Kings of the City: Newcomers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The weekend of March 24th I attended the<em>&nbsp;Hoopers On1y&nbsp;</em><strong>Kings of the City</strong>&nbsp;at the Phhacility and the Kroc Center plus five different other locations around the city in AZ.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I watched a lot of 15 and 16U with some 17U games as well. This was one of the biggest events AZ has had in a while with 400+ teams from the Southwest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here are some of the Best Newcomers I observed</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1875973' first='John' last='Hemsley'] Canyon View (AZ Venom)</strong> <strong>(Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A good sized power forward has a nice touch around the rim with hook shots and post footwork. He is patient in the post to wait for the defender to make his move. He is a fluid mover in space and will rebound and block shots in the paint. He has a chance to start next year on varsity and shows upside.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1873793' first='Alon' last='Johnson'] Deer Valley (AZ Storm 17 Gold)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A defensive wing forward is wildly athletic. He had one of the best poster dunks of the tournament. They set him up and threw it high above everyone and he came out the other end with an alley oop dunk. He defends multiple positions with his quick twitch athleticism and can get downhill.     </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1876013' first='Gage' last='Gottlieb'] Paradise Valley (AZ Select 17)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The son of a college coach has good defensive principles to know where to be at all times. He guides the offense and makes plays for his teammates. He can hit the three and works well off of a ball screen. He will help compliment senior Noah and co this upcoming season.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1876276' first='Jalen' last='Patterson'] Coronado (Peak Basketball 17)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long wing defender covers a lot of ground. He uses his big wingspan to keep his opponents in front of him and can catch and shoot from the three point line. He needs more reps as he started playing in 8th grade and then Covid hit, but he is an intriguing long term prospect.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1876304' first='MJ' last='Baldwin'] West Point (AZ Select Holmes)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mijahi 'MJ' is an undersized guard who is quick with some shift to his handle. He is a good up the court passer and will hustle to defend on the ball. He picked a few pockets and dove on the floor. He has a nice euro to the rim and can finish with either hand. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1876305' first='Jonathan' last='Bell'] AZ College Prep (AZ Pelicans 16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An athletic post player is a bit raw but he will rebound and defend the post. Has long arms, a strong frame and runs the floor well. He will set a strong pick and roll to the basket. He can catch passes close to the rim and finish.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1876014' first='Tyran' last='Simpson'] Deer Valley&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long wing can step back on his defender from mid-range and shoot the three. He takes unusually long strides to the rim and has a huge wingspan to play the passing lanes to collect steals or get many deflections. He can flush it down on the break and can possibly turn into that coveted 3 and D type. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1876324' first='Kemar' last='Durfield'] Phhoenix Prep (AZ Select)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A tough scoring lead guard can pull-up from mid to the three point line. He has a quick release and has track like open court speed. He is undersized but strong and skilled. He can facilitate and makes many difficult shots in the paint with his speed and body control.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1876010' first='Dayton' last='Foster'] ALA West Foothills (Hunters Elite)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A very quick point guard has real open court speed and plays with a motor. He rebounds despite his size and is a pest on the ball defensively. He sees the court well and has a knack for scoring the ball from mid to the three. He is super confident and has some swag. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->