Southwest Showcase spring championship: Day 1 defensive standouts
The first day of the Southwest Showcase spring championship came and went in Phoenix this Saturday. Here are the four players who stood out defensively: Troy Yazzie – NAZ Elite Yazzie blocked a lot of shots in the two games…
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Continue ReadingThe first day of the Southwest Showcase spring championship came and went in Phoenix this Saturday. Here are the four players who stood out defensively:
Troy Yazzie – NAZ Elite
Yazzie blocked a lot of shots in the two games the team played, especially in the first halves. This made opponents think twice about bringing the ball into the paint, and he especially made PHX Hotboyz have to settle for contested jumpers outside of their normal offensive scheme.
Braeden Roberts – AZ Grit
Roberts played a very physical style on opposing guards, getting into opponents’ faces and giving little room to dribble into the paint. He also made a few steals by jumping into passing lanes at the right times, which set his team up for transition opportunities at the other end.
Matt Jensen – AZ Wild
He had especially good hands on defense. He used quick feet and quality positioning to hassle opposing guards. He also fronted bigger players and work really hard for position at the hoop, which helped tremendously on a team that succeeded while undersized in the tournament.
David Oparaji – Aztecs
The Aztecs struggled overall on the first day of play, especially on defense. However, Oparaji was their one bit of rim protection, and he used his size to make it difficult for other players to finish easily at the hoop. He blocked and altered several shots, but couldn’t completely make up for some of the team’s lack of production.