16U Players Who Impressed in Vegas Day 1
The end of the summer is finally here as this is the final tournament of the summer for grassroots season as we transition into season. On Day 1 in Las Vegas, Colorado teams impressed as they won some games and had some standout performances, here’s who stood out in 16U on Day 1.
Devin Carter
The Colorado Hawks escaped after a huge game from Devin Carter who has been on a year this summer. He does it all, from deep three-pointers that keep the defense at bay to slicing to the rim and finishing in traffic, he’s been his usual scoring self. In the game, it was Carter who got them by with 28 point including a dominating overtime performance. He sets the tone on defense with open court steals and has showcased that he can take over at any time. He’s making his argument for No.1 in the class.
Graham Ike
Graham was dominant from start to finish and it was his hustle that got it done and had him as one of the best performances from a Colorado player on the day. He’s a bit under the radar but with games like this it’s easy to see why he’s becoming a more consistent name. He can score and dominates the paint, but it was his work on the glass that really set him apart. He finished with 18 points and eight rebounds as he gave his team multiple second chance opportunities. He’s been showing that he’s more comfortable and improving on the block and with him and Devin Carter playing like this, going to be tough to beat this team.
Christian Speller
Christian is the multi-tool for the Colorado Miners that gets it done in a variety of ways Nd is a coaches team. He’s a tweener that can play a guar position, or go down low and bang with the bugs and he let his presence be known as he dominate the high post. He’s a slasher that finds ways to get open and finishes amongst the trees when he has to. He’s worked on his mid range game as well and that’s only opening up more scoring opportunities for him and making it easier for others. He’s also a tenacious defender that has the ability to guard multiple positions and will be where he separates himself.
Lian Romero
Colorado Hoops guard Lian Romero has put in the work and has shown he’s one of the most improved players in the state and he took that show on the road and continued to show his progression. He’s in Vegas although they’re competing in the Big Foot tournament, he’s still impressing. He’s been the primary ball handler and play maker for this squad and his ability to free himself and make plays for others while also scoring is why he’s one of the biggest stock boosters of the summer. As long as he’s at his best, his team has a chance.
Sam Schliep
Of all the Colorado players in Vegas, none had as big of a opening night as Sam did as he delivered the game winning shot for the Colorado Chaos. The shot was all over Twitter and he also delivered a great interview immediately after. Sam has a knack for making the right play and giving his all every moment that he’s on the court rather it’s stepping in front of a guy to take a charge, taking the tough assignment on defense or as we can see, hitting the big shot, this is a player to keep on your radar.