New Names That Made Their Presence Felt at Tune Up

The biggest takeaway from the PH Tuneup wasn't just watching the players I expected to see play well. It was finding a handful of prospects I hadn't spent much time evaluating before. These players kept making plays that caught my attention and, by the end of the event, I found myself wanting to know more about their games. These are the new names that left me curious and earned another look moving forward.   Right now is the perfect time to lock in an annual pass and not just a month. We have a 50% off sale live through the weekend!   The code is Fourth50 (not case-sensitive) is good for 50% off the first billing cycle of all annual plans. It makes sense to get an annual pass with all that we have in store this season!    Mikey was not a player I went into the event knowing much about, but was certainly curious about after the event. He was the leader on the floor for [program_tooltip program_id='2833629' first='The' last='Valley'] and was hitting constant shots. He made momentum-changing plays, had some tough finishes, and showed he could score in various ways. He did not have wasted movements on the floor; he was coming off screens and attacking, and he got hot from deep in two of the games that I saw from him. Mikey showed that he could not only compete but stand out no matter who was on the other end of the floor, and is a player who popped at the event that I am curious to know more about.     Freehand is an intriguing big man with size who is nimble and makes solid moves on the post. He has good footwork, was spinning off guy guys and embracing contact, and also trying to finish through contact. Other bigs were having to foul him or let him go up and score in bunches and he had his moments. I liked how he used his strength and was throwing his body around down low. He had a back-to-the-basket game, was sealing and making his move on the catch, and had a face-up game as well. I am curious to see how his game grows as when it all comes together, he's going to be a big man who can make waves. Solid stretches for him at the event.     I saw Phillips earlier this summer, and it's great to see how he's seemed to have grown in only that short amount of time. I really like his feel for the game and how he plays at his own pace. Phillis is versatile, and it seemed like his team trusted him with the ball in his hands. When the games got close, he was the one the ball went to. He took over in the first half of the game that I watched, and that set him up for the rest of the game. He went on a mini spurt where he was scoring and controlling the game. He certainly looks the part as he has a 6'3 frame and moves around well. He's a player who can play multiple positions, and that makes him even more intriguing. Solid weekend to jump even more on the radar.     Allen did a great job this week for his DBA Elite as he helped run the show as a true PG. He was explosive and had plenty of blow-by baskets where he either went up or kicked it out to get the defense moving. He reads the PnR and attacks, he can go off of it and finish, and also hit a few 3-pointers as well. Allen was consistent on the weekend. He also made his mark on the defensive end as well as he was playing the passing lanes, got a couple of steals, and finished on the other end as well. Allen is a two-way option who could earn some minutes if he keys in on that end of the floor and shows that he hangs his hat on being a lock-down defender.     Morgan Dawgs is a team that had some big-time wins on the weekend as they snuck up on teams, outworked them, and had a dog mentality to them, and the epitome of that was [player_tooltip player_id='3564466' first='Kyle' last='Robinson'], who was on a heater all weekend. In one of their big games of the weekend, he finished with 18 points as he's a rim-attacking guard who cannot be denied getting to his spots, he's explosive at the rim, and he also reads what the defense is giving him and attacks. He followed that up with another big game as well. He was one of Morgan Dawgs' best players on the weekend as he consistently got into the teeth of the defense and creatively finished down low. He's dangerous in the open court, pressures opposing guards defensively, and looked to take over when it called for it. He's a player who I surely believe makes a jump for Northfield, and I want to see more of what he's bringing this year.

The biggest takeaway from the PH Tuneup wasn't just watching the players I expected to see play well. It was finding a handful of prospects I hadn't spent much time evaluating before. These players kept making plays that caught my attention and, by the end of the event, I found myself wanting to know more about their games. These are the new names that left me curious and earned another look moving forward.