MC Championships: Fall Creek Valley vs Belzer- 2029 Standouts

Some championships were won, some were lost. These young men put on performances worthy of being champions.    On Saturday, I watched one of the best point guards in the 2029 class of Indiana basketball. Channing is a great floor general, scorer and leader for his Fall Creek Valley team. He's an excellent ball handler and distributor. Channing had no issues beating Belzer defenders off the dribble and finding teammates for easy baskets. A number of his flashy passes caused loud reactions from the crowd. this young man plays with some flash to his game. He shows emotion and has a fearless mentality whenever he's on the court. These are all traits a coach wants his point guard to have. In regard to scoring the basketball, Channing gets buckets! He consistently attacked the Belzer defense by getting into the paint and scoring on runners or tough lay-ups at the rim. On a few occasions, he was able to score through contact and convert three point plays from the free-throw line. Channing also has the ability to knock down shots from beyond the arc. During the game he made four three pointers. One of those threes was a clutch basket that gave his squad the lead in the closing minutes of the game. As I said, he's a great leader for his team. Channing stayed in constant communication with his teammates and made sure the Fall Creek Valley offense was ran efficiently. He was the main source of energy for his team. Whether it was throwing nice dimes, knocking down threes or getting and-ones after being fouled; His emotional energy always seemed to pump everyone up. Defensively, he was a ball-hawk! Channing excelled at using his quickness to play passing lanes and generate turnovers. He also played great on-ball defense and made ball handling tough for the Belzer guards. In my opinion, Channing has the skills to immediately play varsity basketball next season. He definitely has what it takes to be successful at the high school level. Keep it up Channing!!     When I watched Julian play.. I had flashbacks of UNLV great Stacy Augmon. They both have the same slender body frame and tend to be good at everything on the basketball court. I dare to say, if Julian had another eight inches of height, this comparison would be one hundred percent accurate. He 's a very athletic power forward who can rebound, pass, score and block shots. During Saturday's game, I watched Julian handle the ball and make plays for his teammates with great passing. Many of his passes were converted into points. He really excelled at grabbing rebounds on both ends of the court. Most of his offensive rebounds were turned into easy lay-ups for himself. Julian also has a decent mid-range pull-up that he was able to knock down frequently. Whenever the Fall Creek Valley squad had an opportunity to score in transition, Julian was there to fill the lane and easily score at the rim. He has a constant motor and never seems to tire on the basketball court. On defense, Julian really shined! I saw him block multiple shots and generate steals on numerous occasions. Whether it was defending on the wing or in the paint; Julian had the skills to do so. He'll easily transition into the high school atmosphere next season. Keep working Julian!!     This is my second time watching Jayden play basketball. The first time was during AAU season over the summer. He was one of the strongest guards I seen for the day. That continued to be a fact in Saturday's championship game. Jayden thrives on attacking the basket and seeking contact from defenders. There were numerous times, I watched him score the ball while being hammered in the paint by Belzer players. He's an excellent foul shooter who converted most of those three point plays. Jayden continues to be one of the best rebounding guards I've seen. As I said, he doesn't mind physical contact, so he had no problem attacking the glass and fighting for every board he could get his hands on. Jayden has the ability to knock down shots from mid-range. During the summer he was able to shoot the three ball with accuracy. In the championship game, the three pointer wasn't a priority. Jayden focused on getting to the basket, grabbing rebounds and playing tough defense. I saw him force three steals and block two shots on the defensive end of the floor. Jayden had a major impact on the game for his team. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to finish the game due to a sprained ankle. I believe Jayden was on his way to having a special game. in just two and a half quarters, his play kept the Fall Creek Valley team in a competitive back and forth contest with Belzer. Jayden is a tough minded guard who's strong and fearless. Playing high school basketball will be no problem at all. Keep grinding Jayden!!     Jeremiah was a bruiser in the paint! His game isn't only about scoring inside. I saw him drive around opponents and get to the basket a number of times. He can also knock down mid-range shots and long distance threes. So this goes to say, Jeremiah is an excellent scorer who gives it to his defender in a variety of ways. During the game against Belzer, he was a beast on the glass. He didn't mind battling the opposition for rebounds and scoring tough baskets over them. The game was physical and the referees let them play without many whistles. So it was about, which players had the will to play through all the contact. Jeremiah is one of those players who's tough enough to do just that. Offensively, he always found spots where he could be the most effective. He's a good interior post defender who had no issues boxing out and grabbing defensive rebounds. Jeremiah didn't go for any pump-fakes of the Belzer post players. He did a great job staying on the ground and not drawing many fouls. Jeremiah is a good all-around player who could become even better as he ages. Keep working Jeremiah!!     I truly enjoyed watching the big man play on Saturday. Robert (Rob) is the ultimate teammate! He's going to make sure he gives his all to help the Belzer team win. He came up big in the game against Fall Creek Valley by dominating the glass and scoring timely buckets in the paint. One of those baskets, came through contact. He scored and completed the three point play from the free-throw line. As i said, Big Rob was excellent on the glass. He used his size and strength to bully the Fall Creek Valley players out of grabbing rebounds. Whenever the ball was within reaching distance, Rob hands were on it. There were a lot of baskets scored by his teammates because of all the screens he set. These plays on offense lead to open jump-shots, drives to the rim and occasional pick and roll plays for Rob. I heard Big Rob has a legit jump-shot! Unfortunately, I didn't see it on this day. On defense, he was great at protecting the paint. Whenever opposing players attempted to drive the lane, guess who was there waiting? Rob blocked a couple of shots and made scoring difficult for the opposition whenever he was in the game. Rob has the size and agility to have a successful basketball career now and in the near future. Keep it up Rob!!

Some championships were won, some were lost. These young men put on performances worthy of being champions.