Coach’s Take: JJ Brimble

D’Shawn Schwartz, Sand Creek, 6’6 G/F “D’Shawn is 6-foot-6 and 215 and skilled. The kid is so skilled, it’s crazy. He’s like a point-forward. He can bring it up the court, he can shoot it, he can get to the hole, and he can handle it. He’s a very smart kid and he’s a great kid. The only thing he needs to work on is guarding at the next level, at the highest level. He also needs to work on his quickness and his explosion, but other than that, he is so talented offensively that you’re going to be hearing about him for years.” Hunter Maldonado, Vista Ridge, 6’5 G/F “Hunter is the X-factor. He does everything well. He defends and he can also be a point-forward. He’s 6-foot-5 and pushing 6-foot-6 and he can bring it up the court against anybody. He has very good vision. The only thing he needs to work on right now is his strength.” CJ Jennings, Sierra, 6’1 G “CJ is smooth. He’s come a long way. He’s only 6-foot-1, but he probably looks 6-foot-3 or 6-foot-4, because he’s so lanky. He’s got long legs and long arms and he’s a prototypical guard at the next level. He can really shoot it. Defensively, he’s so long that he can get his hands on a lot of balls. His biggest thing is definitely strength. He has to get in the weight room, but he’s smooth and his mid-range pull-up game is one of the best you’ll see.” Malik Salley, Rampart, 6’3 G/F “That kid works his tail off. He’s maybe 6-foot-3. He’s lanky, so he looks taller also. He can jump, so he always has to guard the big guys. At the next level, if he decides to play basketball, he’s going to be a guard, so we’re working on that. His jumper is getting better. He works so hard. He blocks shots and he never backs down. He’s got a lot of heart. We call him ‘Batman,’ because he’s like a superhero.” Dalen Jackson, Mesa Ridge, 5’9 G “He is probably one of the fastest kids in the state from end to end with or without the ball. He is super fast and super quick. He can spot-up shoot it. He likes to pass the ball. He would rather have a great assist than score. You don’t see that very often. The only thing is that he sometimes passes up easy buckets. But, he’s got very good vision. His biggest thing is he has to kind of even out mentally. He gets kind of spacy and he’ll have those lulls in the game. He’s too talented and too fast to not make some plays. That’s what we’re working on right now. I would like to see Dalen and KJ Sapp race though.” Brevin Brimble, Doherty, 5’10 G “Brev is starting to grow. If he gets there look out, because he’s just so smart. His IQ is off the charts. He knows how to play the game and his ability to shoot from distance really helps him. He has a good floater game with both hands. He’s a kid who usually makes a good decision. He works his tail off. He’s got the ball on a rope, but his biggest thing is he just knows how to play. He knows situations, he knows who he is guarding, and he knows who his teammate is guarding. He gets it. Whoever wants someone who knows how to play the game the right way, that’s Brevin.” Romeo Maestas, Rampart, 5’5 PG “Rome is only 5-foot-5, he’s probably done growing and he’s been injured. I haven’t had him for a full season for three years now, but he knows how to run a team. He makes the right decision. He’s about getting his teammates involved. He’s very, very smart. There’s a small school out there that could use Romeo and he could be successful, because he can run the show.” Isaiah Mosley, Cheyenne Mountain, 6’3 G “Isaiah is a work in progress. He’s one of those kids who has the physique. His mom was an Olympic gold medalist in the hurdles. His dad is a big guy. He just doesn’t play basketball enough right now to be at the highest level, but you can see it in him. He hit huge shots for us this summer just spotting up. He’s one of those kids who, when he’s relaxed and just playing, he’s strong and physical and doesn’t mind taking it in the chest. He’ll bump anybody. He can really shoot it. He’s 6-foot-3 right now. He just needs to work on his decision-making with the ball in his hands, but the kid is not backing down. I’ll tell you that.” Emmanuel Burleson, Doherty, 5’11 G “Eman is probably going to be a point guard at the next level. He can really slash and he takes pride in his defense, which you don’t see very often. Eman really, really locks up. He knows he has scorers around him, so he knows to do what he’s good at. He’s working on his shot and he can get to the hole, but his main thing is he wants to lock you up. Hopefully he grows a little more too. He’s been stuck for the last few years at about 5-foot-11 or 6-foot, but he’s longer than you think. That’s my defensive guy.”