Inspire Rise Above Tournament: top rebounders
July live period is over, and plenty of Arizona’s talented basketball players are back in-state to compete before school and, eventually, high school basketball starts.
Here are some of the rebounders that stood out at the Inspire Rise Above Tournament in Gilbert, Arizona.
Ibrahima Camara of the Alpha Males was certainly not the tallest on his squad, which features several players of size who will undoubtedly be on college basketball teams in the coming years. But, in this tournament, he used his athleticism and quickness to get to the right spots off opponent misses to collect as many rebounds as anybody on the floor. He made the right passes to get the Alpha Males into transition, which led them to the finals of the tournament.
Gary Spears of AZ Future used his large frame to position himself in front of opponents, and could not be moved when he set his feet to box out. He did not show standout leaping ability, but had a nose for the ball and got to the right spots to pull down the ball with both hands.
Jaylin Fleming of TWE made his presence felt with his hustle. A guard, he was certainly not the biggest player on the floor, but used his leaping ability to jump over opponents to pull down boards. He is speedy as well, using the boards to either dribble down the court or make outlet passes.
Jalen Graham, possibly the tournament’s top big man for the Alpha Dogs, towered over most players at all stages. Though he was likely a bit worn out from a ton of tournaments over the last few weeks, he still found himself at the correct spots to pull down rebounds, especially on offense for second-chance points.
Khadar Sheikh of AZ Legends was the biggest player on the floor often for his team, and definitely played as such. He played great defense, and always seemed to pull down contested boards, especially late in close games.