17U Standouts in the Freedom Classic
Basketball is back in Colorado! Well, kind of. The Freedom Classic brought in some in-state teams for their first piece of the action this summer. I watched some games this past weekend, and there were a couple of standouts that…
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Continue ReadingBasketball is back in Colorado! Well, kind of. The Freedom Classic brought in some in-state teams for their first piece of the action this summer. I watched some games this past weekend, and there were a couple of standouts that caught my eyes. Here are some standouts for 17U.
Amondo Miller Amondo Miller 6'6" | CG Valor Christian | 2021 State CO – Colorado Miners
Miller had himself a day. Although the Miners lost their first game convincingly, the standout player in the game was Miller. When he was in the game, the Miners had a chance because he was able to have his way. He scored when he wanted as he drove to the rim and used his length and athleticism. What I enjoyed were his playmaking abilities. At 6’5 and one of the taller players in the gym, he was also the team’s best ballhandler and creators. He found open guys, felt the double teams at times, and kicked out to the open man. It was fun to see him in a fast-paced setting.
Michael Wolf Michael Wolf 6'0" | PG Regis Jesuit | 2021 State CO – Pro Skills
Wolf doesn’t even look like the same player from when he was at Regis. His confidence is at an all-time high, and with that comes an extra bounce to his game. He attacks defenders off of the dribble as one of the better finishers at the rim, he can shoot it on the move, and when he is open for a shot, then it’s bottoms up. Wolf makes strong and sharp passes, great decisions with the ball, and scores in bunches. He is a player I will continue to keep up with, and just off of what I have seen from this summer is an easy stock riser.
Jaedyn Brown – Rocky Mountain Fever
Brown looks small and young out on the floor. Well, that’s because he is. Rocky Mountain Fever was playing two age brackets up… two. Brown might not wow you with stuffing the stat book, but for a guard playing up and leading a talented 15U squad against 17U guys, he is poised. Brown flies the ball up the court, has excellent court awareness, and takes care of the ball. He makes plays for others as a true point guard and knocks down the open shot when he has to. Jaedyn lives out of state but plays in-state for AAU on a loaded Fever team.
Tom Connelly Tom Connelly 6'4" | SF Denver East | 2021 State CO – Pro Skills
Connelly has put himself in the running as the state’s top shooter. What is different about Connelly than any other player in the state is his range. Connelly has to be checked the second that he crosses past half-court, and he has an unlimited range. Once his feet are set, it’s over, and in the Freedom Classic, he made every opposing teams head coach mad as they screamed,” shooter” every time that he got the ball open. Connelly is also growing, so he has the size and gets on the block and scores with ease over smaller defenders. He has a good feel for the game, and his confidence is growing, so he is a player to surely watch.
AJ Kula AJ Kula 6'5" | CG Valor Christian | 2021 State CO – Colorado Miners
Kula started out a bit slow as he could not get himself going in the first game, but from there, it was lights out for him. Kula is a bigger guard that is dangerous in the open court. He has finesse lay-ups, blows by defenders and finishes at or above the rim. He also let the game come to him. He did not force many shots and played well off of the ball and hit a couple of 3-pointers.