Windy City War: All Tournament Team- Baby Ballers!! 11U

It was truly an enjoyment, watching these young players succeeding at a high level. The future is very bright with the next generation of ballers!!    I enjoyed watching this young man play over the weekend. Terry is definitely a baller! Of all the players I watched in his age group, I have no problem saying he was the best. This guy has elite ball handling skills. The kind of skills where he made defenders hit the ground. Wherever he needed to go on the floor, he went. Terry easily broke down opposing defenses and made plays for the [program_tooltip program_id='2076472' first='EZ' last='Work Elite'] squad. Whether he took the ball to the basket, dished out flashy assists or nailed long-range threes, there would be no stopping him on this day. What I truly appreciated was this young man's confidence. He was never afraid of the moment. If a play needed to be made, Terry made it. Defensively, he was a major nuisance for his opponents. I counted at least four steals caused by the great on-ball pressure he applied to the opposition. Overall, this kid was awesome to watch! I look forward to seeing his growth as a player, while he continues to age and mature. Keep it up young baller!!     After the game, I told this young man how much I appreciated his play on both sides of the ball. He's a fiesty defensive player who has a deadly three-point shot. AJ plays with the fire and energy of a player who's determined not to lose. I love this attitude about him. Every coach wants a player of his caliber. Whether it was getting to the basket, hitting the floor for loose balls or locking down offensive players, AJ was a pest for the opposing team. As I said, this young man is an elite defender, who forced numerous steals and caused his opponents to make mistakes. He was also great at timing his opponents passes and stepping into pass lanes. Oh, I did mention how great of a shooter he is, right? In the game I watched, AJ nailed three shots from beyond the arc. Some of those makes were during crucial moments of the game. AJ has a bright future in the game of basketball. Keep it up young baller!!     Sherrard had some great moments in the game I watched yesterday afternoon. This young man is tough! He's an excellent one-on-one player who won most of his match-ups throughout the game. I particularly remember a play where Sherrard hit a defensive players with a nasty in-and-out hesitation dribble. The defender was headed in one direction, while Sherrard attacked the basket for an easy lay-up. He's a great scorer who put the ball through the basket in a variety of ways. Getting to the rim, nailing mid-range shots and hitting clutch threes. On defense, he excelled at playing the pass lanes. Whenever the opposing team threw cross court passes, Sherrard generated turnovers that led to positive outcomes for his team. Sherrard has a bright future at the shooting guard position. Keep it up young baller!!     Connor was a serious threat from behind the arc over the weekend. During the game I watched this little guy nail three of them, while being contested by taller defenders. He has a quick release that makes defending him hard to do. Connor doesn't need much space to get his shot off. He's a small guard who plays much bigger than his size. He's not afraid of absorbing contact from larger defenders. In fact, he goes right at them with no fear. With Connor's size, he excelled at driving into the paint and unleashing high arching floaters over the defense. Many of these shots fell throughout the game. He's a really good ball handler and play-maker. Connor had no problems finding open teammates for high percentage shots at the basket. With continued growth and maturity, Connor could become a special player as the years progress. Keep it up young baller!!     Johnny is an excellendt ball handler who masde plays as a scorer and facilitator. During the game I watched this young man play the combo guard spot at a high level. He made plays with slick passes to teammates cutting near the basket. Many of his assists came when he attacked the paint, drew in the defense an found open players at the basket. Don't be fooled by his passing ability! This little guy can score the ball too. Most of his damage came from the outside. Johnny showed off his shooting touch by nailing multiple threes and connecting on numerous shots from mid-range. Defensively, Johnny was an ace at sticking with his opponent. He was great at not giving them space to be effective within the offense. Johnny has all the traits of an quality combo guard of the future. Keep it up young baller!!     After watching Tyler play, I saw a leader who always made sure his teammates were in the places they needed to be. I guess it helps when you're the coach's son. The coaching gene automatically passes down to you. Tyler is a great spot-up shooter who knocked down most of his shots once he got his feet set. During the game I watched him make a couple of threes and a host of mid-range jump-shots. I was really impressed with his effort on both the offensive and defensive glass. Many of his offensive rebounds led to second chance points. His teammates capitalized on this by knocking down threes or attacking the paint. On defense, Tyler blocked a couple of shots and applied good on-ball pressure against his opponents. He gave maximum effort on the defensive side of the court. With his overall basketball skills and leadership, Tyler has a bright future ahead of him. Keep it up young baller!!     Parker is the prototypical point guard who always looked to setup teammates with easy scores. He's a pass first player who prides himself on being the key facilitator of the Viking United 11U offense. Parker was great at breaking down the opposing defense and making plays for his teammates. Whenever he drove to the basket, either he scored on floaters or dished off assists to other Viking players. Many of his dimes were converted into scores by his teammates. Parker also showed the ability to knock down mid-range shots and threes whenever the opportunity was available. On defense, he showed quick hands and great foot speed to stay with opposing guards. Parker forced his opponents into numerous mistakes and turnovers. As he continues to grow as a point guard, Parker will have a bright future ahead of him. Keep it up young baller!!     Michael was a tough player who scored in the paint over smaller defenders. He attacked the glass and dominated the boards on both ends of the floor. Michael was great at running screen and rolls. Whenever the [program_tooltip program_id='2830289' first='Vikings' last='United'] coaches setup this play, it proved to be effective. Michael was bale to consistently score around the basket and grab offensive rebounds. Many of those boards turned into easy put-backs or kick -out passes to open teammates. Whenever the team had opportunities to run fast-breaks, he was able to finish at the rim. Defensively, Michael was great at blocking shots and defending the paint. His presence in the lane made scoring a serious task for the opposing team. As he continues to enhance his skills, Michael's game will take a major step in the right direction. Keep it up young baller!!     The big man was the most dominant player in the paint during yesterday's game. He was great at drawing contact from defenders and scoring through it. Some were called and some were not. The fouls that were called, gave him the opportunity to convert three-point plays from the foul-line. Jaylen really excelled at rebounding and shot-blocking. He was ferocious on the boards! Especially the offensive glass. Many of his rebounds led to easy put-back scores or passes to teammates on the perimeter. Jaylen showed his value as a team player. He did this by setting screens and freeing up [program_tooltip program_id='2830289' first='Vikings' last='United'] players for clean looks at the basket. Defensively, he was great at protecting the paint. Whenever an opposing player drove the lane, Jaylen forced them into tough shots. He finished the game with a couple of shot-blocks and a serious physical presence inside. Keep it up young baller!!     Kendall played the guard position well over the weekend. He showed all the traits of a player who is capable of being a lead guard. This young guy has a good handle of the basketball. He attacked his defender and easily got into the painted area of the court. When Kendall attacked the basket, he scored over taller defenders or found teammates near the basket. Kendall showed flashes of a great point-guard. He can also move over the the two-guard spot if needed. Kendall showed his scoring prowess by knocking down mid-range shots and long-distance threes. He has knowledge of using teammates' screens and finding ways to be aggressive on the offensive end of the court. These are all things a shooting guard would do. I believe Kendall will continue to grow in the combo-guard position, both physically and mentally. Keep it up young baller!!

It was truly an enjoyment, watching these young players succeeding at a high level. The future is very bright with the next generation of ballers!!