Who Helped Themselves Most on Day 1 at TuneUp?

Day 1 of the PH Tuneup had plenty of familiar faces, but a handful of players walked away looking different than when they arrived. Some took advantage of expanded roles, others put together complete performances against quality competition, and a few simply kept making winning plays every time I looked up. Those are the players that stick with you. These are the stock risers from Day 1.    Right now is the perfect time to subscribe for the entire year. 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.    Powell was one of the more pleasant surprises on Day 1. At around 6-foot-6, he already has the frame that catches your attention, but it was how active he was that kept bringing me back to watch Premier. He attacked the glass on both ends, finished comfortably with either hand, and used his length to alter shots around the rim. He came up with multiple steals where his team started the break for a run after. What also stands out is how good he moves. He moves better than you'd expect for his size and has a motor. He's still flying under the radar, but performances like this are how that starts to change.     We've written about Gurney before, but this was my first opportunity to watch him in person, and he lived up to everything I'd heard. He dictated stretches of the game by constantly putting pressure on the defense and playing at his own pace. There were multiple runs where he simply took over, but what impressed me most was his ability to read the second defender. Instead of forcing difficult finishes, he dropped off passes to teammates for easy baskets despite being the hot man. The scoring is real, but his decision-making is what has me wanting another look.     Alatalo was the player who kept [program_tooltip program_id='2859258' first='Olympic' last='City Elite'] within striking distance in games. Against one of the better teams in the event, he handled relentless pressure without looking sped up. He consistently broke the press, got two feet into the paint, and forced rotations. Once he got downhill, he finished through contact or kicked the ball out to open teammates. His first step creates real separation, and he used that to wiggle free, where he had a couple of tough and-one finishes against Collective, which showed me that he embraces physical basketball instead of avoiding it. He's firmly on my radar as an intriguing player who has some things that stick. I have to see a bit more of it.     I keep coming away with the same thought every time I watch Eli, that there's more to him than the stat sheet usually shows. Every time that I see him, it is in a funnel offense where the ball goes to one guy the entire time, but when he does get the ball, good things typically happen. He has to put himself in more positions to get it. He shows that he doesn't need a high volume of touches to impact the game because he stays connected on both ends. He navigates ball screens well, handles pressure comfortably, and is one of the shiftier guards with the ball that I watched all day. Defensively, he takes pride in guarding his matchup, sliding his feet, and making every catch difficult. To go back to his offense, he was very efficient on the day as he scored when he made up his mind to attack and go score. He also is a playmaking guard who still creates for others so he needs to create more opportunities for himself. He's HoopTherapy's most overall player in my opinion, and I walk away each time thinking about the what if.     Bantock looked like one of the best players in the building on Day 1, and the thing is, this is not the first time that I have made this observation this summer. For a player his size, the skill level jumps off the page. He had a sequence alone that summed up his afternoon: he jumped a passing lane, pushed the break himself, put the ball on the deck, and finished with a reverse dunk that brought the gym to life. Then he stepped out and knocked down a three. It wasn't just highlights, though—he produced offense almost every trip down the floor and carried a massive load. I am so curious to see how he will look during the high school season, as I believe his squad will make some noise this year. I have to see if he's able to duplicate Day 1 on Day 2.

Day 1 of the PH Tuneup had plenty of familiar faces, but a handful of players walked away looking different than when they arrived. Some took advantage of expanded roles, others put together complete performances against quality competition, and a few simply kept making winning plays every time I looked up. Those are the players that stick with you. These are the stock risers from Day 1.