Great Western Winter Classic Recap: Top R&J Athletes
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The Great Western Winter Classic took place at Nets on Fire in St George, UT. The event ran from December 19th through December 22nd. It featured over 70 teams. It also featured several big-time athletes. In this article, we take…
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Continue ReadingThe Great Western Winter Classic took place at Nets on Fire in St George, UT. The event ran from December 19th through December 22nd. It featured over 70 teams. It also featured several big-time athletes. In this article, we take a look at the top R&J athletes from the event.
Tommy Brascia Tommy Brascia 6'8" | PF Durango | 2023 State NV 6’7 West Coast Rebels 2023 – Brascia actually checks both boxes. Pound for pound he’s one of the best rim runners in the state. He changes ends swiftly and is a fluid runner. He has good springs, plays with a bounce, and is able to get up off 1 or 2 feet.
Devon Malcolm Devon Malcolm 6'4" | SF South Medford | 2022 State OR 6’4 SF A-Train 2022 (featured image) – Attach the word different to Malcolm. That’s just the kind of athlete he is. Built with a compact frame, Malcolm explodes off the ground. He was able to use his bunnies to hammer home a number of powerful dunks. He had a sequence of 3 straight dunks in one game, capping it with a thunderous coast to cost slam. They call him “Baby Zion” but he reminds me more of a young Charles Barkley in both frame and style.
Allen Mukeba 6’7 PF GSP 2021 – Mukeba looked like he was shot out of a cannon at times. The 6’7 wing has an advanced frame, to go along with major ups. Many decided to make business decisions against him in transition, as his combination of speed and power was frightening.
Caleb Gilbert 6’4 SF Team Build Up 2021 – Gilbert is one of the more casual dunkers I’ve seen. He seems to glide to the rim, but he does it from distance. Gilbert had several 1 foot 1 hand slams throughout the weekend, as he helped TBU flex their muscle.
Ryder Elisaldez Ryder Elisaldez 6'1" | CG Bishop Gorman | 2024 State NV 6’1 SG Vegas Elite 2024 – Elisaldez is going to have me creating my all R&J&A team. The A is for agility. He had one of the most amazing plays I’ve seen this year when the freshman guard caught a lob and finished it with a spectacular 360 layup. Throw in a few of his patent 1-foot two-hand dunks and you see why he was an easy choice for this list.
Dontrell Johnson Dontrell Johnson 6'5" | SF Trinity | 2022 State NV 6’5 PF LV Shooters 2022 – As usual Johnson played with a relentless motor all weekend. He was one of the fastest bigs at the event, changing ends at a feverish pace. He also showed off the jump part of his game, slamming home several one-footed dunks in transition.