Sun City Academy College Showcase Fourth Team

<p>Sun City Academy came to Houston, TX on Saturday, March 19, holding an unsigned senior college showcase. Nearly 40 unsigned talents came out to show several college coaches what they have to offer in a series of games held at the University of St. Thomas Athletics Center. With five different teams participating in eight different games throughout the day, there were at least 20 players that really stood out with their performances and effort. Below we review the five players worthy of fourth team honors for the showcase.</p> <p>See more standout players from the college showcase here:<br /> <a href="https://prephoops.com/2022/03/sun-city-academy-college-showcase-first-team/">First Team</a> | <a href="https://prephoops.com/2022/03/sun-city-academy-college-showcase-second-team/">Second Team</a> | <a href="https://prephoops.com/2022/03/sun-city-academy-college-showcase-third-team/">Third Team</a> | <a href="https://prephoops.com/2022/03/sun-city-academy-college-showcase-fourth-team/">Fourth Team</a></p> <p>#12 Celtics - Dirk Falkenhagen - 6'5" - C - 2022 - Guyer</p> <p>Dirk was the biggest man in the gym for the day. At 6'5", he might be on the shorter side for a center in most high school games, but no one stood taller than him at the Sun City Academy Showcase. Although, it was his large frame and aggressive style of play that really made him stand out among the crowd. He stuck to his strengths and made his presence known and felt in the paint, especially on the offensive end. Even with multiple bodies draped all over him and trying to box him out, he managed to secure offensive rebounds in bunches and gave his team multiple much-needed second chance opportunities. He moved well off the ball for a big body and understood where to position himself to give his teammates easy dump off options as they drove to the basket. Once he received the ball, he was extremely aggressive in getting a good look at the rim and understood to keep the ball high and away from defenders' arms swatting away at him. He displayed solid post control and a fantastic touch around the rim and fought through the hard contact nearly every time he touched the ball.</p> <p>#1 Yes Prep - Carlos Ruiz - 5'5" - PG - 2023 - YES Prep Northside</p> <p>Ruiz may have been the smallest player on the court at the showcase, but he was also the quickest, and he made sure to focus on his strengths for the day, making little to no mistakes or negative plays. He shot the ball well off the catch from beyond the arc and he played tough defense on the perimeter, doing everything he could to be a pest on the ball, using his quick hands and good instincts to knock the ball loose for a steal. He showed extremely quick ball handling skills and could maneuver around the defense with ease as he was in full control of his handle. He kept his head up and stayed aware of where his teammates were at all times, ready to hit them with an accurate pass at any given moment.</p> <p>#5 Celtics - Melvin Walton - 5'11" - PG - 2022 - Pasadena Memorial</p> <p>Walton did a little of everything on a guard-heavy Celtics team, but it was his shooting ability that really stood out for the day. He was moving around the court very intelligently, finding the right spacing along the perimeter seemingly every time and he knocked down long-range catch-and-shoot attempts consistently the whole day. When he did control the ball, his point guard instincts kicked in and he was attacking the paint and distributing the ball beautifully to make sure everyone stayed involved and in flow with the offense. He got into the paint with ease and pushed the pace to spark fast breaks whenever he had the opportunity.</p> <p>#36 Warriors - Keadrin Allen - 6'0" - SG - 2022 - Leadership Prep</p> <p>Allen seemed to be the Swiss army knife out there for a stacked Warriors team, doing a little of everything and making impact plays all over the court. He stayed active on the defensive end, keeping his hands up, and constantly made plays to disrupt the offense. He didn't take too many attempts from distance, but showed he has that capability hitting a couple shots off the dribble. Most importantly, he was attacking the paint consistently, making the right decisions on when to put up a layup and when to dish out to the open man for a good shot. He was also relentless on the offensive boards and secured multiple second chances for his team, always dishing it out to the open man to reset the offense and rarely forcing up a bad shot.</p> <p>#8 Heat - Joseph Garcia - 5'10" - SG - 2023 - Foster</p> <p>Garcia showed his fantastic inside-outside scoring ability throughout the day. He had a beautiful spin layup at one point, displaying his smooth footwork and confidence when attacking the basket, and he hit several shots from beyond the arc. He hit it from distance both off the catch and off the dribble, with the ability to create for himself with creative handling and get open off the ball with hard cuts and intelligent movement. He also showed solid defensive instincts, jumping into passing lanes and knocking the ball loose from an opposing ball handler several times.</p>