GASO Labor Day Houston 2022 Standouts Day 1
This is my in-depth coverage of the recent GASO tournaments going on in Houston this Labor Day weekend. These players had a great first day of competition and should only get better from here. Keep an eye out for the…
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Continue ReadingThis is my in-depth coverage of the recent GASO tournaments going on in Houston this Labor Day weekend. These players had a great first day of competition and should only get better from here. Keep an eye out for the rest of my coverage from this event, and for these athletes to have a dominant upcoming season.
Sean Elkinton Sean Elkinton 6'7" | PF Crosby | 2022 State TX 6’7 2022 (Houston TTG 2022) Crosby High School
Sean is an effective distributor for his size, he draws so much attention on the offensive end with his incredible length which he has blended perfectly with effective ball-handling ability and ability to get downhill and finish at the rim. He is quicker than every forward they try to throw at him and is too big for guards to even bother him. He creates well for his teammates, firing the right passes out to his shooters as the defense begins to collapse around him. He is incredibly dominant in the high post and has the ability to make the right reads in the half-court. His ability to finish second chance opportunities makes the difference in his team’s success.
John Monzele 6’10 2022 (Houston Defenders 16UA) Cypress Lakes High School
John is an effective rim runner. He has great foot speed and runs the floor well, picking his gaps and lanes. He is great on the defensive end when guarding other bigs he dominates. He does not have the agility to keep up with smaller guards, but he is smart to sag off jump shooters, force them to shoot, and punish them for trying to get by him to the rim.
Xavier Owens 6’6 2022 (Houston Defenders 16UA) Klein Cain High School
Xavier is an athletic wing who moves around very well for his size. He is an effective rebounder and finisher down low. He is great at playing passing lanes and getting to disrupt the opposing teams offensive flow with his game wrecking defensive ability. I would like to see an improvement in handling the basketball and getting downhill to create for himself and his teammates.
Aaron Rucker 6’5 2022 (Jesuit) Strake Jesuit High School
Aaron has incredible length and provides good rim protection even against top competition above his age. He has all the tools to be a dominant defender down low and if he can improve his agility and foot speed an elite defender that can guard positions 3-5 at the next level. I would like to see more strength added to his frame as well.
Nico Mur 6’5 2022 (Jesuit) Strake Jesuit High School
Nico is an athletic wing with great upside, the impressive forward showed off today with effortless finishes even with contact. He is smart at making defenders bite on simple up fakes. He plays engaged on-ball defense and fights hard to get through tough on ball screens by bigger forwards. I would like to see more confidence in his outside jumper, and improvement at getting to comfortable spots in the midrange and adding a soft floater to his game.
Conlie Christmas Conlie Christmas 6'4" | SF Ridge Point | 2022 State TX 6’4 2022 (Houston TTG 2022) Ridge Point High School
Conlie is an effective wing who likes to fight down low for easy looks. He can finish with the best of them down low, as a result of his hard work down low to seal off opponents. He has great ball skills and can get by almost any guard and is quicker than most forwards. He has a heads-up ability to make the right pass as soon as he feels pressure, resulting in a lot of easy looks for his team. He has all the tools to be a dominant defender, with long arms and quick feet but he is not always locked in defensively. I saw flashes of great on-ball defense as well as a keen sense to slide over to protect the rim for his team.
Austin Yeager 6’7 2022 (Shooting Stars Blue) Foster High School
Austin is a strong force down low who love to punish defenders by throwing his weight. He has good post moves down low and doesn’t have to do much to effectively seal off defenders on the glass. I would like to see continued development at fighting through defenders on the glass. He has all the tools to become a Nikola Jokic type player. I would like to see him work on his passing vision, and work on more moves as he flashes to the high post. He can be a game wrecker if he has the threat to back down a defender underneath the rim, shoot it over their head or create for a teammate if you bring help.