Best of the West Fall League: 2023 Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I am clearly backtracking here because of the state rankings but I did not want to miss some players who caught my eye at multiple events.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Saturday, September 10th I attended the <strong>Willow Canyon Fall League</strong> that had multiple locations. This day I attended the Valley Christian location where I watched four game which was had five different teams since multiple teams played twice.   </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Here were the senior standouts of the five teams:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1150195' first='Brigg' last='Wolfe']</strong> <strong>Mesa Mountain View</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A physical point guard is arguably the strongest guard in the AIA. He touches the paint and will finish off tough layups amidst heavy pressure. He loves working off the pick and roll and will often rise up from mid-range. He is a physical on-ball defender.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1580480' first='Matt' last='Phair'] Mesa Mountain View</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A strong bodied wing is as tough as they come. He will score in traffic and seems to bounce off of defenders. He has a football type of body and he uses a quick first step. He creates his own offense, as he can crossover his defender and rise up from mid-range and hit from the three point line. He transferred over from Westwood.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1354947' first='Jeremiah' last='Hinds'] Saguaro</strong> <strong>(Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A rare pure point guard has a quick burst to the rim and is a really good passer. He passes it up the court on a rope, he gets the ball out of his hands quickly, he will drive and slip it in and will thread the needle. He can pull-up from mid-range and hit the catch-3. Simply put he made his team better and he is the heartbeat of the Sabercats.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1490882' first='Austin' last='Kraemer'] NVCA</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A highly skilled wing forward shoots it effortlessly. He catches and shoots it quickly from the three point line. He is a very good rebounder for his size helping out Rice inside.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1580479' first='Nate' last='Bogle'] Mesa Mountain View</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A good sized wing forward for the AIA. He can catch and shoot from the 3pt line with a high arcing rainbow stroke that he makes fairly consistently. He fights hard inside to rebound with a his plus strength.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1580701' first='Mason' last='Birkett'] Saguaro&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A skilled scoring guard is a catch and shoot type from the three point line. He can handle contact with a stronger upper body, he plays hard and he is tough. He is willing to work inside as well. His IQ, shooting and decision making will help them this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='937198' first='Braden' last='Totman'] Horizon</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A good sized forward shoots it to the three point line with a quick release. He will work in the paint with hook shots with either hand and rebounds at a good rate. He uses counter moves in the post to score and is showing more and more confidence as he is getting older. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1306018' first='Jaden' last='Williamson'] Horizon</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A quick scoring point guard is also improving. He is shooting the ball better from the perimeter and he can still burst into the lane with his tight handle and speed. He is very quick on the ball defensively with his natural speed and lateral quickness. Both he and Totman should make big upticks in production this upcoming season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->