UA Rise Circuit: Virginia Standouts

Under Armour held its spring “Live” period event in Ohio over the weekend, featuring competition across the Under Armour Association, UA Rise, and UA Grind circuits. Here is a look at the standouts from the Virginia based 17u teams on the UA Rise Circuit.    While it was a difficult weekend on the court for VA Elite, Djossinou turned in a very impressive performance in Saturday's loss to Peninsula Gold. The junior forward scored 16 points and consistently shot the ball well from beyond the arc while showcasing the versatility in his offensive game. Possessing good positional size and length, Djossinou is very comfortable operating facing the basket and showed the ability to make plays off the dribble for himself or teammates. He can also score on the block, giving him legitimate inside/outside scoring ability and making him a difficult matchup at the offensive end. His combination of size, skill, and offensive versatility makes him an intriguing 2027 frontcourt prospect.     The junior point guard provided a spark off the bench for VA Elite and was very impressive throughout the game. He scored 10 points while shooting the ball exceptionally well from beyond the arc, consistently spacing the floor and making defenses pay for helping off of him. He also showed a strong understanding of how to use ball screens effectively to create offense and make smart reads with the basketball in his hands. Combined with his good strength and high basketball IQ, he continues to emerge as a very steady and reliable backcourt prospect.     Tabb is an aggressive, scoring left handed wing who posted 19 points on Saturday against SW15H Elite while consistently putting pressure on the defense. A shifty, athletic perimeter prospect, he does a very good job getting to the rim and creating offense off the dribble. Tabb can also knock down shots both off the catch and off the bounce, giving him the ability to score at multiple levels. His combination of athleticism, scoring instincts, and offensive versatility makes him a difficult matchup on the wing.     Lacey is a skilled wing with good size and versatility who turned in a strong performance with 17 points in a narrow loss to SW15H Elite on Saturday. He shot the ball very well from beyond the arc and consistently showed his value as a floor-spacing offensive threat. Lacey possesses good length and pick-and-pop ability, while also showing the capability to score with a midrange pull up jumper off the dribble. Combined with his high basketball IQ and offensive versatility, he continues to emerge as a college prospect on the wing.     Branch is a quick, scoring, sharp shooting lead guard who consistently creates offense with the basketball in his hands. Very skilled off the dribble, he changes speeds well and does an excellent job keeping defenders off balance while attacking downhill. The junior is a confident shot maker with deep shooting range and the ability to create his own offense at multiple levels. He also shows a strong understanding of how to use ball screens effectively to create scoring opportunities for himself and keep the defense in rotation.

Under Armour held its spring “Live” period event in Ohio over the weekend, featuring competition across the Under Armour Association, UA Rise, and UA Grind circuits. Here is a look at the standouts from the Virginia based 17u teams on the UA Rise Circuit.