Underground Invitational IX Superlatives

After a week off, I got back in the gym to check out some of the top players in the state go after it in a concentrated private run. There were some of the usuals, some new faces, and plenty of baskets to go around. Here are some standouts on the day.

Sean Evans Sean Evans 6'3" | CG Legend | 2021 State CO – Legend  

Evans came for the first time and proved that he is a player that can get to his spots, affect the game in various ways, and hang with whoever. Evans showed off a nice shooting stroke on the day and also made sure to use his size and strength. He is a strong combo-guard that runs the floor well and finishes around the basket. He is not afraid to shoot it and was used as a  corner specialist as he kept getting found in his spot and burying shots.  

Bennett Mather Bennett Mather 5'10" | CG Thunderridge | 2022 CO – ThunderRidge  

Mather played with a brace on but what I can say is he is back! Mather did not look like he skipped a beat, and he is getting after guys on both ends of the floor. Mather is a tenacious defender that stays in front of his man and is aggressive but defends without fouling. On offense, he is still shifty and got to the rim as he breaks defenders down off of the dribble. He had a mean change of speed, hesi blow-by that ended up being a basket. What stood out was him hitting 3-pointers. That’s an area he needed to work on, and clearly, he did as he was leading his teams to wins.  

Christian Hammond Christian Hammond 6'3" | SG Colorado Prep | 2023 #160 Nation CA-S – Cherry Creek  

Hammond is only a 2023 and has plenty of time to continue to develop, but I will go out and say that he will be a top-3 scorer in either his junior or senior season. He is a gifted scorer that the game seems to come easy to. It slows down for him, and he does what he wants with a nice shooting touch both from deep or around the basket. He has good size and uses it to get his shot off and what shocked me was the athleticism. He got a dunk on the day, which I did not know he could do with two blocks off of the backboard. He is a player that I have stock in and is one of the best players in his class—good day for him.  

Garrett Arnold Garrett Arnold 6'0" | PG Thunderridge | 2021 State CO — ThunderRidge  

His was the first time that Arnold came to the run, and he is a welcomed addition as guys love playing alongside a pass-first guard that understands timing on passes. He was getting his teammates pinpoint passes on shots and guiding them to easy baskets in the open court as well. He is an unselfish player that gets it through tight windows and isn’t afraid to take chances. He affects the game without scoring, gets after it defensively, and will knock down an open shot as well.

Marzouq Abdur-Razaaq Marzouq Abdur-Razaaq 6'7" | SF Accelerated Prep | 2023 State CO – Overland  

It was much of the same for Marzouq. He stars in whatever role his team needs. If they need a basket, he provides that. If it’s a defensive stopper, he’ll do it. He rebounds and runs the floor, and it leads to plenty of fastbreak opportunities for him. He played well alongside another big, which is maybe his most natural position. He can dribble and bring the ball up the floor, and it forces the defense to adjust. He also hit plenty of mid-range pull-ups and the highlight play of the day on a body-to-body dunk that got everyone on the sideline on their feet.