Arizona MLK Classic Recap: Top Bigs
In this article:
The MLK Classic took place at the Arizona Grand Ballroom from January 16th through January 18th. Hosted by recruiting legend, Gerry Freitas, the event featured grassroots programs from Washington, California, Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico. It also featured several talented…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe MLK Classic took place at the Arizona Grand Ballroom from January 16th through January 18th. Hosted by recruiting legend, Gerry Freitas, the event featured grassroots programs from Washington, California, Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico. It also featured several talented big men. In this article, we take a look at the top bigs from the event.
Robert Vaihola Robert Vaihola 6'7" | PF Archbishop Riordan | 2021 State CA-N 6’7 C Arsenal 2021 (#87PHNC 2021) – Vaihola may just be the first guy selected to my throwback modern big list. He is an absolute bruiser that punishes defenders on the block. What makes him modern is his ball skills, at his size he is extremely capable of driving downhill and finishing from 18 feet in.
Alex Tews 6’11 C Cooper Institute 2021 – Tews was too big and too strong. He spent most of the week with guys hanging on to him, despite the beating he took, he managed to be effective down low. He has decent hands to go along with above-average post skills. His highlight of the weekend was his game-winning layup.
Malik Madison Malik Madison 6'8" | C Sacramento | 2021 State CA-N 6’9 C Ascending Life 2021 – Madison had one of the quickest first jumps of the bigs. He made a habit of using it to protect the rim and collect rebounds. A long rangy athlete Madison had several impressive blocks on the weekend.
Miles Byrd Miles Byrd 6'6" | SF Lincoln | 2022 State #174 Nation CA-N 6’7 PF Port City 2022 (#70PHNC 2022) (featured image) – Byrd is the most versatile big on the list. He easily could have made my top wings list, as Byrd has some ball skills and can score from beyond the line. A good two-way player, he came up big all weekend, with game-winning plays on the offensive and defensive ends.
Malek Gomma 6’8 PF Elite Prep 2022 (#24PHW 2022) – Gomma is a physical specimen with elite second jump ability. A fluid rum runner, Gomma got out and scored in transition, he also manufactured buckets from offensive putbacks and catch and finishes around the rim.
Damjan Asovic 6’9 C Arsenal 2021 – Asovic gives you everything he’s got when he’s on the floor. He is a dedicated rim runner that sprints the floor everytime down. His size and length allowed him to protect the rim at a high level, and he used his motor to track down loose balls and rebounds.