Hustle In The Sun: Top Guard Play on Friday Night
The Prep Hoops Hustle In the Sun tournament kicked off on Friday night at the MAP sports complex in Garden Grove, CA. There were eight courts in the facility, with games ranging from the 15u-17u. Here are some guards that…
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Continue ReadingThe Prep Hoops Hustle In the Sun tournament kicked off on Friday night at the MAP sports complex in Garden Grove, CA. There were eight courts in the facility, with games ranging from the 15u-17u. Here are some guards that caught my attention on a packed Friday night.
Brandon Whitney ‘20 (BTI Elite 2020) There were twenty four games played on Friday night and Whitney was my most outstanding player. He demonstrated a nice in-n-out dribble to get to the bucket and finished with either hand. Whitney played low to ground which helped him pick his spots on Friday night. Playing low to the ground gave Whitney the ability to get great elevation on his jump shot. Whitney showed great patience on the pick-n-roll and picked out what the defense gave him. He led his team to a victory over Dream Vision Next 60-56. Whitney sealed the game with free throws down the stretch. After recently receiving an offer from Montana a couple of weeks ago I expect more colleges to be calling Whitney’s line.
Reese Dixon ’21 (The Truth 16u EYBL) Reese Dixon can really score the ball, but let me tell you, on Friday night he showed me more. Dixon showed me the great feel he has for the game of basketball. It seems as if everything comes natural for him. I liked that he made the extra pass, got a few blocks off the help side, and dove for loose balls. The Truth 16u has a very talented squad with the likes of Peyton Watson, Jason Hart Jr, and Shaqir O’ Neal but that did not stop Reese from getting his. Dixon probably had about 14 points just off offensive rebounds so his motor was high on Friday night. He led his team to victory over BTI Select 2021, 60-54. Reese is really coming into his own as a complete basketball player and adding the little things to his game. By the time he is a senior it could be really scary for the opposition.
Atin Wright ’20 (Dream Vision 17u) Many basketball players think you have to start to make an impact on a basketball game. Well Atin Wright came off the bench for Dream Vision 17u and made a huge impact for his team as they took down Los Angeles Elite Hollingsworth 81-63 . It was a close game but Wright hit some big time 3s in the 2nd half. I also like that Wright picks up opposing guards full court all game and uses his quick hands to get steals. Wright is also an underrated playmaker who uses his effective jump shot to set up others.
Dominic Woods ’20 (Los Angeles Elite Hollingsworth) Dominic Woods kept his team in the game on Friday night. Los Angeles Elite had a huge task in front of them when playing Dream Vision 17U and they showed they can hang with the big boys. Woods showed great ability to get to the rim and did a great job of creating contact. In the 2nd half Woods was able to adjust to the Dream Vision length and used floaters to score in the paint. Woods also showed great anticipation on the defensive side in which allowed him to get easy buckets on the other end.
Frankie Collins ’21 (Dream Vision Next) Any coach in America would love to have Collins run their team. He makes the position of point guard look effortless . My favorite thing that I saw from Collins is that he always looks to make the go ahead pass. At times Collins does not let the opposing defense setup since he is always looking to advance the ball. Collins’s ball handling was very impressive and always seemed to be in control. He did a great job of setting up his teammates, but also knew when to score. Collins showed he can use his athleticism to score and to be very aggressive while on defense. His stocked has risen in the last few months and I only expect it to go up. My guess is that a lot of power five coaches will be reaching out .
Richard Kawakami ’19 (BTI Select 2019) Kawakami does a little bit of everything on the basketball court. I would put him in the category of stat suffer. Kawakami will make sure all the boxes are checked off on the box score. His team lost on Friday night to The Truth 17u EYBL, but he had an impressive play during the game where he got a steal after coming off the help, then made a great full court pass to a teammate for a dunk. At times Kawakami will go down to the box and post up smaller guards. Kawakami may not give you 25 points per game but he sure will give you for example 12P, 8A, 10R, 4S type of game. I also like that on Friday night Kawakami did not force anything but let the game come to him.