Nevada Live: Best Glue Guys

LAS VEGAS — Many of the best high school basketball teams and prospects from California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah made the trip to Vegas for the inaugural Nevada Live Invitational. More than 120 programs packed the Las Vegas Basketball Center - and surrounding high school gyms - to play in front of college coaches in the final scholastic live viewing period of June. Below we break down players who may not be highly-ranked or generate a ton of coverage but are imperative for their team's success.    What Sanchez brings to the table for Corona del Mar is important for the team's offensive flow. The 6-foot-3 guard/wing is a high IQ playmaker who often defends bigger players because of his understanding of defensive positioning and his strong frame allows him to hold his own inside and on the glass. Sanchez's ability to stretch the floor to the three-point line, operate as a screener and his vision and passing feel allows the Sea Kings to play a free-flowing, five-out style of offense. The rising senior came up big in the championship game with a game-winning three at the buzzer.     Mullen has an elite skill that translates to every level and that's his catch-and-shoot consistency out to the three-point line. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard/wing stayed true to his role at Nevada Live and provided vertical spacing for the bevy of slashing guards and wings that Gorman has on its roster. Mullen was always shot ready off the catch, has textbook shooting mechanics and his positional size and high release allowed him to get clean looks at the rim.     Murray embodies the basketball term "swiss army knife" because of his impact in a variety of aspects of the game. The 6-foot-2 guard knocked down open threes with consistency, put the ball on the deck and created for teammates and even got a couple buckets on post-ups. Murray is well-schooled in the fundamentals of the game and competed at a high level at Nevada Live.     Palmer is a perfect table-setting point guard for Francis Parker as his combination of speed, strength, low center of gravity and physicality allowed him to attack the paint in transition and spray the ball out to open shooters. The 5-foot-10 rising junior operates with a steady pace in the open court and put the defense on its heels while remaining controlled to make smart decisions.     Benn brought a steadying force on both ends of the floor for Etiwanda. The 6-foot point guard played a physical brand of on-ball defense but not at the expense of lateral speed or the ability to disrupt opposing ball handlers with his quick hands. Offensively, Benn carried himself as a pass-first style of player who organized offense, put teammates in position to be successful, limited turnovers and made open shots when they came his way.     Yim's ability to tailor his game to the needs of his team has always been one of his most impressive traits. The 5-foot-10 combo guard was best in catch-and-shoot situations over the weekend but he also evolved into a primary ball-handler, off-ball playmaker and transition scoring and passing threat when the game called for it. Yim can go from complimentary piece to go-to guy between possessions.     After a successful championship run at Section 7, Redondo went back-to-back at Nevada Live with Albala being one of the driving forces. The 5-foot-6 point guard is one of the most scrappy on-ball defenders in the region and is the trigger guy in Redondo's full court pressure. Offensively, Albala was constantly looking to set teammates up for good looks. He used his speed to get into the lane, played off of two feet and delivered on-time and on-target passes to teammates. Albala also flashed his improved three-point shooting ability off the catch.

LAS VEGAS — Many of the best high school basketball teams and prospects from California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah made the trip to Vegas for the inaugural Nevada Live Invitational. More than 120 programs packed the Las Vegas Basketball Center - and surrounding high school gyms - to play in front of college coaches in the final scholastic live viewing period of June. Below we break down players who may not be highly-ranked or generate a ton of coverage but are imperative for their team's success.