Hoop Life: 2025 Forward Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On July 29th I attended the&nbsp;<em>Hoopers On1y</em>&nbsp;<strong>Hoop Life</strong>&nbsp;tournament located at the Phhacility and the Kroc Center in Phx, AZ.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I focused most of my attention on the younger groups of 15 and 16U but saw a couple 17U games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were the junior forward standouts that caught my eye:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2107398' first='Gak' last='Kueth'] Kellis (Zona Nation 16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long forward who moves well in space. He plays with a big motor and rebounds out of his area often. He will defend inside versus a taller player and out on the perimeter. He is undersized but will score around the hoop and plays with natural energy. He can handle it a little and get to the basket.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2107106' first='Andre' last='Thomas'] Eduprize (NDO 17)</strong> <strong>(Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jr is a long fluid athlete from AZ originally. He moves gracefully with long strides and is a quick second jumper. He is a very good rebounder out of his area who leaps up above the crowd. He can rip thru and score and is an easy lob dunk finisher. He is a natural in the dunkers spot and blocks or alters many shots and flies on the break. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1951010' first='David' last='Adekanmbi'] Chandler Prep (Hunters Elite 16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A tough wing forward who has good post footwork with counter moves. He has a floater game, he runs the court and plays aggressively on every play. He plays way bigger then his height suggests and give hard ball fakes and will quickly go to the basket.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1241538' first='Kai' last='Hogan'] Brophy Prep (AZA 16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A sniper was arguably the best shooter that I viewed. His catch three is pure with flawless ball rotation and he squares to the basket in a blink of an eye with a quick trigger. He uses his thicker frame to rebound and he will block shots. He can also hit the mid-range J and has one of those strokes that look good on every attempt.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2107396' first='Matt' last='Schaub'] Pinnacle (Peak Basketball 16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another sharp shooting wing forward. He can fall away from mid-range but his catch and shoot three point shot is money. His range gives him the ability to stretch the floor for his teammates to have more space. He is good on the break but is always looking to release that pretty jumper. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2107397' first='Tyler' last='Catron'] San Tan Charter (Hunters Elite 16)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A versatile wing forward who does a little bit of everything. He plays the right way, hustles, takes charges, plays the passing lanes, he is good in transition and will make the open triple. He is a true glue guy for the young Roadrunners. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->