Battle in Seattle: Sizable Stock-Risers

It has been a whirlwind of heavy-hitting hoops this month, and the games kept rolling this weekend with the Battle in Seattle. I clocked in at the Auburn Fieldhouse to watch some action across Friday and Saturday, and came away pretty impressed with the improvements from some players with skill and size. Let's get you the rundown on some of the stock-risers with size who showed out at the Battle in Seattle.   Damien Onokpite 6-7 SF 2027 L.A. Matheson (BC)   Onokpite immediately stood out with Drive Basketball when he drove down the middle of the lane and tucked the ball up and over the rim. His length is undeniable and it was a big factor in him standing out on both ends of the floor over the weekend. He's able to shut down gaps on the ball and working one pass away. His length just allows such an easy recovery for him defensively. Offensively, he has those long strides to step around defenders at the rim, and he's constantly getting the ball up around the basket with his finishes even if he's not getting great elevation because he has such good length. He wants to get to the rim, is looking to attack the paint when he gets the rock, but won't over dribble or kill the flow, and keeps the ball moving when driving lanes get shut down.   [player_tooltip player_id='2949300' first='Tae' last='Jackson'] 6-7 SF 2029 Bonney Lake   Jackson was playing with Idaho Premier this weekend and even as the tallest kid on that squad, he did a majority of the ball handling, bringing the ball down and setting things in motion. He definitely has that capability and showed he can use his length to keep his dribble out of reach of defenders, use his body to shield it in traffic, and was able to do a decent amount of playmaking from different areas on the floor. His length showed up with some good touch finishing, including a soft tip in on the offensive glass, and on the other end he was able to assert himself with some big blocks from the help side or trailing drives.   [player_tooltip player_id='2393332' first='Cole' last='Seminara'] 6-7 SF 2027 Bonney Lake   Seminara had a big season for Bonney Lake this past winter, helping them reach 20 wins and more than double the previous years' total. He's continued to improve throughout the spring and summer, adding some bulk to his frame and developing a little more touch with his jumper. He was going to work early on for Idaho Premier in their win over Seattle Vision, hitting a step back two above the elbow, making his presence on the offensive glass known, and working to the line with some physical interior play. He looks ready to take another big step forward this coming winter and is a clear stock-riser to keep track of.   [player_tooltip player_id='2547345' first='Gavin' last='Bristol'] 6-6 SF 2028 Edmonds-Woodway   Bristol has the big, strong body, and the skill set to be an effective player both inside and out, and he showed just what that looks like this weekend. He was aggressive playing through contact downhill, converting on a few and-one's inside, and adding value to his minutes with tough rebounding. His effort out there was pretty key in their win over Meta Hoops 17U, and he was showing his ability to play from different spots with some post ups, perimeter drives, and perimeter shots.   Drake Hope 6-8 SG 2027 Meridan (ID)   At 6-foot-8, Hope just beat out [player_tooltip player_id='2949300' first='Tae' last='Jackson'] for the tallest primary ball-handler I saw over the weekend. He demonstrated the ability to add some dynamism to their offense with his size, ability to get depth, and pick out teammates. In their game against Showtime Academy, Hope started off drawing a charge in front of his basket, followed that up with a breakaway dunk, and then stepped up to splash in a three, forcing Showtime to call an early timeout. But you pair that kind of play with his ability to anticipate his teammates movements, and you have a pretty impactful player who can make his mark in a lot of ways.   Miles Duda 6-7 SF 2028 C.M. Russell (MT)   I caught Duda playing against Hoopland's 16U squad, and the first thing that popped in his game was his shooting touch. He is a kid who can throw his body around and move some guys, so when I saw his first turnaround baseline jumper fall, I understood his unique skillset. Later on, he came down and dropped in a three from the top, then found a sneaky wrap around pass off of an offensive board to a baseline cutter behind the defense. He continued to mix in his smooth jumper with some strong paint play and was making his matchup work all game.

It has been a whirlwind of heavy-hitting hoops this month, and the games kept rolling this weekend with the Battle in Seattle. I clocked in at the Auburn Fieldhouse to watch some action across Friday and Saturday, and came away pretty impressed with the improvements from some players with skill and size. Let's get you the rundown on some of the stock-risers with size who showed out at the Battle in Seattle.