Jimmy John's Grassroots Championships- Top Performers

These young men showed out over the weekend! The classes of two thousand twenty-nine, thirty and thirty-one were represented in a big way Saturday afternoon.    Kingston is a hooper! This is my second write up for this young man. The first time I watched him play, I was impressed by his skills on the basketball court. He continues to play an aggressive style, which allowed him to be effective on offense. Kingston was great at drawing contact from his opponents by staying in constant "attack mode" throughout the game. This allowed him to convert multiple free-throws on numerous occasions. He's a good ball handler with the ability to breakdown defenses, while getting to the basket. Many of those scores came through contact from Gibson Southern players. Kingston's an excellent shooter from both mid or long range. During the game I watched him nail four three-pointers from well beyond the arc. He also scored in transition by forcing the Gibson Southern players into mistakes and turnovers. Defensively, he was able to pressure opposing players with great on-ball defense. I'm certain, he lead his team in scoring with 15 to 17 points. Kingston is a very skilled 6th grader. I believe he's a star in the making. Keep it up Kingston!!     I really enjoyed watching this young man play. Lawson did a little of everything on the basketball court. His performance was vital to the success of the Gibson Southern squad. Lawson showed the ability to score from all over he court. He used his size to seal off the Blaze (Orange) players and score at will in the paint. On numerous occasions, I was pleasantly surprised by the things Lawson did on the court. He's a big kid who has excellent ball handling ability. He was able to breakdown his defender and get to the basket many times. Lawson also showed off his agility by running the floor and finishing baskets in transition. He knocked down multiple threes and made a couple of pull-up jump-shots on the perimeter. Lawson lead the team in both scoring and rebounding during the game. On defense, he was able to make plays by forcing steals and making scoring difficult for the opposition. Keep working Lawson!!     Before the game, DeMarkus told me "he was getting buckets" well, he wasn't wrong. This is the second time I'm writing him up for Prephoopsnext. He showed more aggression than he did the first time around. He scores, passes and knocks down jump-shots. DeMarkus has great one-on-one moves to get around defenders. He either scored or dished off assists to teammates at the basket. This guy was able to score on a between the legs lay-up during a fast-break. Who does that? He did! DeMarkus was already sound on the defensive side of the ball when I saw him play the first time. Nothing has changed on that end of the court. He forced turnovers by causing multiple steals from the opposing team. There were even a couple of blocks on his part. In my opinion, DeMarkus continues to show he's a good all-around player, who has a chance to be great. He finished the game with (18 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks.) Keep balling DeMarkus!!     Luke played the point guard position at a very high level Saturday afternoon. Every pass he threw to his teammates was crisp and on the money. He also showed elite ball handling ability. Luke easily broke down the Owen Valley defense and made plays at the basket. Many of these plays lead to easy scores for himself or timely passes to others. He also showed the ability to knock down long range and perimeter shots. Despite being closely guarded by Owen Valley players, he took shots with no hesitation. Luke was deadly from behind the arc on Saturday, nailing five threes in the process. He was also one of the best rebounding guards I watched in the tournament. Luke had no fear of going into the paint and fighting for boards regardless of his opponents. On defense, he was great at applying pressure to opposing guards. In my opinion, he was the best "floor general" on the court. Keep it up Luke!!     I watched Royce play last year at the Indiana State Championships. He was a killer! This kid showed the ability of making defenders look bad with his ball handling and scoring prowess. He literally did everything on the floor, both offensively and defensively. After watching him play Saturday, I think he's added another dimension to his game. With his growth spurt he now plays like a power forward. He scores more in the post, grabs rebounds and blocks shots. He also runs the floor and finishes in transition. Royce had a couple of impressive chase down blocks on the Owen Valley players. Last year, this guy played the point forward position. He was great at finding teammates with nice dimes, knocking down perimeter shots, stepping behind the arc and confidently nailing them. It was my first time seeing Royce play in a long time, so I don't want to say his game's changed completely. Maybe he played like the Royce I know in a game I didn't see. If Royce, has those same guard skills, to go along with being an effective post player; he'll be well on his way to becoming an elite player. Keep working Royce!!     Jet really impressed me Saturday afternoon. He played an excellent all-around game and showed his effectiveness on both sides of the ball. Jet's play style gave off the impression of a player who can do anything offensively. He's good at using the dribble to blow by defenders and score at the basket. There was a play he made by slashing to the rim and scoring through contact. He drew the foul, stepped to the line and converted the three-point play. This young guy was really locked-in during the game against team Blaze (Blue). On multiple occasions, Jet was able to be effective in the post by grabbing offensive rebounds and scoring on put-backs. He also showed great footwork in the paint that lead to easy scores or assists to players cutting down the lane. Jet showed off the ability to knock down perimeter shots by creating space off the dribble, pulling up and knocking it down. He can also extend his shooting range beyond the arc, if the opportunity presents itself. Defensively, Jet was able to defend in the paint and on the wings of the floor. He also protected the paint by forcing Blaze (Blue) players into tough shots with his length. On the wing, he showed the ability to play good on-ball defense and pressure opposing players into mistakes. Jet will have no problems transitioning into high school basketball. Keep it up Jet!!     Hudson is a good low post scorer who dominated the offensive glass. He was able to score many of his points by grabbing offensive rebounds and scoring on put-backs at the rim. He's an excellent team player who did whatever he needed to help Gibson Southern win. Whether it was setting screens, freeing up teammates for shots, taking charges, diving for loose balls or being a defensive presence; Hudson was able to make a difference. On a few occasions, he was able to show off his athleticism by running the floor and scoring during fast-break opportunities. On defense, he was able to patrol the paint, while making scoring difficult for the Blaze (Orange) players. Hudson was able to block a couple of shots and grab defensive rebounds. If Hudson can be more aggressive on offense, he could be a force as he continues to grow and mature. Keep working Hudson!!

These young men showed out over the weekend! The classes of two thousand twenty-nine, thirty and thirty-one were represented in a big way Saturday afternoon.