Championship Sunday: Solid Rock’s Best Inside Forces
Championship Sunday brought out the heavy hitters to Solid Rock to compete for the right at being titled, “champs.” I handled court 2 duties and with that there were some standouts. Here are my big men on the day who…
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Continue ReadingChampionship Sunday brought out the heavy hitters to Solid Rock to compete for the right at being titled, “champs.” I handled court 2 duties and with that there were some standouts. Here are my big men on the day who controlled the paint, finished down low and was an inside force.
Tavion Banks – Kansas Pray N Play
Banks shows huge upside as he is a player that really gets after it down low. He has great size and is able to run the floor and he made his mark in Pray N Play’s early win as he recorded 12 points and had 12 big rebounds to go along with it. He is able to affect the game not only with his scoring but his rebounds and massive size allows him to create so much space. He is also a big man that is able to defend 1-5 and took the initiative to guard the opposing team’s best player. He blocked shots, has a high motor and was very active at all times. He is also a player that you can put on the floor to initiate offense as his back to the basket game is surely to get better over time.
Antwaan Massey – Kansas Pray N Play
Massey is a traditional big man with immense strength. He is a slasher that is able to catch the ball and go straight up challenging guys at the rim. He has good hand-eye coordination and can be used as a slasher. He sets solid screens, pushes his man off of the block and can switch onto smaller and quicker guards for a few seconds. He is not a player that you have to run plays for as he does a ton of dirty work but he is able to come into the game and affect it with his willingness to work hard, defend well and secure rebounds. Solid day for a fierce competitor.
Jack Pronger – Gateway
Pronger was one of the few big men that was used as a floor spacer. He was very consistent this weekend knocking down jump shots and early in the day he was able to get going from outside. Although he was able to go inside and bang, securing multiple rebounds and tapping it out to his teammates his bread and butter is as an outside marksman that forced big men out of the paint as he must be accounted for. He finished with five 3-pointers to get his 15 points. He also defended the bigs inside and was great in help side defense as he played down low and closed out on shooters. He did not make many mistakes on the floor both offensively and with his defensive assignment and hustled the whole time he was out there. It will be interesting to see him used more as an offensive weapon with the ability to change things up.
Omaha Biliew — Beyond Ball
One of the shocking developments of the day was Omaha Biliew’s age. Everyone spoke about the 6’7 8th grader with game. He had some eye-opening plays as he was able to show off a very complete game. He is a very polished prospect on both ends of the floor that is very versatile as he has the size to be inside dominating and he did with multiple dunks, but also was the primary ball handler as well which you don’t see from a player his size. He created for himself and had a high basketball IQ. He found the open man and took over in transition as he finished with 15 points. He has a high motor, is able to jump out of the gym and the scariest part is he does not even understand how good he can really be. He has one of the highest ceilings out of any player that was in the gym and when he reaches his full potential he is going to be dangerous.
Jaden Bray — Team Buddy Buckets
Bray was not a player that came out and dominated with his scoring but he made sure to make his mark in the early game which helped Buddy Bucked ensure the victory. He was not a go-to guy in the offense but go involved with hustle, high energy and an endless motor as he finished with three and-1 finishes. Bray is a tenacious defender that gives solid production because he is very active with his hands and aggressive defensively. He rebounded well and was used as a slasher. He denied the ball and did not let his man get comfortable on the block and his work on one end of the floor got him into a rhythm offensively as he fought for boards. He has high upside as a rim protector that can be used as a defensive stopper with his length and his eight points, seven rebounds and a block had him as a standout for the day.