Battle Royale Standouts (Part One)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Time to go over some standouts from the Battle Royale at Rainier Vista Boys &amp; Girls Club this Saturday. There were a ton of players who caught my eye, so this is just the first of three articles with standouts from the event. Check out a mini recap from the event <a href="https://prephoops.com/2023/10/battle-royale-recap/">here</a>, and stay tuned for parts two and three.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1450980"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"He's definitely taken that next step in his development, and it showed with the aggression and confidence he played with Saturday. He has defenders guessing on the perimeter as he rocks the dribble back and forth, has great burst to get downhill, and looks stronger with the ball. Not shy of the moment and playing with great determination so far.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1863256"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Still got to see his ability to create off the dribble though what impressed me was more off the ball stuff. Good intuition finding lanes to attack the offensive glass, stepped it up on defense with pokes and deflections. Norrah also had an important stretch in the second half, converting the right side-left hand layup, then hustling back to get a block at the rim on the other end.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["2140825"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Had only really seen him against other freshman until this point, but he belonged out there Saturday and didn't slow down at all against the varsity competition. Didn't look outmatched, physically, mentally, or skill-wise, and showed he has the gumption to take big shots, shoot from way back, and should be in store for some big scoring outputs this season.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1954955"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Gardner got the start against Garfield and did a good job playing within himself, controlling the ball and playing turnover-free basketball. He definitely has some quickness with the ball, used it to create space under pressure and create passing lanes. Although he didn't take many shots, he showed he can take it to the rim, hit some of those short pull-up shots, and plays solid defense.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1450985"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"He started the game against Mt Si a little slow. Missed some shots that he's probably used to seeing go in, but he didn't waiver at all, continued to trust his game and eventually started sinking shots. He's a very calm player who can hit the tough, contested shots, and is usually pretty efficient with his movement off the ball, getting to his spots. At the end of the first half Mt Si's [player_tooltip player_id='1450486' first='Trevor' last='Hennig'] hit a tough shot as the clock ran down, Smiley immediately ran down to the opposite wing as the ball was inbounded, caught the pass and drilled the three at the buzzer. That's just one example of his mindset and poise on the floor.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["1450933"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Santana is a pace-setter. He's able to control the flow of the game pretty well on both sides of the ball from the point. He did a great job creating and keeping separation from his defender, giving the offense time to get going, or opening up lanes to drive to the hoop. And has the ability to stretch the floor when defenses shrink in on their bigs.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["1662790"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"This kid is just a gamer. He plays all out, every game, and does all the little things to win extra possessions. He can handle the ball well enough to run the offense at times, shoots the three at a high rate, and is tough as nails to help out rebounding and defending. He's an awesome competitor and seems to get the most out of his ability.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["2205067"],"_player_evaluations_7_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"Jones faced a tough matchup against Eastside Catholic but showed some fire out there and was actually one of the quicker, shiftier players with the ball in the game. He didn't do a ton getting to the hoop or with penetration, but he showed some really promising ability to create space on the perimeter and defending out there as well.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_player":["1685491"],"_player_evaluations_8_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"Ford was a monster at times inside against Garfield. He pulled down a ton of rebounds, was strong finishing anything around the rim, and even played a little more on the perimeter than I've seen in the past. He was strong getting to the hoop going right and isn't going to give up any first step he wins. He had a couple of back-and-forth's against [player_tooltip player_id='1450500' first='Jamari' last='Harris'] that was a fun battle to watch.","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_9_player":["1450484"],"_player_evaluations_9_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_9_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"He looked like a unicorn handling the ball at 6-foot-9 and was a tough matchup for anyone trying to stop him. His handle is a lot tighter than last year, the jumper continues to get better and better, and he's a vocal leader out there. He's quicker through gaps, stronger at the rim, and worked from all areas of the court, though he wasn't required to shoot many from behind the arc.","_player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_10_player":["1450562"],"_player_evaluations_10_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_10_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_10_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_10_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_10_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_10_evaluation":"This was a great test for Ervin going against one of the biggest frontcourts in the state; [player_tooltip player_id='1450484' first='Jacob' last='Cofie'] (6-foot-9) and [player_tooltip player_id='1685489' first='Yeabsera' last='Aklog'] (6-foot-10). Ervin's best separator was getting guys to bite on fakes or facing up and ripping through. He also did a good job rim-running in transition and had a few nice defensive plays. All in all, there's still some development needed with his post-game, but he did show some good flashes.","_player_evaluations_10_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":11,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65371559ccc44"} /-->