UAA Finals: Weekend 15 U Standouts

I attended the UAA Finals and in this article I'll break down my standouts from the 15 U UAA championship as well as my standouts from the local 15 U team I caught in consolation play on Saturday.    A dominant force on the interior, Lee made it look too easy on Saturday as he was simply too big, too strong and too skilled on the interior. It's nice seeing a young forward who has a physical advantage over other players his age use his size and strength to dominate on the interior and Lee had a handful of layups and offensive rebounds to dominate the game. I've also see Lee stand out in June at the varsity level against older competition so I was not surprised to see him have his way against smaller opposition on Saturday. The man in the middle for an Ohio Champion 15 U group that has a lot of intriguing talent.     Covington Catholic fans are incredibly familiar with the McGillis last name as Athens McGillis just graduated and is off to Division II powerhouse Nova Southeastern. It looks like Covington Catholic won't miss the McGillis production as Solyss showed impressive offensive ability for his age. Playing with a lot of swagger and confidence, McGillis fired a no look pass for an assist and used crossovers and spin moves to get by the initial defender and find space to score at the rim. I was impressed by how McGillis problem solved the defense as he used different dribble moves and pivots to get where he needed to go on the court. Looking like one of the top point guards in Kentucky's 2030 class, McGillis will be a name people talk about in the ninth region for another four years.     McKowen had a big game for the [program_tooltip program_id='2075630' first='Martin' last='Brothers'] as they held off the Nj Shoreshots to win the 15 U UAA championship. McKowen had some slick drift passes along the baseline where he found shooters in the opposite corner for clutch 3-point shots. McKowen also had a sweet no-look transition assist for a layup. Displaying the ability to create his own shot as well, McKowen had a nice dribble combo that led to a mid-range pull-up. Impressive young point guard prospect who impacts winning!     An elite shooter, Gomez got shown love by the opposing coach after he knocked down some absurd shots from college range in the title game. Gomez has the confidence to fire away from well behind the 3-point line and his team ran nice actions to get him the ball off movement and free from the defense. Having an elite skill like shooting does so much for your team's offense and Gomez hit clutch shot after clutch shot to take the victory.     A top offensive line recruit, Walsworth already holds an offer from in-state power four program Iowa State on the gridiron. The 2029 center on the hardwood was a man amongst boys early in the game as nobody on the other team could keep him off the offensive glass. Walsworth did a nice job sealing and catching deep near the rim where he could easily finish for two points or draw a foul. While his stamina caused him to fizzle out as the game went on, his impact to start the game was a key reason why [program_tooltip program_id='2075630' first='Martin' last='Brothers'] held a double-digit advantage at halftime.     The most intriguing long-term prospect in the game, Noll has impressive perimeter skill for a prospect his size and age. While the offensive skill is what draws the most attention, I was also encouraged Noll grabbed some contested rebounds and think that's an area he can dominate even more as he fills out his frame through the weight room in the off-season. In the championship victory Noll showed the ability to knock down shots off the catch and attack off the dribble in a straight line. Noll is a prospect college programs from the midwest and beyond will be tracking over the next three years as he already holds an offer from Washington State.

I attended the UAA Finals and in this article I'll break down my standouts from the 15 U UAA championship as well as my standouts from the local 15 U team I caught in consolation play on Saturday.