US Amateur Nationals Tournament Standouts (Pt. 1)
From Minnesota to our home of Florida, teams from all over the country made their way to Gainesville for the U.S. Amateur National Championships. Florida squads made their presence felt, with some players going above the rest to make a statement. Check out Part One of the standouts from the four-day event.
Daquan Gonzales: Treasure Coast Titans 2021: Gonzales did a little bit of everything on the court, but his court-vision stood out amongst the rest. In-transition, he made it a point to push the break and get it to the open man, off-the-drive. Solid rebounder, strong takes to the rim. Handles it well in traffic. There was a lot of poise in his game.
Trayvon Osbourne: Nike Team Florida 2022: Listen, this kid has a bright future ahead if he continues to bring the type of energy he did during this event. Snagging offensive rebounds, deflecting passes, making ball-handers think twice when they try to push the ball, in-transition: Osbourne was as active as they come.
Shakur Poteat: GPI All-Stars 2020: The MVP of the 10th Grade Championship Game proved he was capable, all tournament. There is a great deal of pace to his game, yet his foot is always on the gas when the ball is in his hands. Poteat can shoot gaps to finish at the rim in a blur. When on defense in out-of-bounds play situations, he’s great at snuffing out steals off long passes. Poteat is solid from three-point range. In-transition, he will find you for the quick assist.
Jeremiah Denaud: Treasure Coast Titans 2021: Overall, Denaud was one of the most prolific scorers in the entire event. In the game I saw, he came alive in the second half notching six treys and finishing with 28 points. Another guy who showed great pace to his game, but stayed very aggressive with his shot, all weekend—and it paid off.
Tyler Hendricks: Nike Team Florida 2022: Just like his teammate Trayvon, Tyler was another guard who had active hands from start to finish. He knocked away a good number of passes, forcing the opposing offense to rethink, constantly. Hendricks doesn’t get rattled when he gets the ball in the paint—he either finds an open man, or converts. He can knock down the three, and even track down his own misses for offensive boards. Solid player.