Top Nevada Players At The Hustle Region Finals
The second day of the Grind Regional Finals got underway at the Momentous Sports Center in Irvine. It featured several great performances. In this article, Prep Hoops takes a look at the Nevada players who stood out on day 2.
Emanuel “Mooch” Austin Nevada Hard 2 Guard 16U 2021 – I had been spending some time this week evaluating film on Austin, so I was happy to see him play in person this week. He’s a stud. The 6’0 combo guard was at his best offensively from about 25-15 feet in. He’s not blindingly quick, but his change of speeds and change of directions are so sudden that he creates just enough space and then…. Boom he sticks his foot in the ground and buries a jumper. Willing defender, that showed the ability to guard the 1 and the 2. His signature game was his 27 point performance against Coastal Elite where he single handedly carried his team to victory, including scoring the game winning bucket at the buzzer.
Mikey Medlock LMBA Elite 17U 2020 – Mikey’s game can best be described as quirky. The 6’3 lefty displayed a ton of old school moves that allowed him to finish at the rim. The moves included runners, wrong foot layups and same side same hand finishes. He showed off his versatile offensive repertoire in two Championship bracket games today. He played well even though LMBA was eliminated in a hard fought battle against LA Elite.
Travis Thomas Nevada Hard 2 Guard 17U 2020 – Thomas is a 5’9 jitterbug that has a heavyweights confidence. The lefty was one of the best shooters I saw all day. He buried threes at a ridiculously high clip. Try to crowd him, and he’s able to explode into the lane and finish over and under bigger defenders. On the defensive end he can best be described as a pest, as he used his low center of gravity to harass unsuspecting ball handlers.
Damion Byrd Nevada Hard 2 Guard 16U 2022 – A rising sophomore, Byrd has received valuable experience while playing up this week. The 5’11 guard has a powerful frame that allows him to finish through contact. He’s a cerebral point that knows exactly what his team needs at every given moment. While he played Robin to Austin’s Batman, he also showed the ability to carry his team at times by hitting clutch 3’s and finishing in traffic. He is definitely a player that has scholarship potential.
Leland Wallace LMBA Elite 17U 2019 – The 6’5 Wallace is a big physical specimen that snatched boards at a high rate all day. He simply overpowered many of the players that matched up against him. An explosive leaper, Wallace finished several passes with thunderous dunks. He battled hard and it was his offensive rebounding that helped keep LMBA in the game against LA Elite.