Big House Talent Tip-Off: A Tale of 18U & 16U

<blockquote> These past few weekends have been entertaining, especially with The Big House graciously hosting all of our star athletes, coaches, and families! Another jam-packed tournament proved successful with lots of out-of-town teams aimed to prove their worthiness at the Big House. </blockquote> Among many, two teams stood out: The Florida Pro Unsigned Senior Team and Team Gritty. In my humble opinion, they outshined the rest. Check these seniors out first. We are in for a real treat! Florida Pro Unsigned Seniors (C/o 2022) <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/E27E696D-1A76-4A84-B515-09C7949C68F0.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1426908 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/E27E696D-1A76-4A84-B515-09C7949C68F0-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a> 6’0 CG Dre’ Kindell (Elite Academy Fort Lauderdale) This combo guard loves to get downhill and fast! It seems like everyone on this team has major hops. It’s a horse of a different color when you have multiple guards with bunnies. No one is safe! I saw guards throwing ally oops to guards, which is always impressive. Dre’ makes for a good floor commander. He knows when to get the ball to his posts, or when to keep the ball and score. Dre’s Favorite Sneaker: Any Kobe shoe.       <img class="size-medium wp-image-1426906 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/33C28D84-6144-4810-BE32-6C2A8BD4E883-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 6’6 SF Akeem Dauphin (Elite Academy) Akeem builds up steam in transition, like a high-speed rail. Don’t look down, you just might be the victim of a head tap. This senior attempts to dunk on anyone in the lane or in his way. His attempts to posterize are comical. He had three dunks in the first five minutes I sat down. His on-court character is enthusiastic and he is exciting to watch! Akeem’s Favorite Sneaker: The Kobe Grinches.       <a style="background-color: #edeef0; font-size: 1rem;" href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/08082BE4-073A-4A30-99DC-9D6460C85613.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1426984 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/08082BE4-073A-4A30-99DC-9D6460C85613-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" />6’6 SF De’Shayne Montgomery (Somerset Prep North Lauderdale)</a> Venture no further! De’Shayne is your one-stop shop for quick stop-and-pops. At small forward, this young man can stop on a dime and light it up. He drains it from mid-range with the confidence of knowing he has the neon green light. We didn’t get to see a whole lot, but from the looks of it, he certainly displays pure potential. De’Shayne’s Favorite Sneaker: KD 13’s.         The Amazing Team Gritty 16U Usually, I leave my introductory paragraph alone with no follow-up to rival it. Today will be the exception... Team Gritty is one of the most polarizing, determined, relentless... I could go on and on. They paralyze teams in their wake, by playing with such intensity and grit- compliments of the team name. They are aggressive, hungry, and trap all over. Yes, they trap off into oblivion. Have you heard "the hits keep on coming?" Well, in this case, it’s the traps for them. This team would trap to the ends of the earth if it could. Watching teams attempt to beat their press was excruciating. The "Gritty Posture" of their full-court pressure mimics a bully letting their victim know what time it is. What time is it? Time to cough up that ball. Their 1-2-1-1 "Diamond" press forces teams to make a ton of mistakes. They put teams into submission by viciously sprinting in and out of traps. If the ball moves, they sprint and form another trap. It is an art, really. Offensively, they are very patient. They cut to the basket when the ball goes to the perimeter. They pound the boards and get into their supersonic fast-break. I had to close my mouth. If you want to see a clinic on how to play fast on defense, but controlled on offense... watch this team. <img class="size-medium wp-image-1424779 alignleft" style="font-size: 1rem;" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/3EB8242A-872F-410D-BF63-AF32014A8648-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 6’3 SG Fero Christian (Winthrop College Prep) Fero is a direct triple threat; he can shoot, pass and drive. He is the Energizer bunny when sprinting in and out of traps. He leads his team up and down the floor with no quit. This young man will be a special player one day. Fero’s Favorite Sneaker: Kobe X.       <img class="size-medium wp-image-1424783 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/3F13163A-067D-4E5A-BBF6-17F14C412C1C-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 6’2 SG [player_tooltip player_id="1055790" first="Christian" last="Cole"] (Tampa Catholic) Christian is a pure shooter that knows how to move without the ball. He cuts to the basket and gets out on the break. His confidence in draining pull-up threes consistently is stunning. He steps into his shot beautifully and finishes with ease. His game makes basketball look like just another day in the office. Christian’s Favorite Sneaker: KD 14’s.     <img class="size-medium wp-image-1424778 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/04/B4AF40E2-E415-4059-8A8D-8C64799E3C9E-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 6’9 C [player_tooltip player_id="1055806" first="Jackson" last="Roberts"] (Tampa Catholic) Even though this big fella doesn’t get to trap much, he certainly plays his part. Anyway, Jackson is patient and uses his size by powering up against his flailing opponents. He has a great jump stop and finish combination. I am looking forward to seeing him more aggressive on the boards. Jackson’s Favorite Sneaker: Any Puma shoe.