Program Preview: Team Harden 17U
As the second round of the adidas Gauntlet roles around, a couple of Arizona teams are preparing to make the trip to Atlanta. One of those teams is the 17U Team Harden group that is new to Arizona. Here is a breakdown of the team and their past performance in Dallas, Texas.
Team Breakdown
Jaelen House
Image provided by AIA365House was the most productive player at the adidas Gauntlet in Dallas for Team Harden. Over the past couple of tournaments, House has flat out dominated. What has impressed me the most is his ability to finish around the rim. In addition, in the last couple of minutes of games, he has a killer instinct and refuses to lose. House is playing at an extremely high level for this group, and he should be ready to have yet another solid performance in Atlanta.
Keontae White
– White is a new addition to Arizona, and he is quickly making a name for himself. The lefty point guard creates a shot for himself as well as anyone in the state. Furthermore, he plays with a lot of aggressiveness and has good athleticism.
Vershawn Cotton
– After finishing his national schedule with Hillcrest Prep, Cotton has moved on to Team Harden. Cotton is a solid guard with a high basketball IQ. His athleticism and length is a game changer for him at the PG spot.
Jaden Lee
– Lee is a dynamic guard who has improved his on-ball defense and shooting tremendously. His elite level athleticism and length have made him a very difficult to defend. Lee’s stock should continue to rise as he plays well with this highly talented team.
Lunden Taylor
– Taylor is a solid guard who does whatever is needed to get the job done. He takes care of the basketball well, plays physical, shoots the ball well, and plays tough defense. He is very fundamentally sound and it is huge reason why he has had success in the past and present at the Gauntlet.
Darion Spottsville
– Spottsville’s defense, athleticism, and toughness make him a great next level prospect. He does whatever is needed of him and does it at a high level. He is a versatile player who can be used in an array of ways on the offensive and defensive end.
Team Performance
As a group, Harden went 1-3 in Dallas in their first out of state tournament as a group. However, there was a lot of positives with the group.
Deven Breckner was one of the huge positive and demonstrated that he is capable of playing this game at the next level. Despite his size, Breckner has a solid handle and is fundamentally sound. His ability to shoot the basketball off of the catch or off of the dribble are huge. Moreover, he is a good point guard who sees the floor well and gets his teammates involved. Look for him to have even more production in Atlanta this weekend.
In addition to Breckner, a couple of other players who had great weekends for Team Harden were: Lunden Taylor, Jaelen House, and Keontae White. This trio of guards is tough. They all have an ability to create for themselves as well as others. In addition, they are all capable shooters who are capable of playing the combo guard role and playing off of the ball. For Harden to have success this weekend, these guys will have to keep up their production.