Centennial State Grandstand – Hard-nosed defenders from Day 1
The Centennial Grandstand opened up the live period portion with head-to-head games with some of the best talent in Colorado and various other states going at it in a showcase. While offense is what gets most of the highlights, defense…
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Continue ReadingThe Centennial Grandstand opened up the live period portion with head-to-head games with some of the best talent in Colorado and various other states going at it in a showcase. While offense is what gets most of the highlights, defense is what wins games. There were plenty of defensive plays that stood out on the day and here are five guys who really stood out on that end of the floor.
Zion Ruckard — Eaglecrest
Ruckard sets the tone on the defensive side of the ball and that’s what gets him going for the full day. One of the underrated qualities about Ruckard’s game is his willingness to guard the best ball handler on the court and he makes sure that they are going to work for every single possession. He uses his body, is quick and rarely gambles and is a smart defender that perfectly times the dribble for a steal. At the showcase on the bigger guards he was able to force a few jump balls which brought some defensive intensity to his team. He is not afraid to guard and seems to get a kick out of that side of the ball which you do not necessarily get from your floor general. Ruckard did all of the small things on the day to standout.
Ty Foster – Lincoln
Foster put his bid in as one of the best on ball defenders in the state as he was one of the few guards at the event that was guarding the ball handler the full extent of the court for the entire time that he was out there. Foster is ultra-aggressive defensively and was rarely called for fouls on ball. What was even more impressive to watch was how he was going after the big men’s shots and blocking those. He was challenging guys at the rim, he was able to guard the bigger guys and was a pest on the defensive end while still getting his own offensively. He is one of the state’s better two way players and he has the edge in him to challenge every single player that goes in front of him which any school will fall in love with. Foster was the MVP on the defensive end for the day.
Tanner Brown—Brandeis High School
Brown is a prospect that small schools should be in love with. He came into the showcase and had the mentality that you want from every single player on the team, to go in there and fight tooth and nail for every single possession and leave it all out on the floor. Brown was everywhere on the floor and making plenty of plays on the defensive end to kickstart the offense. He had a hustle rebounds on offense and then ran full court and challenged a dunk on opposite end. He held his own and was not getting attacked on the day. That is what you want from a prospect and in a showcase setting those are the small intangibles that stand out. He shot the ball well and was also locked in on defense and any small school looking for a 3&D guy should circle his name.
Jeffrey Mills—Flower Mound High School
Mills was a player that made an impact as soon as he walked onto the court on both ends. He was quiet in the first half of the first set of games but got comfortable by playing some tough defense and plays for others and seen the rest of his game come alive. What stood out was his awareness. He made sure to set up for charges, was hyper aware and in the right spits in help side and was able to play both on guards as well as big men. I liked how active he was on the boards and attempting to keep balls alive for his team. He made the offensive player work and that started to get him going offensively for a pretty solid day.
Edward McPhee – George Washington
McPhee was a player I paid close attention to when he faced off against one of the best standouts on the day in Dominique Clifford and he played well against him. McPhee has pretty good size and quickness to be able to guard both down low and on the perimeter and that was on display in the showcase as it helped him kickstart his offense with a few jump shots. He has the makings to be a good rebounder when he is locked in as he has good instincts and isn’t reliant on just size or speed but a mixture of both. He brought help and showed off a bit of rim protection as he recorded a block in the game but I was excited to see a challenge from him on a player that was getting whatever it is he wanted against others.