NEXT National Championships: All Tourney Team 12U

The top players from the class of 2031 truly shined over the weekend. These young man displayed all the traits needed to be successful basketball players.    A shifty pass first point guard who showed excellent leadership. Kai was the leader in assists during Power 5 12U's first game of the day. Many of his passes were on the money when teammates found themselves in scoring positions. He's a great ball handler who easily broke down his opponents off the dribble. Kai attacked the paint and scored high arching floaters over taller defensive players. He always looked to push the pace for the Power 5 squad. Whenever the team ran, Kai showed his effectiveness. He was the catalyst on the team's fast-break opportunities. Kai generated steals with his defense while jump-starting the offense. He was great at drawing in defenders and kicking out passes to teammates for open looks. Every time he attacked the paint, Kai made positive plays. He's an excellent floor general with a great future ahead of him. Keep it up Kai!!      Brock was the primary ball handler and facilitator on his team. He plays both guard positions at a high level. Whether it was scoring, passing, rebounding or defending, Brock found ways to be effective on the basketball court. He showed great leadership by communicating with his team on offense and defense. Most of his assists led to easy scores for his teammates around the basket or along the perimeter. He easily handles the ball and beats defenders to the rim. Brock showed a knack for knocking down contested shots from mid or long range. Defensively, Brock excelled at being a great on-ball defender. He forced numerous turnovers and caused opposing guards to commit various mistakes. He's an excellent combo guard who will become even better as he continues to grow and mature.     Harlan is a great spot-up shooter. He always found ways to free himself for open looks at the basket. Harlan was great at utilizing teammate screens and movement within the Mambas Yellow offense. During the match-up against Power 5 12U, Harlan knocked down three shots from beyond the arc. He also showed the ability to score from mid-range. There were sequences in the game where Harlan used nice dribble moves to free himself for twenty-foot jump-shots. He was great at rebounding the basketball. Harlan attacked the glass and provided his teammates with second chance opportunities to score. He showed no fear of battling opposing players for rebounds. Harlan is a great shooter already. I expect him to be even better in the future. Keep shooting Harlan!!     Ja'Siyah continues to be a player who gives maximum effort on the basketball court. This is my second write up of Ja'Siyah. He's an excellent rebounder who attacks the glass no matter who opposes him in the paint. Many of his boards led to Ja'Siyah scoring put-backs around the rim. He attacked his opponents and scored on tough drives going to the basket. Whenever All-In-Sports 12U found themselves in fast-break opportunities, Ja'Siyah ran the floor and finished strong. He continues to be an above average perimeter shooter. Ja'Siyah had no problems knocking down mid-range jumpers throughout the game. He's a great all-around player who scores, rebounds and defends. Having these traits will allow Ja'Siyah to have a successful basketball career.     He's a great two-way player who showed the ability to be effective on both sides of the court. Whether he handles the ball, scores, passes or rebounds, Dravin had a knack for making plays. In one-on-one match-ups, he easily beat defenders to the basket. Many of his drives led to tough scores, some through contact. He's a great free-throw shooter who converted most of his three-point play opportunities. Dravin is a good mid-range shooter. He knocked down a variety of shots regardless of who defended him. He can also extend his range beyond the three point line. Dravin converted three during their first match-up against All-In-Sports 12U. Defensively, he was great at applying pressure on opposing ball handlers. His tenaciousness forced a number of turnovers that led to positive outcomes for PE34 12U. He's a great all-around player with a promising future as a shooting guard.     This young man was definitely EWA 12U's best shooter. Maddox always found ways of making himself available within the team offense. Maddox was in constant motion by running around in the EWA offensive sets. His teammates set effective screens and coaches ran plays to get him open looks. There was a sequence during the game, when Maddox caught fire. He knocked down two consecutive threes and energized his teammates. Maddox is not only a shooter, he is great at beating defenders and attacking the paint. He scored numerous lay-ups at the rim. (Some through contact) Maddox is a more effective shooter of the basketball. After watching him play, I view him as more of a shooter than a person who attacks the basket. Maddox is a great all-around scorer who has a weapon that all coaches want to have, A three-point threat. Keep shooting Maddox!!     Jacob is an aggressive combo guard who is skilled enough to play as the team's scorer or primary facilitator. Jacob handles the ball with skill. He easily breaks down opposing players off the dribble. Jacob made plays by winning his one-on-one match-ups. His victories led to him scoring in the paint or dishing out assists to his teammates. Jacob showed the ability to knock down short perimeter shots. In some instances, Jacob was able to make plays slashing to the basket or scoring in transition. He made a couple of threes by using hesitation dribbles to free himself. This allowed Jacob to have good looks at the rim. He's a good passer who often found teammates cutting to the basket for easy scores. Jacob is an excellent combo guard who could be great in the near future. Keep working Jacob!!     Brayden is an athletic big man who handles the ball, scores in the paint and defends. In the game against Venoms, he dominated in the post with great balance and footwork. These traits allowed him to score around the basket with power or finesse. Many of his baskets led to three-point play opportunities, after being fouled by Venoms players. Brayden can also score from the wing. Whether it was beating his opponent to the rim or sticking mid-range jumpers, defending him was tough for the Venoms team. He was a monster on the defensive end of the floor. Brayden blocked numerous shots and turned away Venoms players when they attacked the paint. He finished the game with four blocks as the primary rim protector for his team. Brayden is a talented big man who shows a lot of promise. I expect him to be a top player in the near future.     The big man showed an excellent post presence in the paint. Elijah can score around the basket with either hand. He was able to dominate inside by scoring over smaller defenders. Elijah is the perfect teammate. He works hard and does whatever it takes to be effective on both ends of the court. Elijah is a great rebounder of the basketball. I believe he finished the game with a double-double. He showed off his athleticism by running the floor and finishing strong during transition. Elijah surprised me by knocking down mid-range jump-shots. For most of the game, he did all his damage inside the paint. It was great to see Elijah displaying other facets of his game. Defensively, he blocked shots and excelled at making scoring difficult for the opposing team. Keep working Elijah!!     Tony is an aggressive scorer of the basketball. He easily attacks opponents and beats them off the dribble. Whether it's scoring in the paint or knocking down mid and long range shots, Tony found ways to be effective offensively. He shows a great all-around game that allowed him to play at a high level. Tony is a excellent passer! He was great at finding teammates with slick dimes. Some were behind the back, some were no-looks. Most of his assists led to high percentage shots on the perimeter or in the paint. Tony is a strong guard who showed the ability to finish through contact on most occasions. He was one of the best rebounding guards on the floor. Tony didn't mind enduring the physicality needed to fight for rebounds. He's a tough minded guard who has every quality a coach would want. Keep it up Tony!!

The top players from the class of 2031 truly shined over the weekend. These young man displayed all the traits needed to be successful basketball players.