BTM Basketball-London Showcase (16U)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coach<strong> Joe Callero</strong> of Passport Basketball, (who was previously a head Division-1 coach and in college basketball for 33 years), was recently at <strong>Cal Poly</strong> in the Big West from 2009-2019, is now directing a unique basketball and international experience which started two years ago with players from Washington and some NorCal players and that was Arizona's 1st year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I personally invited athletes for a 18U team and a 16U team and I will be traveling with the team for the week and scouting the players.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It is a week trip to London playing versus talented players from the UK. (The two teams will play in 3 games, which are reportedly the three best 16 and 18 and under teams in London.) They will be playing long games with actual&nbsp;<strong>FIBA</strong>&nbsp;rules on big courts that were played on by former Olympians on famous courts in London.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The other days they will be traveling around London with their families that are going with them and doing bus tours, checking out famous landmarks and simply exploring London. Some will make it to Paris, France, checking out Wimbledon tennis courts on the one off day or go watch a famous Premier League soccer match.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 8 local U16 players who are experiencing this unique trip are</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/btmbasketball/status/1946498419926712562","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/btmbasketball/status/1946498419926712562 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Some vitals of the 8 16U players:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ryder Brainis PG 5'10 2028 New Hampton/NH (#3)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The former Rancho Solano standout PG brings that much needed ball handling and speed to the team and he sees the court well. He makes advance passes and he can score with pull-ups and threes off the catch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2909631' first='Garret' last='Fulton'] Rancho Solano Prep (#10)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A skilled scoring guard who is known for his shooting. He will catch and shoot from mid to the three point line and can occasionally straight line drive to the basket to score. He plays from the neck up. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2533645' first='Wyatt' last='Fulton'] <strong>Rancho Solano Prep (#5)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A skilled combo guard who can handle the lead role. He plays on or off the ball seamlessly. Him and Ryder will take on a big role in handling the heavy pressure of the athletic guards we will play against in Great Britain. He will also be asked to defend the best guard on every team plus score. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2275986' first='KJ' last='Fauske']<strong> Seton Catholic (#2)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>KJ will have the most pressure on him with having some international experience. He will be asked to score the most points from all levels and handle some of the ball handling as well. His shooting with range will be needed plus pulling up from mid.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2432568' first='Cyler' last='Jessup'] <strong>Valley Christian (#1)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A quickly growing taller guard plays mostly off the ball but can handle it a pinch. He has longer limbs and shoots the three off catch. He can get hot quickly and has improved taking the ball to the basket. He is defending better with his improved height and length. He also has international experience. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2731627' first='Parker' last='Bowden'] <strong>Mesa (#21) </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long wing forward with a feel and next level court vision. He handles the ball fairly well for his size and position and can score from inside and out with threes and drives to the basket. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2297437' first='Dylan' last='Vargas'] <strong>San Tan Charter (#6)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A defensive power forward who is cerebral. He is one of the better passers in the group and will rebound, run the floor and block shots. He scores it around the rim with quick rip thrus and will dunk it easily with some power. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2107084' first='Adam' last='Medina'] <strong>Gilbert (#11)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Arguably the top post scorer of the group has great length, good hands and a soft touch around the basket. He is another that always seems to find an open teammate in stride. He is patient in the post but can also step out and shoot the three. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This team fits with enough guards, shooters, inside and out threats and IQ's for the FIBA game. They do lack a traditional post but are ready for the challenge.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>NOTE:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We will be taking 2 teams again next year most likely from <strong>July 27th-August 3rd, 2026</strong>. (18U/16U)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Invites will go out around mid-September/October for next year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>If interested, don't be shy to reach out to me via email, text or social media.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A live feed</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://www.veo.co/product/veo-live#live-app">https://www.veo.co/product/veo-live#live-app</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->