NXT Pro Boyds MD: 15U Eye Catchers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To round out recap of last weekend, here are some 15u prospects who turned heads:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2813290' first='Trust' last='Birgholtz'] | 5'11 G 2029 [program_tooltip program_id='3046395' first='Delaware' last='Certified Hoopers'] </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Birgholtz started the day with rotational minutes for the 17U team, making high-effort plays as a glue guy and defender. He carried that over to his game against MD Venom 15U, where he was essential to his team's offensive decision-making and ball-pressure defensively. With a solid handle, Birgholtz initiated the offense, driving-and-kicking to shooters and setting guys up to score on out-of-bounds plays. He also made a three and scored in transition. On the other end, he used his torso to absorb contact at the point-of-attack and his instincts to deflect passes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bryce Drakeford | G 2029 MD Venom </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just when it seemed like DCH was going to pull away, Drakeford turned up the heat on offense and defense to keep his team in the fight. Drakeford deflected passes and generated takeaways that resulted in easy points, including some of his own on the break. He generated additional points in the halfcourt by moving without the ball, flashing to open pockets and cutting to the hoop.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Karson McCoy | 6'1 G/W 2029 Local Legends </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Like an elite defensive back, McCoy picked off passes left and right to lead his squad to a 20-0 run in the first half. He was off to the races as soon as he caught the ball, leading to a number of fastbreak points. The same occurred when he grabbed a defensive rebound or someone gave him an outlet pass: McCoy went coast-to-coast for two. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='3555831' first='Tupac' last='Roberts-Bailey'] | 6'3 W 2029 [program_tooltip program_id='3046395' first='Delaware' last='Certified Hoopers'] </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With vines for arms, Roberts-Bailey dictated a lot of what happened inside of the arc. He either influenced or outright rejected a dozen shots in his vicinity , including jumpers (5 blocks). His ability to rebound the shots he blocked enabled him to grab-and-go in transition. And versus MD Venom's zone press, Roberts-Bailey caught the ball at halfcourt and automatically found the open man streaking down the opposite lane for a layup. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eric Thornton | 6'0 G 2029 Alexandria Kings Elite </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After Local Legends jumped out on them, AKE showed signs of life when Thornton drained his first three. That empowered his team on the defensive end where he capped off possessions on the boards. From there, he attacked the paint versus closeouts and got to the cup off-the-dribble. Then, he rounding his performance out with one more triple. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->