Standouts Who Shine in Their Role
Each player below exhibited one specific skill that stood out over the weekend and filled a huge role for their respective teams. The added boosts and stability they provided their squads were key to those teams staying competitive in each…
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Continue ReadingEach player below exhibited one specific skill that stood out over the weekend and filled a huge role for their respective teams. The added boosts and stability they provided their squads were key to those teams staying competitive in each game. They all did it in different ways but these guys are some great examples of the impact you can have by embracing your role.
Nash Dunham (2025) | 5’11 | SG | Mt Spokane | Hooptown Elite
Dunham caught my eye during the last session on the UAA Live Circuit as a kid who is going to bust it defensively and can create momentum through stout defensive effort. Well, he continued that impressive defensive play over the weekend in Auburn. He moves really well side to side, staying in front of and chesting up ball-handlers, forcing pickups, and moving his feet with quickness and efficiency. It’s the overall attitude he plays with, hustling to secure loose balls and sealing defensive possessions with rebounds. Dunham even took a couple of charges in their game against Fly Select. It’s clear he embraces his defensive skills and takes pride in being a part of good team defense.
Hudson Floyd (2025) | 5’9 | PG | Gonzaga Prep | Built4Ball
Floyd played up a couple of divisions in Auburn, though most onlookers probably didn’t notice. Just getting ready for his sophomore year, the young guard played with Built4Ball’s 17U team on Sunday when I watched them take on a talented North City team. He fit right in, running point and facilitating for the second unit. His confidence and comfortability seemed sky-high as he proved to be one of the quicker players on the floor, finding ways to the rim time and again. The most quietly impressive part of his play was the way he took care of the rock. North City has some high-quality, experienced guards and Floyd showed no issue orchestrating the offensive flow out there.
Jackson Reijonen (2024) | 6’0 | SG | Mt Spokane | Built4Ball
Every time I watch this guy play I leave with the same takeaway; he’s a gamer. I watched his team take on Seattle Rotary’s 16U EYBL team which had a huge height advantage across the board on Built4Ball. Reijonen was unfazed. He’s an excellent defender with quickness, hops, aggression, and great instincts. He can guard across multiple positions and was even a disrupter inside, contesting and blocking shots. He’s scrappy as hell and looks like the kind of player that can swing a game or even an entire season on one hustle play.
John Floyd John Floyd 6'4" | SG Stanwood | 2024 State WA (2024) | 6’3 | SG | Stanwood | D1 Elite
Pure shooter. That’s the takeaway. Floyd showed his promising range last high school season as Stanwood made a push in the district playoffs, falling just short of state. He was back at it this past weekend, showing off high consistency and extended range. I was trying to straddle courts, catching two games at once while Floyd played, but his hot shooting pulled me over to his court full-time. He raises up with such quickness and confidence, gets good lift on his shot, and uses screens to his advantage against trailing defenders. He’s a player that stretches out defenses and can spray from anywhere around the arc.
Patrick Murphy Patrick Murphy 6'7" | PF Ferris | 2023 State WA (2023) | 6’7 | PF | Ferris | Built4Ball
Patrick Murphy Patrick Murphy 6'7" | PF Ferris | 2023 State WA is a big 6’7. He’s got long arms and is strong head to toe. The reason I like his game so much is that he doesn’t get pushed around. He is constantly bouncing guys off of him working for positioning on the boards or the block. He just brings it physically and a lot of players don’t want to match that brand of ball. Murphy runs the floor as well, getting involved in fastbreaks and making sure to get back on defense. He brings an identity to his team’s inside game but as he showed this weekend, he’s also working on extending his game. Murphy stepped out to the corner for a couple of three-point attempts. While it’s not a knock-down shot for him, he hits it enough to be a threat when open and because of his physical play inside, many defenders are too tired to follow him outside.