The Stage 2026: Scorers and Facilitators 14U

The players on this list were specialist at knocking down shots and making plays for their teammates.    Juju excelled at every statistical category in Saturday's game. Whether it was scoring, rebounding, assisting or defending, Juju was one of the catalyst to the success of Mac Elite 14U. On some occasions, he was the primary ball handler and facilitator of the offense. Some of his assists were accurate passes that led to easy scores by his teammates. Juju was excellent on the defensive glass. Most of the boards he grabbed allowed him to push the ball up-court. Juju is a good mid-range shooter who showed the capability of extending his range beyond the three-point line. Defensively, he's an excellent on-ball defender who thrived at causing opposing guards to make mistakes. Juju is an awesome shooting guard who's capable of expanding his skills even further at the next level.     Chase was the obvious leader of the Ryze Athletics team. He was the primary ball handler and facilitator of the basketball. Chase excelled at getting to the basket and making tough shots. He's a hard-nosed player who did whatever the team needed to be successful. When Ryze Athletics needed a rebound, assists, defensive stop or timely score, Chase gave it to them. He's a high percentage shooter who made the majority of his shot attempts. When he wasn't attacking the rim, he was knocking down perimeter jumpers. Chase was great at using the dribble to free himself for clean looks at the basket. Anytime Ryze Athletics 14U had an opportunity to score transition points, Chase was the main catalyst to either score or assists teammates with accurate passes. Chase is a true "floor general" who will easily transition into high school basketball.     Nas was awesome! I enjoyed watching him play as both scorer and facilitator. His ball handling skills allowed him to be an effective passer. Nas easily got around defenders and found teammates in scoring positions. Most of his assists led to positive outcomes for Illinois Bulls Association 14U. Nas used those same skills to score the basketball. He was able to drive by his opponent and score on a floater down the lane. Nas was able to do this on multiple occasions. He also showed the ability to shoot the basketball. Whenever there was an opportunity to knock down a three, Nas did so with no hesitation. Defensively, he made plays by applying pressure on the ball or playing the passing lanes. He was able to force multiple turnovers throughout the game. Nas is a promising young player with a great future ahead of him.     Cohen showed great point guard skills in the match-up versus Ryze Athletics 14U. He easily broke down defenders, attacked the paint and showed play-making ability. Cohen is an elite passer who led his team in assists with seven. Many of his passes came in a variety of ways. Some were no-looks, behind the back or bounce passes. Cohen always found a way to make the right play. He's not only a facilitator, Cohen can also score the ball. He's a viable threat from the three-point line. Cohen was able to knock down multiple shots. Often using various dribbling moves to free himself. The majority of his damage was done attacking the basket. Defensively, he stayed attached to his opponent and pressed them into mistakes. Cohen has a great chance to become a special player as his game continues to progress.      Brendan is a talented player who seems to lack confidence at times. In the games I watched him play, he seemed to turn his aggression on and off. When he turned it on in the second game, I saw his skills come to the forefront. He was excellent at getting to the basket. This led to him scoring in various ways throughout the game. Whether it was knocking down mid-range shots or extending his range outside the three-point line, [program_tooltip program_id='3587267' first='Indiana' last='Impact'] 14U had no answers on defense. Brendan gave maximum effort on both ends of the court. He hustled for rebounds, went after loose balls and forced turnovers with great pressure on opposing guards. In my opinion, Brendan has the talent to be a great player in the coming years. He needs to be more confident in his abilities. Once he does this, the sky's the limit for this young man. Work on your confidence Brendan!     Damarcus played hard on both sides of the court. He's an excellent ball handler with a quick first-step. He used that step to easily blow by defenders and score in the paint. Damarcus is a great all-around player who does all the intangibles for Fire 2030. Whether it was scoring, passing, rebounding or defending, Damarcus was the teams' “glue guy.” In my opinion, he was one of the best rebounding guards in his age bracket. Demarcus had no problems battling for rebounds despite being shorter than his opponents. Most of his offensive boards led to second chance scoring opportunities for his teammates. He's a good mid-range shooter who occasionally showed the ability to make three-pointers. On defense, he block a shot and had a couple of steals. Damarcus is a skilled player who has a chance of becoming elite in the near future.     I thoroughly enjoyed watching this young man play over the weekend. Zaiden made an instant impact on the court. In my opinion, he was one of the best passing guards at The Stage event. The majority of his assists were on the money! Some were regular, some were flashy. Whether it was behind the back, bounce or no-look passes, Zaiden was efficient as a play-maker. He's a great ball handler who has the capability of beating team defenses with penetration and decision making. Zaiden is the prototypical pass-first point guard who looks to make everyone better. He's not only a passer, he scores if he needs to score. In some instances, he found himself isolated against defenders on the wing. Zaiden easily went around the defender and scored a lay-up. Some of his scores came on jump-shots from the perimeter. Zaiden is a promising lead guard who has the skills to run a team.

The players on this list were specialist at knocking down shots and making plays for their teammates.