Eston may have been the biggest impact defender I saw on Saturday. At 5’8 he’s an absolute pest on the ball, with elite lateral quickness to consistently cut off opposing point guards and force them to turn back into trouble. Eston was forcing mistakes on the ball, and had the reaction time to jump lazy passes for a handful of steals throughout the game. In transition he was at his best as a facilitator making well timed passes to sprinting teammates, but showed he can also get all the way to the rim on his own. He helped seal the win going 3-4 at the free throw line in the final minute after temporarily going out with a cramp.

Bethel came out HOT on Friday night. Despite being the shortest guy on the court, he was constantly attacking the hoop, trying to find gaps and spots that he could penetrate and use to score. In the first two minutes of the game, he had seven of his team’s first nine points, helping build an early lead. What is a significant part of that early scoring is the fact that two of the buckets were at the cup over defenders over half a foot taller than him. One of the other aspects of his game that was most impressive was his knack for 50/50 balls. The way I saw it, those were more like 75/25 balls for him, allowing him to change the game in many ways.

He is as quick as they come at the 15U level. Bethel is an awesome athlete who finishes everything at the rim, contested or not. He is also a willing passer. On D, Eston is a hard-nosed and instinctive defender.