Proving Grounds: Double Duty- Combo Guards 14u

These players are capable of playing both guard positions at a high level. The skills they demonstrated over the weekend are the reason they're on this list.    Luke is an excellent ball handler, scorer and facilitator. He easily got around defenders, attacked the basket, scored contested lay-ups and dished out assists. Luke excelled at drawing fouls from opposing players. This allowed him to get to the foul-line and convert the majority of his attempts. He also showed the ability to knock down mid-range shots. Luke used his ball handling skills to create the space he needed to effectively shoot over defenders. He finished the game with strong drives to the basket and a host of pull-up jump-shots. I appreciated the effort Luke showed on the basketball court over the weekend. He was literally everywhere on the floor. Whether it was scoring, rebounding, defending and fighting for every possession. He's a good all around player who will continue to succeed as his skills continue to build.     A excellent combo guard who showed the ability to play both positions at high level. Logan was an efficient passer in the moments where he was the primary ball handler. He often controlled the pace of the game for [program_tooltip program_id='2896132' first='Start' last='Strong Hoops'] 14u-1. Whenever the team had an opportunity to score transition points, Logan was the ultimate set-up man with the ball in his hands. A majority of his passes were on the money. When he played off the ball, Logan showed his prowess as a big time scorer. Whether it was attacking the paint off the dribble, knocking down short perimeter shots or extending his range beyond the three-point line, he continuously made plays. On defense, he jumped the passing lanes and forced numerous turnovers from the opposition. Luke is a talented guard who is skilled enough to be a successful player at the high school level next season.     This young man is a great shooter who is working hard on becoming a better point guard. Jonas is a viable threat from beyond the three-point line. In the first game I watched him knock down four three-pointers despite opposing players contesting them. His release is so quick and the shooting form is very unorthodox. Defenders struggled to block the shot and that's the beauty of Jonas's ability to shoot. In the second game he became more of a ball handler and facilitator. He was able to make a number of positive plays that led to good outcomes for Real Phenom 14u Anderson. He did a good job playing the role of lead guard. Jonas has to improve his ball handling and communication skills. These are vital traits every point guard should have. I asked him about the shooting form and he told me he practices it all the time. Well, I say if it works, keep shooting it!!     Trell is an excellent guard who is capable of playing as the primarily ball handler and distributor for a team. He also showed the ability to be a scorer in the match-up against MN Sting 14u-1. Throughout the game Trell attacked defenders off the dribble and got into the paint. Those strong drives led to him finishing tough lay-ups or drawing in defensive players. As the defenders converged on him, he dished off passes that his teammates often converted into points. When the team had opportunities to score in transition, Trell was great at pushing the pace and setting up other Real Phenom 14u Anderson players for easy finishes at the rim. I appreciated his ability to attack the MN Sting 14u defense for the entirety of the game. I didn't see him shoot any jump-shots in the game. I am curious to see if he can knock them down. Everything was literally to the basket, but he was great doing it. If Trell can develop a consistent jump-shot, he could be a great player at the high school level.     A really good scorer who has a great pedigree to do it. Troy can score the ball from every level of the basketball court. Whether it was scoring floaters in the paint, beating defenders on dribble dives to the rim or knocking down mid-range shots and threes, Troy has a strong prowess of scoring the basketball. He's a hardworking player who showed he could be successful on the court in a variety of ways. Troy is a player who does all the intangibles to go along with scoring. He's an excellent passer who often set-up his Team Hudson/Uncheckable teammates with great passes. A number of his assists came off high percentage shots. He gave maximum effort by battling for rebounds, loose balls and every other means that was necessary to help the team. Defensively, he applied great on-ball pressure, stole the ball and made ball handling difficult for opposing guards. From what I understand, Troy is already succeeding at the high school level. I expect him to be even better next season.      Charlie was excellent over the weekend! He's a great ball handler, facilitator, play-maker and scorer. Charlie is a dynamic combo guard who attacks defenders and gets to the basket. He has a knack for scoring tough lay-ups through contact. Some led to three-point play opportunities from the foul-line, which he confidently converted numerous times. He had a couple of highlight passes that were flashy and on the money. In the second game he showed why he was one of the best players on the court. The Saturday afternoon game saw Charlie put his 14u Real Phenom Rich team on his back and lead them to a win over the MN Sting 14u-1 team. He scored a majority of the team's points down the stretch, including the game winning lay-up with no time remaining. Charlie showed the ability to be clutch in big moments. These are great traits for him to have moving into the high school basketball scene next year.     Mati did everything for the [program_tooltip program_id='2075672' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] 14u team. He's an excellent ball handler who shows the ability to be a creative scorer. Mati easily beat defenders to the rim on numerous occasions. He has a nice package of lay-ups that were highly effective when he attacked the paint. Whether it was floaters, reverse lay-ups or straight drives to the basket, Mati was a problem for the [program_tooltip program_id='2075310' first='Northstar' last='Titans'] 14u-1 defense. I was surprised to see him knock down multiple shots behind the three-point line. After watching him play most of the game, I viewed him as strictly a player who likes to slash to the basket. On defense, he applied great pressure on opposing guards. Mati was literally glued to his opponent in every defensive possession. His tenacity allowed him to force multiple turnovers and cause his opponents to make mistakes. Mati is a great two-way player who should prosper at the high school level next season.

These players are capable of playing both guard positions at a high level. The skills they demonstrated over the weekend are the reason they're on this list.