Hustle Region Memorial Classic Recap: Top Bigs
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Spring is here and that can only mean one thing. It’s Circuit Season! The Prephoops Circuit is upon us. I will be covering and providing exposure for the Hustle Region Circuit. The Hustle Region Circuit consists of AAU Programs from…
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Continue ReadingSpring is here and that can only mean one thing. It’s Circuit Season! The Prephoops Circuit is upon us. I will be covering and providing exposure for the Hustle Region Circuit. The Hustle Region Circuit consists of AAU Programs from California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, and New Mexico. The circuit features 10 stops including the Hustle Region Final in Irvine July 15th – 17th. Stop 7 brings us to the Pacific Northwest and Portland Oregon, where almost 30 teams are competing. The event was home to several big-time big men. In this article, we take a look at the top Bigs from the event.
Bradon Braggs 6’5 PF Vallejo Generals 2023 – Braggs is an undersized post that played with power and heart. The lefty was able to use his frame to carve out space around the basket. The forward showed good footwork scoring several times with his back to the basket. Braggs knocked down the occasional three proving that his scoring wasn’t limited to just the paint.
Jackson Cooper Jackson Cooper 6'5" | SF Cleveland | 2023 State OR 6’6 PF Team Fly 2023 – Cooper impressed me this weekend. I liked the way he sprinted the floor. He isn’t the prototypical lean athlete, however, he moves well and can get off the floor. Cooper was able to grab rebounds and he killed opponents with his ability to rebound, outlet, and sprint the floor.
Andreas Engholm Andreas Engholm 6'8" | PF Olympia | 2023 State WA 6’7 PF Roots Academy 2023 (featured image) – Engholm is a big strong player, and his ability to rebound and defend the interior are his best skills. This weekend however he showed a little more. The usual back to the basket forward flashed some face-up game. Engholm drove to the basket and banged home a couple of threes off catch and shoot situations.
Zach Rice 6’2 PF D1 Elite 2025 – Rice is an undersized guy, and will probably transition down to the 3. He played the 4 for D1 and showed the ability to sling it. Rice knocked down several threes and showed a knack for making consecutive shots. He didn’t abdicate his interior responsibilities, as he rebound and defended opposing bigs. Rice was one of the most skilled bigs that I had an opportunity to watch during the weekend.
Lincoln Mason 6’6 PF Salem Pac 2025 – Mason caught my eye at first with his competitiveness. In a game that his team was getting pounded the 6’6 forward continued to compete. Mason then flashed his skills. The faceup four showed good ball skills, slashing on the perimeter. He also displayed good grab-and-go ability, snatching rebounds before advancing the ball off the court. Mason is still a project, however, he showed the skills and toughness to be a potential prospect.
Noah Schow 6’4 PF Roots 2025 – I got another look at Schow this weekend, and he showed a little more. The promising big man did a good job on the glass, using his size to grab defensive rebounds. Every now and then the lefty would show good footwork, scoring with his back to the basket.
Graham Eikenberry Graham Eikenberry 6'10" | PF St Andrew’s RI | 2023 State OR 6’11 C BDH Elite 2023 – This weekend was the best I saw Eikenbury play. The big man was dominant on both backboards, using his size to secure defensive rebounds and keep the ball alive on the offensive backboard. He also showed a good go-to post move, turning over his left shoulder, and banging the defender before finishing with his strong hand. Eikenberry put himself squarely on the stockriser’s list with his performance this weekend.