DV at Mesa Standouts

On Tuesday, January 14th I attended the match-up of 6A Mesa hosting 6A Desert Vista. Both teams most likely will be in the OPEN playoffs and both are legitimate title contenders in 6A.   I checked out all three levels with Freshman, JV and varsity.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were the standouts on the night </h2>   Freshman Game (56-40 Mesa won)   [player_tooltip player_id='2731627' first='Parker' last='Bowden'] Mesa    A good sized wing forward with a good feel handles it well and he is a sneaky good passer. The lefty will wall up on defense and rebounds well plus block shots. He scores with put backs, spin moves in the post with either hand and can step out and shoot it from mid to the three.     [player_tooltip player_id='2731821' first='Deshawn' last='Escoffery'] Mesa   An undersized pure point guard is a live dribble passer with next level court vision and timing. He will throw it up the court with ropes and some needle threaders. He is very fast and quick with the ball in his hands and will score getting to the basket or pulling up off the dribble.   [player_tooltip player_id='2731632' first='Isaiah' last='Williams'] Mesa    A power forward with strength and some vertical pop. He is a little raw but has a stronger body and frame. He moves well and cleans the glass to score on offensive rebound put backs and makes his money inside.    [player_tooltip player_id='2731629' first='Connor' last='Arnett'] Mesa    A combo guard with a good feel for the game. He can shoot it from mid to the three point line and has a little burst to score with with drive by and-1's thru contact.    [player_tooltip player_id='2641718' first='Chad' last='Suell'] Desert Vista    A natural scoring lead guard has a fluid handle and will score. He fills it up with the floater game, cuts off the ball, mid-range pull-up and will get to the free throw line.     [player_tooltip player_id='2626403' first='Damari' last='Taylor'] Desert Vista   A thicker framed guard is a sneaky good passer with a high feel. He handles contact in the paint well with his strength and some toughness and plays at his own pace. He shoots the three and gets to the foul line.      Cedric Owens CG Desert Vista    A scoring lead combo guard is good off the pick and roll game and will find his teammates. He scores with pull-ups from mid-range, catch threes and he gets out on the break quickly.    Benjamin Kenchington PF 6'3 Desert Vista   A power forward with some skill. He scores it efficiently inside and can face up to mid-range. He can occasionally step out and hit the three but works inside and he is a plus rebounder to gain extra possessions.     Junior Varsity Game (54-41 Mesa won)   [player_tooltip player_id='2552741' first='Mekhi' last='Neeley-Davis'] Desert Vista   A strong downhill combo guard with a thicker frame. He scores it aggressively with layups in traffic and is a tough on-ball defender. He is also a very good help side defender to block shots. He will drive and kick it to make a play and he is a stud in transition. He can get to the basket with next level body control and power.     [player_tooltip player_id='2109031' first='Conner' last='Koester'] Desert Vista    A scoring guard will fill it up and defend. He scores with fall aways, mid-range jumpers and is not afraid to mix it up in the pant to score in-traffic takes. He has good hands to collect steals and will close out and block shots plus he is aggressive inside on defense.    [player_tooltip player_id='2337439' first='Rio' last='Arnett'] Mesa    A combo guard is good on the break to score and he can rip some pockets. He has a sneaky tighter handle and will make a smart read and find a teammate. He changes speeds to get a step on his defender.     [player_tooltip player_id='2337275' first='Thomas' last='Moritz'] Mesa   A versatile wing forward works well from inside and out. He will score facing up from the perimeter and will score with put backs off of the offensive glass. He will also score it in transition and he can pick up his defender on the perimeter and inside the paint.   [player_tooltip player_id='2732206' first='Steven' last='Irish'] Mesa   One of the top standstill shooters in the program. He will catch and shoot from the three point line and rattle them in one by one. He made four and needs very little space and time to get them off.     Varsity Game (71-68 Mesa won)   [player_tooltip player_id='2340127' first='John' last='Peterson'] Mesa   A super athletic undersized power forward is their glue guy. He runs well on the break and hustles for loose balls and will shockingly dunk it easily above the rim. He will score with euro step moves, alley-oops, hook shots and inside takes. He had a big night leading all scorers with 23 points.    [player_tooltip player_id='1651788' first='Jakyi' last='Miles'] Mesa    One of the most talented freshman plays at his own pace. He is a three level scorer who will also make the right plays finding his teammates in stride. He can dunk the ball, get downhill with either hand, cuts off the ball, jab step into a three or a deep mid-range J and is a quick second jumper to score on put backs. He scored 21 points.    [player_tooltip player_id='2146269' first='Daijon' last='Grayson'] Mesa   A quick on quick defensive point guard. He has quick hands and feet and will collect steals in bunches. He has great speed in the open court and he has advanced court vision. He has a very fast burst to touch the paint and has tough takes in traffic. He scored 7 points with 3+ assists and steals.       [player_tooltip player_id='2337274' first='Brig' last='Bowden'] Mesa   The man in the middle for the Jackrabbits got the start and cashed in with 6 points and 8 rebounds. He is quick second jumper and will score on offensive rebound put backs. He also will score with drop steps and uses his stronger frame and will wall up on defense.    [player_tooltip player_id='1950101' first='Koi' last='Sharpe'] Mesa   A versatile wing forward who defends multiple positions. He comes in off the bench and will bring energy and skill. He can catch and shoot from the three point line and rebounds well in and out of his area. He scored 8 points.   [player_tooltip player_id='1463230' first='Tyus' last='Thomas'] Desert Vista   A strong and tough scoring point guard. He will spray the ball around with next level pinpoint court vision off a live dribble. He scores with deep threes with more range than a year ago, pull-ups off the dribble from mid-range and the lefty can get to the free throw line with his burst. He scored 9 points.   [player_tooltip player_id='2146175' first='LJ' last='Diamond'] Desert Vista   A defensive minded combo lead guard was a menace in this game. He picked pockets with his speed and quick twitch and got deflections and steals in bunches plus blocked shots. He scores with fast bursts to the basket, pull-up or off the catch threes and he will spin to the basket and kissed it off the glass. He is quick on quick with the ball but he will also hesitate and get a step on his defender. He did miss the last shot to tie it but he was a big reason they almost stole the game. He scored 16 points with 3+ steals and assists.   [player_tooltip player_id='2039513' first='DJ' last='Spencer'] Desert Vista   A versatile scoring wing forward. The tough lefty scores getting downhill and thru contact. He can play with his back to the basket with spin moves, fall aways, and-1's in traffic, mid-range pull-up and catch threes. He will also collect steals and dive for a loose ball and box out bigger players well. He will collect steals and make smart passes. He scored 15 points before he fouled out late in the 4th.   [player_tooltip player_id='1676631' first='Nico' last='Velez'] Desert Vista   A scoring point guard is very quick to get downhill and will score in traffic with reverse layups. His first step is tough to stay in front of and seems to go by anyone he wants at times. He sees the court well to throw the dime and plays bigger than his height suggests with his toughness and grit. He scored 12 points.   [player_tooltip player_id='1950115' first='Alex' last='Taylor'] Desert Vista   A hyper athletic wing forward with length. He moves really well in space to defend guards and covers a lot of ground. He is great in transition to score or get to the free throw line. He will do quick rip thrus to score and make tough contested layups. He rebounds well in his area and will block a shot. He scored 10 points.   [player_tooltip player_id='2339783' first='Robert' last='Morris IV'] Desert Vista   An athletic wing forward comes off the bench and provides some quality depth. He is a natural downhill scorer in traffic using his athletic gifts. He will cut for layups smartly and grab the alley-oop and throw it down or lay it in. He is a multi-positional defender. He scored 6 points.

On Tuesday, January 14th I attended the match-up of 6A Mesa hosting 6A Desert Vista. Both teams most likely will be in the OPEN playoffs and both are legitimate title contenders in 6A.