T-Town Throwdown Top 4: Backcourt
On the final day of the 2019 T-Town Throwdown, the top 4 teams competed to decide 1st through 4th place in the tournament. The Federal Way Eagles would win the championship after defeating the Wilson Rams, and West Seattle would…
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Continue ReadingOn the final day of the 2019 T-Town Throwdown, the top 4 teams competed to decide 1st through 4th place in the tournament. The Federal Way Eagles would win the championship after defeating the Wilson Rams, and West Seattle would take 3rd place honors over the Puyallup Vikings. Each team featured strong guard play from a combination of ranked and unranked athletes who showed fans why their teams were able to go deep into the tournament. Here’s a look at five athletes who made an impact at the guard position.
Sage Nelson | 5’11” G | WSHS 2020
Nelson had arguably the best ball-handling skills of any of the point guards I saw and proved to be the most dangerous player on the dribble-drive. He has a video game array of spin moves, step backs, hesitations, and crossovers that allowed him to finish at the rim or find open looks in the mid-range. He had a tough shooting night with a handful of shots that were only off by a fraction, but he stayed aggressive and found ways to get the ball into the hands of his team’s leading scorer Vlad Salaridze Vlad Salaridze 6'7" | PF West Seattle | 2020 State WA . Nelson takes full advantage of his athleticism on both ends of the court, collecting rebounds and steals, and he had a highlight chase-down block early in the game. Nelson would foul out with 2 minutes left in the game, but he continued to lead his team with advice from the sideline.
Cobi Campbell Cobi Campbell 6'2" | PG Puyallup | 2021 State WA | 6’3 G | PHS 2021
Campbell had already proved himself to be a great shooter coming into the 2019/20 season, and he has taken his scoring up a notch in his junior season. Campbell led his team with 20 points in their loss to West Seattle. He hit four 3-pointers and showed that he has to be a focal point of opponents’ defensive game plans. Campbell is a good screener even at the point guard position, and he works well with stretch-forward Luke Holcomb Luke Holcomb 6'4" | PF Puyallup | 2021 State WA . As his team’s leader, Cobi also showed good decision-making, knowing when to push the ball and when to slow things down.
Damani Green Damani Green 5'10" | PG Wilson | 2020 State WA | 5’10” G | WHS 2020
The do-it-all senior from Wilson does everything fast. He pushes the pace in the open court, crosses defenders in the blink of an eye, and zips no-look passes all over the court. After leading his team in an impressive comeback in the semis, Green continued to show why he is the leader of this team and one of the top-50 athletes in the 2020 class. Green led his team with 18 points in the loss and scored at all three levels with a smooth shooting stroke and defense-penetrating ball handling. Green had several highlight assists in the championship game and would have had several more that slipped through the hands of teammates who weren’t expecting to be hit with his dimes. Green has the poise that comes with his experience as well as the motor and hustle of an athlete who knows how important he is to his team.
Jaylen-Wes Williams | 5’9″ G | FWHS 2020
Federal Way’s point guard commanded attention on a team that has scoring options that go deep into their bench. The 5’9″ senior was a threat from deep, but his passing game was his strongest contribution as he dished out 6 assists to teammates who could create shots independently as well. Williams added steals on defense and was one of several Eagles who put his body on the line and took charges from the Wilson Rams.
Joseph Dwyer | 5’7″ G | PHS 2020
Dwyer, who shared point guard responsibilities with Cobi Campbell Cobi Campbell 6'2" | PG Puyallup | 2021 State WA , was captivating with the ball in his hands. With a combination of agility and handles, Joseph was continuously drawing oohs and ahhs for losing defenders, finishing at the rim, or dropping off no-look passes for easy points under the hoop. Dwyer did most of his damage with the ball in his hands, and if he can become a little more impactful working off the ball, then he will really round out the offensive attack of a solid Puyallup team that is looking for a third option after losing their top junior from last season, Kendall Munson Kendall Munson 6'8" | SF Garfield | 2020 State #252 Nation WA .