Bash in the Desert 17U 7th Team

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>May 2nd-4th I attended the annual&nbsp;<strong>Bash in the Desert</strong>&nbsp;at the Phhacility and Cortez HS locations. It had exactly 60 teams total and I watched almost every team in 17U and 16U and some of the 15U teams to form a good opinion of the field.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I watched 23 of the 25 17U teams and</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here is my 7th team&nbsp;<strong>All-Individual Teams</strong>&nbsp;for 17U:&nbsp;</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1736170' first='Kareem' last='Alkhalifa'] Pinnacle (Peak 17 National)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A two-way wing can defend multiple positions. He will catch and shoot from the three point line and will score put backs off the glass. He will grab a rebound and push it up the court. He smartly cuts off the ball for easy buckets and plays a cerebral game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>RJ Lopez PG 5'5 2026 Coronado/TX (El Paso Aztecs 17)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A tough undersized scoring point guard can fill it up from two levels. He will jet past his defenders with layups using his left hand, score on back door layups using his quickness and catch and shoot from the three. His handle and confidence are very high.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2850603' first='Tony' last='Lopez'] Estrella Foothills (AZGorrilaAZ 17)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A sturdy framed power forward is a newcomer for me. He is surprisingly a terrific passer as a true point forward type. He uses his strong frame and motor to get on the glass and corral rebounds with two hands. He will score it with mid-range jumpers and put backs.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1735379' first='David' last='Mans'] Pinnacle (Peak 17 Regional)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A highly skilled power forward is your face-up type. He has a nice shooting stroke from the three point line and will score with offensive rebound put backs and hook shots. His right hand hook shot is very polished and he outlets the ball well after he snatches the ball in traffic with two-hands.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2850600' first='A'Vari' last='Piper'] Westview (AZGorrilaAZ 17)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another newcomer is a long and fluid power forward who scores it efficiently in the painted area. He runs the court and he can handle it a little plus throw it down on the break with some sneaky impressive bounce.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lucas Roberts Anacortes/WA (PNW Rain 17)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long and very lean wing forward is a catch and shoot gunner from the three point line. He can create his own offense off the dribble and use the tear drop in the lane. He shows hustle to rebound and block shots plus defends well in space. His shooting range is from well beyond the arc to the volleyball line.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Spencer Roberts Anacortes/WA (PNW Rain 17)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another long and lean wing forward who can make shots off the dribble and get to his spots. He will score with offensive rebound put backs and fall aways off of his defender.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Adrian Rodriguez CG 6'0 2026 El Dorado/TX (El Paso Matrix 17)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A combo guard with feel and skill. He will catch and shoot from the three point line and will smartly move without the ball and can euro down the lane to score. He moves the ball like you should and has that inner toughness and a big IQ. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1949908' first='AJ' last='Taylor'] Bella Vista Prep (Team Supreme 17-2)&nbsp;(Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long and quick scoring guard is very fluid. He has grown maybe two inches and he can hit the three off the catch in rhythm and mid-range pull-ups. He has a quick burst to the basket with advanced body control and rebounds well with his improved size and length. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->