Bruce’s Best: Players To Watch At The Hustle Region Finals
The entire season comes down to this! The Hustle Region Final is upon us and there is a wealth of talent on display here in Irvine. Following these teams all year has provided me with an understanding of who to…
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Continue ReadingThe entire season comes down to this! The Hustle Region Final is upon us and there is a wealth of talent on display here in Irvine. Following these teams all year has provided me with an understanding of who to watch and what to look for. So as the top teams prepare to take the floor on Saturday, here are a few of the players that I will be keeping a close eye on.
Owen Kuntz Colorado Titans Gold 2020 – The chatter around Kuntz has been amazing over the past 7 days. He is on the radar of several D2 coaches that envision him as a 4 in their program. I’m not sure what his position is, but I know he can flat out play and that’s what I’m looking forward to watching him do this week. The 6’4 Kuntz is a great athlete that competes on both ends of the floor. His Colorado Titans Gold squad is the heavy favorite to win the 17U champions bracket and if they do, it will be due in large part to his contributions.
Ricky Lujan New Mexico D1 Ambassadors 2020 – Lujan is a do it all type of guard for a loaded New Mexico team. He lulls you to sleep and then explodes to the basket for highlight finishes. I expect him to have a big weekend, as his New Mexico squad has had 7 days to stew after a tough hard fought quarterfinal loss last week to the Aussie Prospects out in Las Vegas.
Damion Byrd Nevada Hard 2 Guard 2022 – I’m a big fan of the Las Vegas native. Byrd AKA “Mr. 7-5”, (he is called that because of this amazing game winner from 75 feet) is one of the top players in the class of 2022. The 6’0 Byrd is a tenacious defender and competitor. He’s playing up this week for the 16U Nevada H2G team and I’m interested to see how well he fairs against bigger and stronger competition. What I love about him most right now is everything that he does from the neck up. He has a sixth sense for understanding when and how to make the right play for his team.
Mikey Medlock LMBA Elite 2020 – I have watched a lot of Medlock this summer and have been impressed with him since day 1. He has a quality skill set that includes dribble penetration, shooting and drive and kick ability. Although he is slight of frame, he is a good defender that uses his long arms to close out on shots. He has improved immensely since this spring. I’m looking forward to seeing if he can put it all together this weekend. His LMBA Elite squad is a sleeper team in the 17U bracket.
Jaden Brownell Utah Premier National 2021 – I have said it before and I will say it again, Jaden Brownell is a unicorn. At 6’8 there are few guys that posses a skill – set like his. My assessment of him is that he is a scholarship athlete that should easily be the best player on the floor in every game this weekend, if he plays to his potential. He can protect the rim, score with both hands and has range out to about 15 feet. What makes him special is his unique ability to put it on the ground and create a play for himself or his teammate.
Gavin Gilstrap Fuego 2021 – You can’t help but watch Gilstrap. The 6’10 center is a massive space-eater who scores mainly off put backs and catch and finishes. What I’m looking to see from him this weekend, is if he’s mobile enough to do some of the things that the modern 5 man needs to do to be effective in today’s game, like switch ball screens, play pick and pop basketball and sprint the floor. If he shows any glimpse of these things, he may catch the eye of a coach or two.