AAU Preview: Green Mountain Select 10th

Cody Quattrocci

April 23, 2024 @ 03:29 PM

It's always interesting to see the makeup of a team and the subsequent gelling after roster finalization. This is an interesting group, featuring a guard and wing heavy lineup with a couple swing forwards in there to add some beef. Let's drop in on this GMS 10th team and iron out what's to be expected.   I said guard heavy and I meant it. This team has 3 bonafide offensive initiators in 6'1 [player_tooltip player_id='2408951' first='Jack' last='Lafayette'], 5'9 Conor Dennis and 5'9 Sam Kyhill. Jack is that uber-adaptable combo guard who can indeed organize and initiate offense, create for himself, and make plays for others with his court vision and awareness. Off the ball he hurts opponents in a lot of ways; Lafayette makes good cuts, comes off screens wisely, and has the shooting at each level off the catch, ultimately bending the defense in such ways that other gaps open. Moreover, his off the dribble game keeps getting sharper. Conor and Sam are more classic PGs who are most effective with the ball in their hands. Dennis is a bulldog with his physicality, a guy who likes getting downhill and finishing at the rim then dishing when help comes. Kyhill is more of a table setter who hits guys on time with his savvy court vision in the halfcourt or in transition, runs the pnr well, and generates good looks for himself too, both at the rim with his lay-up package and from the arc. Furthermore, all three of these guys will go at you defensively and make you work for every inch.   On the wing we have more shooting and gluey, connective guys. 6'2 Andrew Barker can really catch a flame from 3, using constant off-ball movement to relocate either as a spot-up shooter, with backdoor actions, in transition, or coming off of screens for catch-and-shoot opportunities. 5'11 Gavin Roberts brings shooting and savvy movement too, yet he has the court vision and reads of the defense to manipulate a rotation and hit someone cross-court, sneaking along the baseline, or off their misdirection. These are two wings who make the ball pop, can shoot it, and tie up the loose ends defensively from the help side.   6'3 [player_tooltip player_id='2553768' first='Tej' last='Stewart'], 6'4 Nick Mascitti, and 6'2 Marcus Flanders add a bit of size, yet they all have relatively different skillsets. Tej is a swing between the 2 and 3 with his ballhandling, shooting, and ability to finish plays at the rim or from 3. With his size, strength, and skillset he can pose some matchups problems, and defensively he guards up when called upon. Mascitti is a slashing wing who knows how to snake to the rim and finish. He's especially dangerous in transition and he has the ability to push it himself, a playmaker in the open court. Flanders has the dirty work, gritty, do-whatever-it-takes-to-win feel to him. Markus attacks the rim, sets good screens, and captures plenty of 2nd chance opportunities + 50/50 balls. Defensively, I see Markus and Tej homing in on the bigger bodies and getting physical to rebound while Mascitti flies around as a helper/lurker and glass cleaner.   It might take some time for this group to blend, but I see an up-and-down team that'll put pressure on the ball and look to push every chance they get. They're athletic, skilled ballhandlers and they feature plenty of passing + shooting to find good shots. It's a matter of locking in on each other's tendencies and finding their identity. A fun group with a number of talented guys.

It's always interesting to see the makeup of a team and the subsequent gelling after roster finalization. This is an interesting group, featuring a guard and wing heavy lineup with a couple swing forwards in there to add some beef. Let's drop in on this GMS 10th team and iron out what's to be expected.