off the gas for the entire game.   Julian is a guy you want with the ball in his hands on a fast break; he's smart enough to make the right decisions, and he's quick enough to capitalize on his own if he needs to.   And when you're setting up the offense, this is a kid who can shoot it lights-out from behind the arc. Julian is extremely confident with his deep stroke, and he shows no hesitation when he's got a good look.   He's equally confident when driving to the rim. Julian prides himself on his ability to go downhill, and he owns a soft touch when he gets to the hoop. This is a perfect kind of shooter that you'd want on your roster.     I had several opportunities to watch Tyler play over the weekend, and even though his point-total won't always jump off the page, he's the type of player who always makes a difference on the floor.   He's the perfect point guard: directing the offense, confident with the ball in his hands, and a tremendous ability to distribute the ball. Not to mention, he's got a great 3-point shooting ability, averaging two 3-pointers a game over his 4-game weekend.   Tyler's skills on the floor are obvious from the opening tip, which draws him a lot of attention from opposing defenses. This might drop his scoring total overall, but it does also allow him to become more of a distributor, while opening things up for his teammates.   In spite of his size, Tyler brings toughness and intensity every single game. He's strong going coast-to-coast, and is willing to just put his head down and burn past the defense.     Milan is another player who can be a perfect point guard for any team that puts him out there. He possesses great court vision, and an ability to get the ball up the floor in transition.   He's also very smooth when playing in traffic. He can go right at the defense, and put on a footwork display to still get to the rim and lay in a soft touch basket.   Milan also has elite defensive abilities. He has to be so frustrating to play against because he comes right after you, hounding you relentlessly. This is one of the aspects of his game where he takes the most pride. In one game on Saturday, I saw him secure at least 3 second half steals.     Jamil is still growing, but in spite of his size, he can still go toe-to-toe with any player on the floor with him.   He's a very confident 3-point shooter, who's unafraid to pull the trigger as soon as the ball hits his hands. And he finds a way to get shots up, even when a defender has a size and reach advantage over him.   Jamil also has learned to work around his current size disparity, improving his ability to distribute the ball to his big men. He says that his shooting ability is where he's the most confident, but he's been growing a lot in getting the ball into the paint for his big men.     Zecary and his team went 4-0 at the Mitten State Mash, and showed a lot of all-around ability. He's on a well-rounded lineup, but always found a way to set himself apart.   This kid is fearless in the lane. He has tremendous body control in the face of a double or triple-team, and coming off a missed basket, he has a great nose for the ball and an ability to track down rebounds.   He's another nightmare defensive matchup, putting up constant pressure all up and down the floor. He forces turnovers that lead to a lot of fast break points, and never gives a moment's rest to his opponent when he's playing defense.     Kyeme is another member of a very talented Jackets Elite squad, who has to fight for minutes on a team with a ton of skill players. But he makes his presence known every second he's on the floor.   Kyeme makes up for a lack of size by being a defensive pest-constantly disrupting plays and bothering the ball-handler.   On offense, he's got great hustle and confidence in spite of his size. His midrange game is on point, and he can still track down a handful of rebounds every game.   He's also a great team-first kind of player, giving encouragement to his teammates after every game.     A terrific 3-point threat on the floor, Joey finished his first game of the weekend with a tremendous 24-point performance, and five 3-pointers.   He's exactly the kind of player who you want with the ball in his hands late in the game when you need a bucket. He's smart on offense, with a quick trigger and a knack for fighting for rebounds.   Soyad already possesses an impressive frame, and he uses it to his advantage, going hard at whatever the defense throws at him. And when he's not knocking down 3-pointers, he puts his head down and makes strong strong drives in the lane.