PHH Black at Eduprize: Varsity Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Thursday, February 9th I attended the <em>OPEN CAA</em> game with #2 <strong>Eduprize Eagles </strong>hosting #3 <strong>Phhoenix Prep Black Fire</strong>.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The game was close from start to finish right until the last few minutes when the home team pulled away and won 97-82. It was an uptempo kind of game with [player_tooltip player_id='1135514' first='Treyvion' last='Curry'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1297427' first='AJ' last='Thomas'] almost taking turns getting buckets.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Here were the varsity standouts</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1297427' first='AJ' last='Thomas'] Eduprize</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A stronger point guard has one of the tightest handles in the class and uses his body to score in traffic to get downhill. Once he gets to his mid-range spot it is over. He has a knack for getting to the rim with his shifty handle and constantly changing speeds to keep the defense off balance. He whips passes into teammates shooting pockets and has his head up the entire game. He has strong hands to rip some pockets of the opponents and had a game high of 32 points.   </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Zach Working SF 6'3 2023 Eduprize</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A strong bodied wing forward has a powerful frame to handle the pounding in the painted area. He has counter moves in the post with good footwork. The lefty has a nice handle to create his own shot and plays a physical game for a wing.&nbsp; He scored 14 points&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1328024' first='Jahki' last='Gupton'] Eduprize</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long wing has filled in a little but has skill and athleticism. He has a pretty stroke with a high release from the three point line. He takes very few strides and can dunk it in traffic. He has a nice runner and a euro move to score it a variety of ways. An under-recruited player scored 24 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1120857' first='Daylen' last='Dewberry'] Eduprize</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A thicker framed wing forward with skill. He can pull-up off the dribble from mid-range but is mostly a catch shooter. He likes the three point shot with a quicker release and can score some in traffic using his build/frame. He scored 16 pts.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1032529' first='Nate' last='Parras'] Eduprize&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The strong face-up four man with easy bounce. He can explode up to dunk the ball above the rim very quickly and rebound at a high rate in and out of his area. He moves like a wing and can cover ground on the defensive end. He came in off the bench and brought a lot of energy. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1135514' first='Treyvion' last='Curry'] Phhoenix Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A super athletic two-way guard is a nightmare getting downhill. He is in attack mode all the time. He shows incredible body control in the air and has a nice runner. He can hit the three with more consistency than last season and his euro step is tough to defend. He has a quick second jump to rebound and can dunk the ball easily. On defense he is constantly helping and collects many rebounds and steals with his effort and athleticism. He is a step quicker than most on the court including guards. He had 29 points with 10+ rebounds. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1275053' first='Santino' last='Weimer'] Phhoenix Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An undersized scoring lead guard has legit volleyball line three point range. He can rattle off triples from seemingly the parking lot. He uses ball fakes and a quick trigger to get his shot off before the defenders close out. He sees the court well and can find a teammate anywhere over the top of the defenders. 21 points with six threes made. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='996170' first='Christian' last='Holly'] Phhoenix Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring guard with some pop and deep range. He has a quick release from the three point line and gets a clean look and stays balanced throughout. He rebounds well for a guard and uses his bounce to corral boards and can go up to score. He is a pest on defense with his lateral quicks.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1285990' first='EJ' last='Sommers'] Phhoenix Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The post player for the Fire is EJ. He has soft hands with skill and good defensive principles. He grabs rebounds in bunches and will block shots. He has a hook shot he can utilize and will shoot perimeter jumpers plus rip thru and score or get fouled.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1673468' first='Vernon' last='Henry'] Phhoenix Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A top notch on-ball defender is a pit bull. He loves getting downhill and can get into a tight window with little space to the rim. He is very fast in transition with layups thru contact.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->