2A State Tournament: Glue Guys
If you walk into an open gym anywhere in small-town Oklahoma, you’re liable to find a special talent grinding away his summers in pursuit of accolades in the spring. And For teams that contend for championships, you’re more likely to…
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Continue ReadingIf you walk into an open gym anywhere in small-town Oklahoma, you’re liable to find a special talent grinding away his summers in pursuit of accolades in the spring. And For teams that contend for championships, you’re more likely to find more than one. On those teams, their cultures surround and glorify hard work. Really, most of these teams are made up of an entire roster of dedicated individuals committed to compromising their singularity to pursue a Gold Ball. On those teams, such as the eight teams that showed up last weekend in the 2A State Tournament in Oklahoma City, a single player often tends to emerge as a leader and exemplify hustle. In. basketball, we call these players “glue guys,” for their ability to draw a team together with their adhesive influence. These were the best glue guys at the 2A tournament last weekend:
Bryan Villalobos 2019 Hennessey wing
Bryan Villalobos scored 19 points in Hennessey’s first-round win over Vanoss, hitting four 3-pointers and shooting 100 percent at the free throw line. Five-foot-11-inch Villalobos was far from the tallest player on the floor, but made up for his lack of stature with a surplus of hustle. Most notably, he knocked down the game-tying put-back bucket at the buzzer to send the semifinal game to overtime after trailing by 7 points in the final minutes of the game. Thanks to Villalobos, the Eagles advanced to the State Championship after coming away with the win in adage time. Villalobos was essentially the ultimate glue guy last weekend.
Tucker Bucher 2020 Vanoss guard
Tucker Bucher added reliable shooting to Vanoss’s attack on Thursday night as well as relentless defensive tenacity. The 5-foot-10 shooting guard helped to keep Vanoss in the game after undertaking an early 14-point deficit with his hustle and heady play. While the Wolves didn’t come away with the win, Bucher certainly did all he could to keep Vanoss alive.
Zane Hugaboom 2019 Hennessey wing
Zane Hugaboom is the type of player who can’t be traditional defined as a guard, wing, or forward, due to his ability and tendency to be all over the floor for the Eagles. His energy and motor were huge to Hennessey in its first-round win over Vanoss, and his rebounding came up as a major point to the Eagles’ game as well.
Elijah Factor 2019 Rock Creek wing
Elijah Factor hit a trio of 3-pointers in Rock Creek’s first-round win over Hooker, then finishes with 7 points and 9 rebounds in a quarterfinal loss to Hennessy. Factor tends to impress with his elite shooting capabilities, but his rebounding ability is also heavily underrated. Factor isn’t the tallest player on the floor, but at 6-foot-2-inches, he hustles like he has everything to prove.
Cooper Shirley 2021 Minco wing
Cooper Shirley is a fast, lanky, high iQ player who can shoot and pass the ball. He was integral to Minco’s run that fell just short to eventual champion Rejoice Christian in the semifinal game where he finished with 10 points and 5 boards. He has a lot of hustle to give, and is a relentless finisher at the rim with the ball in his hands.
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